If you’re after a way to monitor your budget more closely, look no further! Below, you’ll find a free monthly and annual budgeting spreadsheet.
I’ve created two free Google Sheets to help you track your budget and I hope they will bring you some budgeting joy. I say joy, but when I filled out this sheet for the first time, I was left in a state of shock. Still, it was worth it in the end.
The first download is a simple monthly spreadsheet. Just add your income and your spending and you will get a general overview of how much spare money (or lack of it) you have each month.
The second download is for anybody who wants to look a little bit more into the future. It allows you to create a budget for up to a year in advance. Most of the spreadsheet will auto-populate, so it doesn’t take too much effort.
How to use the spreadsheets
Fortunately, these budgeting spreadsheets don’t need you to be particularly tech-savvy to get started. Here’s a quick guide to help you on your way.
Monthly budgeting spreadsheet
In Googe Sheets, select File in the top left corner and then Make a copy. You can then save a copy of the spreadsheet and make as many edits as you like.
Then, you can start adding your income and expenditures. The first column shows the expected amounts, while the second shows the actual. You can fill in as many or as few fields as you like.
Of course, some of your bills may be paid yearly, which makes a monthly budget slightly more complicated. On the left side of the sheet, there’s a calculator. Just put your annual payment amount into it and it will tell you how much that works out per month.
Once your budget is completed, you’ll find a budget overview under the calculator. This will give you a summary of your finances for that month.
Annual budgeting spreadsheet
In Googe Sheets, select File in the top left corner and then Make a copy. You can then save a copy of the spreadsheet and make as many edits as you like.
The annual budgeting sheet works in a similar fashion to the monthly sheet. On the bottom of the sheet, you will see Monthly Budget Overview – this is your main sheet. Everything you enter on this sheet will automatically transfer to the other monthly sheets.
So, type in your income in the Monthly Budget Overview sheet and that will transfer directly to each of the monthly sheets. However, if that income changes for a certain month, you can make individual changes. A warning box will appear, but you can dismiss this.
A word of warning though. If you edit a box in one of the monthly sheets, the information will no longer be automatically transferred across. However, it leaves each month fully customisable.
Back in the Monthly Budget Overview, in the bottom left corner, you’ll see the annual summary. This pulls the data from every month of the spreadsheet and gives you your total income and expenditure for the year.
Any suggestions?
I hope you find these budgeting sheets useful. If you’ve spotted an error in the spreadsheet or you would like to see something added, please let me know in the comments below.