College Student Budget

Know where your money goes this semester, from tuition and the meal plan to coffee before class. The College Student Budget Planner is built for how money works in college: some things come once a semester (financial aid refunds, scholarships, tuition, fees, the meal plan, textbooks) and some come every month (your part-time job, rent or dorm, groceries, your phone). Plan both on one Setup tab, log what comes in and goes out, and the planner does the math. WHAT'S INCLUDED • Semester dashboard: money in so far, spent so far, balance now, planned left over and savings goal progress • Spending by group for the whole semester (School, Housing, Food, Transportation, Personal, Fun, Savings) with progress bars • Money coming in by source: job, work-study, family, financial aid, scholarships, with what's still to come • Month-by-month table and a money in vs. spent chart (semesters of up to 6 months) • Monthly tracker: pick a month to see income and every category against your monthly plan • Transaction log with dropdown categories (400 rows) • Savings goal tracker with a progress bar • Setup tab for up to 8 income sources and 30 cost categories, each planned monthly or once per semester • Start Here guide • Two files: a blank planner and a filled-in example semester WORKS WITH • Microsoft Excel (2010 or later, Windows and Mac, and Excel online) • Google Sheets (free): upload the file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets HOW IT WORKS 1. Purchase and download instantly from your Etsy Purchases page. 2. Open the file in Excel, or upload it to Google Drive and open it in Google Sheets. 3. Fill in the Setup tab, then log transactions as you go. Use a fresh copy each semester. PLEASE NOTE • This is a digital download. No physical item will be shipped. • Amounts are in US dollars ($). Currency formatting can be changed in your spreadsheet app. • For personal use. Please don't resell or share the file. • Not financial advice. Check exact tuition, fees and financial aid amounts with your school. How we make it: Every Penny & Pencil template and worksheet is designed in-house with AI-assisted tools, then each page, formula and answer key is checked and tested before it is listed. Questions? Send us a message. We usually reply within a day.