This article provides a guide on how to record your daily expenses, income, and balances using Microsoft Excel. There are patterns you can use to speed up the process or you can create a personal budget file from scratch.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Using Pattern
Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel
This program has a dark green X icon.
Step 2. Click the search box
This box is at the top of the Excel window.
On Mac, click File in the upper left corner, then click New from Templates… on the drop-down menu.
Step 3. Type budget in the search box, then press Enter
Personal budget pattern options will appear on the screen.
Step 4. Choose a pattern
Click the budget template whose title and appearance match your needs. The pattern page will appear and you can check more information about the pattern.
"Expense budget" and "Basic personal budget" are good choices
Step 5. Click Create
This button is to the right of the pattern image. The pattern will appear in Excel.
Step 6. Fill in your pattern
This step varies depending on your chosen pattern; most patterns can be used to record expenses and expenses and calculate your total expenses.
Most patterns come with a formula so any number changes you make will change the numbers in other parts
Step 7. Save your personal budget
After completing your personal budget, save the file on your computer. To do so:
- Windows - Click File, click Save As, double click This PC, click the save location on the left side of the window, type the name of the document (for example, "Personal Budget") into the "File name" box, and click Save.
- Mac - Click File, click Save As…, enter a document name (for example, "Personal Budget") in the "Save As" box, select a save location by selecting the "Where" box, select a folder, and click Save.
Method 2 of 2: Creating a Manual Budget
Step 1. Open Microsoft Excel
This is a program with a dark green X icon.
Step 2. Click Blank workbook
This button can be found at the top left of the page.
On a Mac, skip this step if the Excel file opens automatically when you open Excel
Step 3. Enter a title
Starting from the box A1 in the top left corner, enter the titles below:
- A1 - Type "Date"
- B1 - Type "Expense"
- C1 - Type "Cost"
- D1 - Type "Revenue"
- E1 - Type "Balance"
- F1 - Type "Notes"
Step 4. Enter the expenses and the date of the month
In the “Expenses” column, type the name of the expense you know (or anticipate) for at least one month, then enter the amount of each expense in the “Cost” column according to the expense name. Also note the date of each expenditure in the "Date" column.
You can also type the date for a month and fill in the fields on the date the expenditure was made
Step 5. Enter your income
For each date, enter the amount of money you earned that day in the “Revenue” column. If you get nothing, clear the box.
Step 6. Enter the balance
After calculating the expenses and income per day, enter the amount in the “Balance” column.
Step 7. Add notes
If any payments, balances, or days are not the same as usual, make a note in the “Notes” column to the right of the row. These notes will help you remember large or unusual payments.
You can also type "Regular" to the right of the row containing your regular monthly (or weekly) expenses
Step 8. Enter the formula
Click the first empty box under the “Expenditures” column, then type:
=SUM(C2:C#)
"#" is the last column of numbers entered in the box in column "C". Press Enter when you're done to enter the formula and display the total expenses in this budget.
Use this formula for “Revenue” and “Balance”, but use “D” and “E” instead of “C”
Step 9. Save your personal budget
Once your budget is complete, save it on your computer. To do so:
- Windows - Click File, click Save As, double click This PC, click the save location on the left side of the window, type the name of the document (for example, "Personal Budget") into the "File name" box, and click Save.
- Mac - Click File, click Save As…, enter a document name (for example, "Personal Budget") in the "Save As" box, select a save location by selecting the "Where" box, select a folder, and click Save.
Tips
- You can also use patterns in Google Sheets if you don't have access to Microsoft Excel.
- The formula in the pattern version and the manual version will recalculate the total at the bottom of the column if you change the number in any column above it.
