Budget Spreadsheet

[robbo1172]

A little while ago I posted a thread asking for advise on P2P lenders as I was struggling to get or finances in order.

Well the good news is, I built a spreadsheet that allowed me to see every dollar coming in and going out and we have turned a corner.

So much so i thought I would share the spreadsheet with anyone that wants it.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/eaod715fv9kyasd/AACmXIpRVJ5XGyyZ8t7aHVBla?dl=0

Instructions

Up the top it has a spot for start amount (set at $100 now). Just type in what is in your account on the first day you use it.

Columns D & E i use for any money going in, ie pay and how much.

Columns F to M are for outgoings, eg bills etc.

This should tell you how much you will have at the end of the day.

Columns O & P tell you the minimum amount you will have from the current day on and on what day.

This is helpful if you need to buy something (clothes etc, you can put in a dollar figure before you go and see if it puts you too far in the hole before you go)

If your total goes below $100 the column will go yellow, under $50 and it goes red. You can change these values at R3 and R4.

Up the top is says "search for" and there is a pull down selection. Column Q is where you can put in what you what to search for (I've got Rates in as an example).

Have a look and a play and let me know if you need any help with it.

Robbo...

[JD-120]

Thanks robbo, I will take a look!

[Nifty1]

Robbo, for the last 25 years or more I have used a program called Quicken (I had budgetting problems too) and still keep track of everything. It's surprising how useful it can be. I can see almost any detail I want - how much we spent on any type of item over any given time period, when we bought the last set of tyres, how much we spent on the camper since we bought it etc. I can list every cost over a year and sort into value order to see where the big costs are, and check just what things to claim on my tax return. You do need to spend a little time on it. Sounds pretty boring eh but it has allowed me to make much better decisions.

[tk421]

Thanks for the share. 3 kids, single income means we have to watch the spending. Tracking everything certainly makes a difference to us, and we've got the spending under control. I am hopeless at remembering to enter things manually though.

I've got a yearly budget planner spreadsheet. At the start of the year I estimate the monthly expenses and then update every month to see how we are tracking. For the last two years I have been using the Pocketbook app. The main advantage is that it's linked to my bank account and credit card so expenses automatically get added and I have an instant view. I only have to remember to add cash purchases (there's a function on the app).  I export the details monthly into to our budgeting spreadsheet. You can also set a Safely spend limit and it emails you warnings and notifications on the app when you get near it. The app and website let you analyse everything and set bill reminders. I find it very useful

It doesn't link to all bank accounts though so you have to use the manual feature. And some people may not want to link theirvbank account details.