I made my own template, as someone who has a moderate skill level in Excel/Google Sheets. It works just fine for what I need, but there is definitely room for improvement. I'd like to use other templates to help me level up my own.

I am not good with the formulas for creating thales/graphs etc and looking for a pre made one. thanks!

Hello lovely ladies,

I see people posting here a bit asking for help with budgeting (a struggle I think many of us can relate to!), so I thought I would post my method for staying on track.

I made this spreadsheet template to help me keep track of my spending and it has helped SO MUCH, so I decided I would spiff it up and post it here on the off-chance that it might help someone else out as well. (Not an ad! Free for everyone to use and share!)

There is an info sheet, as well as the template and then an example. If you have any questions at all don't hesitate to ask here or send me a DM!

Budget Template here!

I have time set aside each week to go through my finances for the 7 days prior and plug them into the spreadsheet. Anymore time than this and I find that I start to spend money that I don't have. I always felt so ashamed going over budget at the end of every month until I realized that I don't have to wait until the end of the month to log my purchases. I have an alarm in my calendar to do it every Sunday night and I've had a lot of success with this method. I hope it helps you out too!

Please feel free to share the link if you have people in your life that might find this beneficial.

Resolving to start budgeting this year with my wife and trying to reduce friction as much as possible. Does anyone have a simple budgeting sheet for google that we can both use to get started?

im 18 and i want to start budgeting.
is there any simple yet effective budget templates?

Any idea or template for a budget tracker using Google sheets on mobile? Most of the apps charge subscription plus need to connect to bank but looking for something free and simpler. Like getquin but for daily budget tracking.

Hello everyone! As most of you, it has been impossible to find a budget tracking tool that fits perfectly your needs. That's why I developed my own and I think it can be general enough and usable for a lot of people.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L1KvGzp3aHBJNIwEBGnty5ureJnp-kt7Zi8s2hkqC8w/edit?usp=sharing

First of all:

- it fits my requirements (single, one source of income, basic expenses)

- it is quite simple but with much room for improvement

How does it work:

- on the first sheet ("Budget"), you can set your monthly budget by specifying your salary and the percentage of each of the categories (Living expenses, Extra and Savings)

- duplicate the sheet "MonthTemplate" for each month

- here you can add expenses to each of the category

- the budget created in the first sheet will be imported in the month sheets to compare with the actual expenses

Note:

- the spreadsheet requires the extension Formulas by Top Contributors (https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/formulas_by_top_contributors/515924842729) in order to get the Spreadsheet ID (used for the =IMPORTRANGE function)

Let me know if you have any question or suggestion!

My Annual Budget Spreadsheet (Clear/Clean Version): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FtgHnagIIOWhUJdNbSRjZmH-L47zDIrQRJIEe3HTtkk/edit?usp=sharing

My Annual Budget Spreadsheet (Test Version): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UvUzvr_D5-dWLayulfaWk44ianONLGVQiPjuwpn3nUk/edit?usp=sharing

The Redditor-created spreadsheets are available here: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki/tools.

The two Google Sheets templates (the default annual and monthly budget spreadsheets) are available here: docs.google.com/spreadsheets.

EDIT---Spreadsheet Change History since the First Version (in order of significance):

1. Both versions of my spreadsheet now have a "Net Worth" sheet (an edited [and corrected; the original has a couple of formula errors] version of NickABusey's sheet).

2. I revealed a previously hidden row (my mistake, was an accident) titled "Totals," in the sheet called "Savings Goals."

3. The chart titled "Average $ Spent per Category," located in the "Annual Budget Summary," had it's title capitalized correctly and it's reference range corrected. (This chart is really superfluous in my opinion, but I didn't delete it becuase it was a part of the Google template that I copied from, and I don't care much either way. Feel free to delete it or both of the charts included, and/or add other charts.) (If you didn't already know, charts are really easy to implement. Just highlight the data you want to include in your chart, press the chart button, customize, and you're done.)

4. I also changed the "Starting Month/Y:" date format becuase I like the current version more than the previous version.

Hey everyone,

I've been a heavy user of Google Sheets for a few years now and thought it would be fun to share something I've built with this community. About 2 years ago, I was on a mission looking for a new budgeting tool. I tried various ones and, in the end, none of them were quite what I wanted. Discouraged, I decided to try creating a budgeting tool in Sheets with the end goal making something powerful and easy to use (features I thought existing templates severely lacked). Over time, I ended up creating a spreadsheet and making it available for others to download and use (AspireBudget.com). Our little community has grown a lot recently and it's been great to help others on their financial journeys. Reflecting back, here are some tricks I've picked up on the way.

A few screenshots of the current version for reference:

Dashboard

Category Reports

Trend Reports

Some things I've learned

Beyond basic function uses and technical knowledge, these are some of the standout things I've learned.

SUMIF and SUMIFS are underrated

It's amazing what you can do with these two functions. I split and slice all kinds of Transactions data using these functions to generate reports and the data on the main Dashboard page. Combining this with date ranges provides another valuable window into the data because you can bound your data by years or months.

Designing an interface in Google Sheets is fun

I come from a FED/UX background and was surprised at just how flexible the styling and theming tools are. Using some simple front-end skills, it's pretty straightforward to create something that mimics a native web application. This is a huge win for me, because I wanted to the tool to be easy to understand and approachable for technical and non-technical users.

Small images are the icing on the cake

Spreadsheets are notorious for being bland and for being a wall of text. Google's IMAGE function is a huge win in this area because you can use it to add a little color and some surprises to your sheets to make them more enjoyable (not to mention useful). I'm really proud of the mini pie charts I'm able to show on the Dashboard. I think they really elevate the experience.

Combining multiple graphs to convey more information

Sometimes you want to visually show data in a graphical format in a spreadsheet. While powerful, the existing graphs and charts sometimes aren't flexible enough to show all the data you want or to convey the whole picture. I learned that creating two or three graphs and placing them near one another made a kind of "super graph" - together, these graphs clearly communicated the data I wanted to show.

Other thoughts

If the tool is free, why did you make it?

I don't charge for Aspire, it's a totally free tool (it doesn't collect any data either). My end goal with it is primarily to have fun and to create something others can find useful. More recently, I've thought about Google Sheets as an encore career and possibly having a small consulting business that helps other people/companies with Google Sheets. That's a pipe dream at this point though :)

Connecting

I'm always looking for feedback on Aspire so I can make it the best spreadsheet budgeting resource around. If anyone is interested enough to kick the tires on it, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm always available through DM or my subreddit r/AspireBudgeting.

(Mods, I've tried to follow all the rules for sharing something I created in Google Sheets - if I missed something, please let me know and I'll get it fixed!)

Hey y’all! I’m a college student and when I go back to school, I’ll only be able to work part time. Does anyone know of any budgeting templates or apps that are fitting for that? Literally the only ones I can find that are simple and effective are ones that would only make sense using if you have a fixed amount of money coming in. I don’t know how much my paychecks will be for the most part.

I'm no pro so tips on making this better are welcome

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZWzvBxw7U568VyiWc8wU-pLtPCcTz3jAATAGmcj3HbA/edit?usp=sharing

Oh and ps: "Oslo" is my bet bird haha

I'm currently using Mint to budget. It works fine, but I feel like not using it anymore. You can't include everything, it doesn't sync well and I lost all the data I had in 2021 and early 2022 with my bank accounts. I'm grateful for the time I used it, but I think it's time, as 2023 begins, that I have the full control of my budget. I still feel like using Mint to track day to day, but I will do a monthly import of my expenses in a Google Sheet instead.

Can you suggest a great template? I know it's not complicated to create, but I'm not very good with this tool to custom it.

Thanks!

I'm not good with google sheets so dont have any idea how to make a good budgeting sheet.

Hello does anyone have a google sheet budget template they could recommend?

Hey everyone.

I've been a freelancer for a few years now, and what started as a simple tool to track clients who had or hadn't paid me, evolved over the years into a tool where I keep and process all my financial data. (and a fun hobby of learning Excel)

I feel I've taken this to a point where it's worth sharing with those who might benefit as much as I have, and in the process maybe it'll help me develop this little project further.

It's designed for Freelancers, which means that in the income recording section, there are several steps that don't apply to many people. But ignoring them, it works the same for everyone.

What might be lacking in terms of functionality due to my still somewhat limited knowledge, I believe I've compensated with a clear, visually appealing and intuitive interface. (something I think is lacking in most of the templates I've seen over the years). I plan to evolve it quite a bit in the 2026 version, with user feedback throughout this year.

Clicking on the link below, just create a copy for your use. There's a slight learning curve, but the file is full of notes to help the user.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1j8jW3jMiNAQb7KEYso7tKazMQ_qexE9pdEl6zws7-Kw/copy

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a budget Excel sheet(free if possible) or template. Does anyone know where I can download one, or would anyone be willing to share the one they use? I’d like something to help me track my monthly income, expenses, and savings.

Thanks in advance!

Hi FI folks,

I’m looking to refine my personal finance tracking and am curious about the Google Sheets templates you use. Do you have a go-to template for tracking net worth, expenses, investments etc? Please share your templates and any insights on how you’ve customized them to fit your needs.

Appreciate any help!

So I am looking for something a bit more well-rounded and more feature-set than what I have set up at home, and that's because I am not very good at making these and doing visual charts!

Anyway, I need something that will allow me to put in income in one section, reoccurring bills and payments in another section, and maybe a section for loans that are out so those can be separated as reoccurring but I can see how it is affecting my budget since these types of loans aren't like car payment or mortgage, but maybe like a personal loan for school or something. I'd also like a section for wants and one for savings so we can see what we can fit into our budget. I think this would also be the spot for costs associated with my kids wanting to do something. Finally, maybe a check box that would denote if a bill was paid and show on a different visual chart. I just want to get an excellent handle on our finances and while it isn't terrible now, I think I can improve and this helps my wife and I be able to see a little better what we are doing and how we can improve.

Thanks in advance!

Side note, something free is best as I don't want to spend money if I do not have to, but will pay if reasonable, I understand supporting people for their work.