Our most popular print product returns in a new format with expanded guidance for frontline teams

We are pleased to announce that our Budget Planner has been refreshed and relaunched. As our most sought after print product, it remains one of the most effective print options we offer to organisations supporting people through financial hardship. The updated version builds on what has made it so popular with frontline teams, while adding more content and more built in guidance.

Why It Continues to Be Our Most Requested Print Resource

The Budget Planner works because it is practical, structured and hands on. In an increasingly digital world, practitioners consistently tell us that clients engage more readily with something they can physically write on. Completing it together during an appointment helps ground the conversation in real figures. Taking it home as a visible reminder reinforces accountability and follow through.

Its strength lies in its clear prioritisation of spending. The planner guides users step by step, starting with income and then moving through costs that cannot be avoided, such as rent and council tax, before looking at bills and debts that may be controlled, areas where spending can be cut back, and finally discretionary items that make life easier. This structure helps clients understand not just what they spend, but which payments must come first and where realistic changes can be made.

The summary section pulls everything together with a simple balance check, asking whether income covers total expenses. That straightforward question often opens the door to meaningful conversations about next steps, including income maximisation, employment, debt advice or wider support.

For organisations in debt advice, housing, local authorities, credit unions, community services and the voluntary sector, this clarity makes the planner more than a worksheet. It is a consistent framework for high quality income and expenditure conversations and planning.

What’s New in the Updated Version

The Budget Planner is perfect for folding out into a wall planner, allowing households to keep their budget visible and active between appointments. We have also expanded the content to include additional guidance and a new spread featuring useful numbers for debt advice, benefits and support services.  

Alongside real world cost of living context already included in the planner, this strengthens its role as both a budgeting tool and a gateway to trusted help.

The Budget Planner continues to reflect our commitment to helping people think bigger than bills. With its new format and enhanced guidance, it offers partners an even stronger resource to support clients in building realistic, sustainable financial plans.

Please contact lisa.woodman@cleanslateltd.co.uk to place an order.