build your own budget workbook in google sheets

Build your own budget workbook in google sheets free#

The last question we’ll setup is a description question. Any random spending can be captured in the “Other” category. We recommend keeping the number of categories below 10-15. There are some example budget categories below but you can add more based on your personal situation. These are the categories you want to divide your spending into. The next question we want to add is the spending category drop down. Change the title of the question to “Amount”, this should automatically add the response validation logic. This will be a short answer question so choose “Short Answer” from the drop down menu on the right. The first question we’re going to add is for the amount of money we’ve spent. To add questions click the little “+” icon on the right hand side. Use something descriptive so you can find it later in your G-Drive if you want to make changes. You can use whatever you want here, “Spend Tracker”, “Budget Tracker”, “My Budget” etc etc. This should automatically open a new tab with your new Google Form.įirst thing we want to do is rename the form. We want to create a simple form so choose “Blank Form”. To setup a new Google Form to track your spending click on “New”, then on “More” and then on “Google Forms”.

If you’re new to Google your drive might look like this.

Build your own budget workbook in google sheets free#

Head over to your Google Drive to get started (You can sign up for a free Google account and get access to everything for free). To setup your spend tracker we’re going to use G-Suite. Blow Your Mind: Track Your Spending for 30 Days.In this video we’ll create a basic spend tracker, it’s nothing fancy but you can always add more functionality/charts later. To help we’ve created a short video to guide you through the steps. Google automatically adds this entry to your Google Sheet with a timestamp. As you spend money you simply pull up the Google Form on your phone, enter the amount and the category and hit submit. Google Forms integrates with Google Sheets so that every entry you make gets automatically added to your Google Sheet. (More details at the end of the post)Ĭreating your own spend tracker using Google Forms and Google Sheets is super easy to do. It’s built on the same principles as below, but we’ve already done a lot of the work for you. What you’re looking for a low-cost budgeting alternative that is still somewhat automated and easy to use, so why not setup your own spend tracker using Google Forms and Google Sheets?ĭon’t want to set up your own spend tracker? Use our free Budget Tracking template. You might want to track your spending… but you don’t want to give Mint all your passwords or pay YNAB a monthly fee. You may also want to do this 1-2 years before retirement, just to make sure that your retirement budget isn’t missing anything. You may want to do this permanently, to help you track your progress towards your goals, or you may want to do this temporarily, perhaps to help get your spending back on track, or to find out where your miscellaneous spending is going. It can help you understand if your spending actually lines up with your values and goals. Even if it’s just for a short period of time, tracking your spending can provide an amazing insight into where your money is going. Tracking your spending is a great thing to do every once in a while.