What if you could easily and accurately visualize your financial health? Wouldn’t it be great if you knew where your money was always?

Thankfully, Vertex42 has a range of spreadsheets that make this possible. Here are 15 of the best financial spreadsheets they have to offer.

1. Family Budget Planner

When you’ve got a mortgage, children, a car payment, and other expenses to keep track of, it’s hard to balance the budget and avoid overspending 5 Simple Ways to Set a Budget and Avoid OverspendingDo you set a budget and adhere to it? These five simple methods will help anyone set a budget that they can live comfortably with. Read More . You need a level of financial awareness that perhaps even Paul Krugman doesn’t possess. Or, you could just fire up Excel.

This spreadsheet can give even You Need A Budget a run for its money. It allows you to create a yearly budget to project earnings and expenditures, whilst taking care of variable expenditures and changes in income.

Keep track of multiple incomes, monthly expenses, and cash flow with this accessible family budget template. Download Edit in Browser Share. Get expert help now. Have our partners at Excelchat fix your formulas, 24/7. Use your free session. More templates like this.

2. Personal Monthly Budget Worksheet

If you don’t have a family and you’re eager to take control of your finances, why don’t you check out this personal monthly budget spreadsheet?

It lets you create a budget just for you Make a Personal Budget With Microsoft Excel in 4 Easy StepsDo you have so much debt that it will take decades to pay off? Make a budget and use these Excel tips to pay off your debt sooner. Read More , and then compare it against what you spend. There are fields for daily expenditures, as well as entertainment and discretionary spending. It’s easy to use too.

The spreadsheet only spans a single page and can be printed on one sheet of paper in portrait orientation.

3. College Budget Template

Going to university is scary. You’re away from your parents, and everything they did for you—washing, cooking and cleaning—is now something you must deal with. Alone. You’ll also have to take care of your finances and avoid the allure of overdrafts and credit cards.

How do you do that? With this college budget spreadsheet, of course. This allows you to plan for the cost of studying over the course of months, semesters, and years. It will help you to keep your bank account in the black.

4. Christmas Gift / Holiday Spending Budget

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes. It’s also the most eye-wateringly expensive time of the year, as families push themselves further and further into debt to buy lavish presents.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

This spreadsheet allows you to set a total budget, allocate it on a person-by-person basis, and use that as a guide to for your gift-buying strategy.

5. Travel Budget Worksheet

If you love to travel, you need to be meticulous in planning your costs.

With this beautiful travel budget worksheet, it is easy. The spreadsheet lets you set a total budget, subtract accommodation and transportation, and then factor in discretionary spending.

6. Money Manager for Kids

Many parents give their children an allowance. It’s a great way for them to learn about the inherent value of money, and to buy the things they want. It’s also a great way to teach them about budgeting and saving.

So, why not also allow them to visualize their progress with this money manager for kids? It’s a budgeting template but packaged to appeal and cater for young minds. Task mac app.

7. Income Statement Template

An income statement is a document that declares how much you earned, and how much you spent. They’re used in businesses and households alike to give a picture of the financial health.

This spreadsheet is designed for the small business owner and allows you to thoroughly and meticulously take control of your business’s finances.

8. Savings Goal Tracker

Saving money is hard. Especially when you don’t have a solid goal, other than to “have savings”. And let’s face it, there are a lot of shiny things on sale, that can easily pry your money from your wallet.

How do you deal with this? By visualizing your goals and charting your progress towards them. And what better way to do that than with this spreadsheet?

For additional help with saving money and reducing spending 5 Free Sites and Apps to Save Money and Reduce SpendingAre you spending more money than you have? These apps and sites will help you set a budget, reduce spendings, and save money. Read More , take a look at these helpful apps and sites:

9. Credit Repair Spreadsheet

Times are tough. Many people are struggling. And many people find themselves in a hole, missing credit card and car payments, and when they climb out, they find their credit is shot.

But something can be done. Repairing one’s credit is not only possible, but it’s also relatively painless. With this spreadsheet, you can work towards rehabilitating yourself in the eyes of the credit reporting agencies.

10. Extra Payment Mortgage Calculator

Mortgages are a bit like house guests. The sooner you’re rid of them, the better. The best and quickest way to get rid of a mortgage is to make extra payments. So, why not check out this extra payment calculator, which can show you the benefits of reduced interest when you pay off your mortgage in extra chunks. Brilliant!

11. Credit Account Register Template

Lots of people do all their spending on a credit card. If you pay off your balance in full each month, it’s actually a great strategy. You’ll see faster resolution times if someone steals money from your account, and you can rack up thousands of points that you can spend on free goodies like hotel rooms and flights.

To make sure you’ve got a firm grasp on how much money you’re spending on credit, use this credit account register template.

12. Wedding Budget Planner

Weddings are seriously expensive affairs. Of course, they don’t have to be—you should spend the money on a house or invest it in your pension instead. But most people who are in love don’t want to listen to such sound advice.

If you’re planning for your big day and intend to spend a lot of cash to create the perfect event, you need a wedding budget planner.

13. Donation Tracker

Are you planning to organize a fundraising event? One of the most important aspects of a successful campaign is keeping an eye on the amount of money that’s coming in.

This spreadsheet offers columns for the date, type of payment, donor, and notes.

14. Price Comparison Template

The key to getting a good bargain is to shop around. But with so many places vying for your business—both on the high street and online—it can be hard to remember all the prices you’ve seen.

That’s where a price comparison tracker comes in useful. Enter all the prices you see and make an informed decision on the store you’re going to use.

15. Money Tracker

We’ll leave you with a budgeting app The 4 Best Budgeting Apps to Get Your Finances in OrderLooking for the best budget app to get your finances under control? Here are some great apps to help you manage your money. Read More that’s been specially designed for use on the smartphone version of Excel. Columns are narrow and less cluttered, so it’s much easier to update on a small screen while you’re on-the-go.

Each column also has a drop-down list. You can use it to easily add the date or select one of your most common payees.

Other Useful Excel Spreadsheet Templates

Financial templates aren’t the only way that Excel can help you keep your life in order. Check out the best tax templates for Microsoft Excel to learn more.

Of course, spreadsheets are a great way to stay on top of other areas of your life, too. How about using these useful spreadsheet templates to organize your life?

Need more help with money management? Check out how to analyse your spending with Google Drive 7 Money Management Tools in Google Drive You Should Start UsingKeeping track of your finances on paper can get messy. Use these expense trackers and templates to manage your finances instead. Read More or take a look at a few personal finance websites 5 Sites to Learn Personal Finance Basics and Manage Your MoneySaving money is a vital resolution for any stage of life. Learn basic personal finance management skills with these sites. Read More and some YouTube channels to help you manage your finances 5 Personal Finance YouTube Channels to Help You Manage Your MoneyDo you need to start managing your money better? Then these personal finance YouTube channels will help you get started. Read More . And be sure to stay on top of the financial market The 10 Best Finance Sites to Help You Stay on Top of the MarketLooking for the best finance websites to keep you on top of the market? Here are the best sites for news, investing, and more. Read More with this list of helpful sites.

To get started, use the tracker below and write down what you spend for two weeks. If you're having trouble, we're happy to help. Feel free to reach out:

Excel monthly expense tracker - it's a worksheet, spreadsheet, calculator and spending planner for individuals and households

Daily and weekly personal expense tracker for printing out on paper and writing on

When you think about tracking your expenses, it's normal to feel more than a little overwhelmed, especially if you've been avoiding it for a while, or you've never done it before. But the truth is, once you get started really looking at your budget and finances, you'll feel a sense of relief and control; because finally getting on top of your money and debts, comes with huge pay offs -- no more debts and peace of mind!

We all have different reasons for tracking our expenses; maybe you’re curious about where your money is going, you're working towards a specific goal, or you'd like to deal with your debt once and for all. Whatever your reasons, we've got the tools and resources to help you get started.

Expense Calculator and Tracker - Personal Budgeting

Whether this is your first time tracking your expenses, or you're getting back to it because your situation has changed, we've got some helpful tips and tools to get you get started. Our expense calculator and budget tracker are designed to help simplify the process for you.

However, if you find you need more immediate financial help or you'd simply prefer to speak with someone face-to-face, we can help with that too.

Our friendly, accredited financial counsellors are available to answer any questions, address your concerns, and help you work out your expenses and budget. Feel free to reach out to us for a free appointment, we look forward to helping you!

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How to Track Your Spending and Expenses

Tracking where your money is going is the process of writing down what you spend. You may use a little notebook to do this, a spreadsheet, an app on your phone or tablet, or other software programs. You may track as you spend money or you might collect receipts and track at the end of the day or week. Regardless of which method you choose, the purpose is the same; you want to see what you’re spending your money on so that you can make some decisions about how to spend it more wisely.

Know Your Spending Habits - Track What You Spend

When you first start tracking expenses, you might be tempted to jot down what you should be spending. Silence your inner editor, fight that urge and just spend as you normally would. Tracking your expenses isn’t meant to make you feel guilty and stop you from spending. Rather, it’s meant to highlight what your habits are so that you can make some choices and changes later.

Budget Planner - Track Expenses to Help You Build a Personal Budget

It’s not realistic to think that you’ll track your spending forever. Even tracking your spending for a month is great, be proud of yourself and incorporate what you learned into your monthly budget. Life can be unpredictable, so if your circumstances do change, go back to tracking for another few weeks to get your spending in line with your new level of expenses or income.

Where do you start? If you’re not sure how to start tracking, here are two options to get you started. The key things to remember is keep it simple, go easy on yourself and ask for help if you need it. Old habits are hard to break!

Two Options to Help You Track Your Spending

We have two different tools for you to chose from to track your spending. You can download our Excel Monthly Tracking Worksheet. It allows you to track your spending using a simple Excel spreadsheet, choose from a list of comprehensive expense categories, and personalize things by renaming any category to make tracking easier. Alternatively, if you prefer to write expenses down as they happen or want to carry a little booklet with you, then you can download and print our easy-to-use Monthly Expense Tracker (PDF).

Monthly Expense Tracker - Easy instructions if you download the printable PDF

1. Click here to open a copy of our Monthly Expense Tracker.
2. The expense categories listed below and on page 1 of the Expense Tracker will help you determine which expenses to record where.
3. For each week, record dates you are tracking. For example, a 7 day tracking period would be March 30th to April 5th. The next week would start on April 6th.
4. Record cash balances on hand or in your bank account. You should also list any income you may expect to receive during each week.
5. List the dates down the left side and record actual money spent each day. You can then use the blank columns to create your own categories. You may want to track coffees, dining out or fuel separately.
6. You also need to record weekly savings amounts on pages 14 – 15 of the Expense Tracker. On these pages, keep track of seasonal expenses, rather than recording on your weekly pages.
7. Total all columns and subtract actual expenses from actual income. If there is a surplus, this means you should have money in your wallet or bank account. This becomes the cash balance for the next week.

Click here to view a sample of a completed tracker (it's the previous version of our Monthly Expenses Tracker).

How to Choose Expense Categories for Tracking

Categories are key! In order to record where you spend your money, you will need to categorize your expenses. The list below highlights the most popular expense categories, where people tend to spend their money.

You can also track your spending by choosing the types of stores you shop at. If you usually shop for groceries, personal care and paper/household products all at one superstore, having a category with the name of the store might work better for you.

Lastly, there is no right or wrong category, but remember that you'll need enough categories in order to track your spending accurately.

Expense Categories - Know Where Your Money is Going

Housing: mortgage, rent, strata fees, house insurance, property taxes

Utilities: phone/cell, cable/internet, gas, hydro, security

Household: furnace, water tank, roof and gutters, decor, upgrades, storage locker, gardening, cleaning services, outdoor equipment and maintenance

Groceries: food, baby needs, household supplies, toiletries

Living: personal care, bank fees, salon and spa services, dry cleaning, pet costs, memberships (fitness, clubs, associations)

Transportation: fuel, auto insurance, transit, parking, taxi, rentals, car sharing, tolls

Health Care: medical premiums, life insurance, medication, eye care, dental, supplements, wellness costs

Personal: tobacco, alcohol, books, music, clothing and shoes, donations, subscriptions

Eating Out: meals, snacks, take-out, beverages (coffee, tea, juice, soft drinks)

Entertainment: recreation, sports equipment and fees, movies, concerts, hobbies, gaming

Child: daycare, lessons and activities, allowance, school supplies and fees, babysitting, programs, tutors

Debt Payments: credit cards, loans, leases, support payments, government debts, personal debt

Savings: emergency fund, RRSPs, RESPs, TFSAs, seasonal expenses (e.g. car repairs or maintenance, travel - vacations or staycations, gifts for birthdays or holidays, assisting family or friends)

Business Expenses: materials, labour, taxes, professional or administrative fees, human resources, uniforms or clothing

To download the expense sheets and complete information, click here.

A Quick Way to Apply These Expense Categories to Your Budget

To make budgeting easier and more fun, we've created a budget calculator that guides you as you create your personal or household budget. It makes suggestions and warns you if it looks like you may be spending too much money in any area of your budget. Once you're finished, it can review your budget and see if it can find any ways for your to improve your spending plan or save some money. Check it out. It's available for free on both the PC and Mac on Excel, Numbers, and OpenOffice.