Budget with Excel made easy Step 1 in understanding your finances

Let's get into something substantial today.

Really understand what you save each month after bills and other expenses.  That will allow you to take the next step with investing or getting out of debt quicker.

Here's an easy way to budget.

These numbers below are all fake and based on having a roommate.  The main point of this post is to show how simple a spreadsheet can be that will allow you to track your expenses and give a clear picture of exactly what you make every month.

Some people argue that budgets are like bad diets.  However I believe that in this digital age something like this can be done in 10 minutes or less.  Ten minutes is worth improving your financial life.  

The way to accomplish this is to use your credit card for every purchase.  This helps track all spending and allows you to accumulate points.  Also check your bank statements for those expenses that can't go on your credit card. Lastly make all the categories you need and put every item in its respective column even if its $2.

Now once you've built your spreadsheet all you need to do each month is change the numbers and save it under a different name.

I wanted to include a picture so people wouldn't have to click a link or download a file even though it doesn't look the best on the post.

If you really don't like the credit card idea then use your debit card.  That will still allow you to track everything easily.

Somethings to make sure you put on the spreadsheet are dinners out or lunches.

Functions  (These are for the bigger spreadsheet)

=Sum(E:E) totals everything in that column in any cell on the page that you want

=Q19-Q16 is how i totaled the take home cell

The best part is as the numbers change so do your totals.  This makes less work for you in the long run because of the equations you made now.





Spreadsheet by rows and then columns.  Play around to see what you like I included the simple equations at the top of each picture to help you build your own

I understand that online banking sometimes does this for you, but it has been very inaccurate in my opinion and counts money transferred to other accounts as being spent.  This is just another option for you.