Make a simple monthly budget in a spreadsheet

Build the budget in 6 steps

1. Type the headers in row 1: Item, Category, Amount and % of income. Then type the income in rows 2 and 3 (Salary Income 3000, Freelance Income 500) and the expenses in rows 4 to 8 (see the table below). Type amounts as plain numbers with a point for decimals, for example 450.5, and no currency sign.
2. Write the totals under the list: Total income in A10 with =SUM(C2:C3) in C10, and Total expenses in A11 with =SUM(C4:C8) in C11. Write Left over in A12 and the difference =C10-C11 in C12.
3. Show each expense as a share of income. In D4 type =C4/$C$10, then select D4:D8 and press Ctrl+D to copy it down. C4 becomes C5, C6 and so on, while $C$10 stays fixed on the total income. Add =C12/$C$10 in D12.
4. Total one category with SUMIF: write Food in A13 and =SUMIF(B4:B8,"Food",C4:C8) in C13. It adds the amounts of the rows whose category is Food, here Groceries and Restaurants. Add =C13/$C$10 in D13.
5. Select C2:C13 and choose Currency in the Number format list of the toolbar. Select D4:D13, choose Percent, then press Fewer decimals once to show one decimal. The values you typed do not change, only how they are shown.
6. Choose Freeze first row in the Data menu so the headers stay in view. To rank the expenses, click C8, then Shift+click A4, and choose Sort Z to A in the Data menu. The biggest expense moves to the top and the totals stay where they are.

The example cells and what they show

The example data

What to know and the limits

After the sort in step 6 the order is Rent, Groceries, Restaurants, Transport, Internet. The formulas move with their rows and keep pointing to their own row, so every percent stays correct. SUMIF ignores capital letters, so food and Food match.

In English the currency is USD and the decimal separator is the point. In Romanian the same cells show RON and a comma, but you still type the numbers with a point and write the formulas with English function names and commas between arguments. A number typed as 450,5 is kept as text and gives #VALUE! in a formula.

The totals do not grow by themselves: if you add an expense below row 8, change the ranges in C11 and C13. A sheet has up to 500 rows and 26 columns. PaperSheets has no charts and no lookup functions, and it can freeze only the first row and the first column. The download is a .csv with the values as shown, such as $3,500.00, without formulas, formatting or frozen rows.

Supported formats

• Formulas: SUM, SUMIF and cell references with $
• Number formats: Currency and Percent
• Download: .csv
• Limit: 26 columns and 500 rows

Frequently asked questions

How do I add up my expenses in a spreadsheet?

Type =SUM(C4:C8) under the amounts, with the first and last expense cell inside the brackets. The total updates when you change an amount.

How do I calculate what is left from income?

Subtract the total of the expenses from the total of the income, for example =C10-C11. To show it as a share of income, divide it by the income with =C12/$C$10 and choose the Percent format.

Why do I write $C$10 in the percent formula?

The dollar signs keep the reference fixed when you copy the formula down with Ctrl+D. Without them C10 would turn into C11, C12 and so on, and the percents would be wrong.

How do I total only one category, such as food?

Use SUMIF with the category column, the category name and the amounts, for example =SUMIF(B4:B8,"Food",C4:C8). Capital letters do not matter.

Can PaperSheets draw a chart of the budget?

No. PaperSheets has no charts, so the budget is shown as numbers, totals and percents. Sorting the expenses from the largest down helps you see where the money goes.

Can I keep my budget file?

Yes, the sheet is saved in the app with its formulas, formats and frozen row. Download .csv gives a .csv with only the values as shown, so keep the saved sheet if you want to edit the formulas later.