Christmas budget planner spreadsheet

Holiday overspending rarely comes from one big gift. It comes from the extras: food, decorations, cards, travel and parties that never had a number attached.

The Christmas Gift Budget Tracker starts with one total holiday budget. Gifts get a recipient, budget, actual cost and status (Idea, Bought, Wrapped, Given), and over-budget gifts turn red. Decorations, food, travel, cards and parties each get their own budget and purchase log with progress bars. The dashboard shows budget, spent, remaining and days until Christmas.

Hosting a holiday meal too? The Holiday Meal Planner covers the menu, guest list, shopping list and cooking timeline.

What you get

You get two files, a blank template and a filled-in example, plus a Start Here guide. Open them in Microsoft Excel, or upload them to Google Drive and open them with Google Sheets (free). You type in the input cells; the formulas, totals and charts update themselves.

Tips

• Set the total budget first, then split it between gifts and extras.
• Log purchases the day you make them, including small ones.
• Check the dashboard before every shopping trip.