EASY Budget & Expense Tracker with Google Sheets! *FULL TUTORIAL*, by Jeremy's Tutorials on YouTube. 8 min 17 s.
- Video length
- 8 min 17 s
- Time to do it
- 15 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open Google Sheets from your browser or the app and start a new blank spreadsheet. Give it a name like Budget Tracker so you can find it later.
In row 1, type your column headers: Category, Planned, Actual and Difference. Leave a few rows above for a title if you want one.
List your spending categories down column A, such as Rent, Groceries, Transport, Utilities and Fun. Add an Income row at the top or bottom.
Fill in the Planned column with the amount you expect to spend in each category. Put your expected monthly income in its own row.
Enter your real spending in the Actual column as the month goes on. Update it each time you pay a bill or buy something.
In the Difference column, type a formula like =B2-C2 to subtract Actual from Planned. Drag the fill handle down to copy it to the other rows.
Add a totals row at the bottom. Use =SUM(B2:B10) for Planned and =SUM(C2:C10) for Actual, changing the range to match your rows.
Subtract total Actual from total Income to see what is left. Use a formula like =IncomeCell-TotalActualCell and format it as currency.
Select your number cells and click Format, then Number, then Currency so all amounts show with a currency symbol. Bold the header row to make it easy to read.
Check the sheet against the demo layout and adjust categories or formulas until the totals add up correctly.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep category names short and consistent so your SUM ranges stay simple.
Update the Actual column weekly instead of saving it all for month end.
Use Format then Conditional formatting to highlight categories where Actual is higher than Planned.
Do not delete rows inside a SUM range or the total will miss those amounts.
Questions
Do I need to know formulas to use this tracker?
Only basic ones. The key formulas are subtraction for the difference and SUM for totals, and you can copy them down the column.
Can I use this on my phone?
Yes. The Google Sheets app supports the same cells and formulas, though typing formulas is faster on a computer.
How do I add a new category later?
Insert a row inside your list and copy the Difference formula into it, then extend your SUM ranges to include the new row.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
