Monthly budget spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets

A monthly budget gives every dollar a job before the month starts, then compares the plan with what really happened. The hard part is keeping the totals up to date; a spreadsheet can do that for you.

The Monthly Budget Planner has a transaction log with dropdown categories (600 rows), a category tracker for up to 40 expense categories and 8 income sources, a monthly dashboard with a month picker, and a year-at-a-glance view with monthly averages and savings rate. Each category shows planned, actual and what's left, with a progress bar that turns red when you go over. It works in Excel and Google Sheets.

It is an organizing tool, not financial advice.

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 planned amounts from last month's real spending.
• Log transactions weekly so it never piles up.
• Review the year view each quarter and adjust categories.