Only Boring People Are Boring

I don’t normally write about money or anything other than music on this blog. If you want to learn more about that go here.

That being said, I came across something interesting this morning from GRS that will help you manage your funds, set up budgets and look at your transactions all from a spreadsheet.

Now I know there are plenty of products out there like Quicken or Mint that can do that too but if you’re a DIY kinda person this might be what you’re looking for.

This money-management spreadsheet includes five worksheets:

• A help worksheet that includes instructions for using the templates, including info on how to customize categories. These instructions are an awesome addition.
• A budget worksheet where you can specify how much you hope to earn and spend in a variety of categories.
• A transactions worksheet on which you record your day-to-day purchases.
• A monthly budget report worksheet where you can analyze your finances for any given month.
• A categories worksheet that lets you track income and expenses for the items you want. (For example, I’d need to add a “comic book” category if I were using this spreadsheet.)

Wittwer notes that using a spreadsheet for money management isn’t as foolproof as using pre-packaged software. As you tinker with the formulas (which you’re free to do), and as you enter data, you’re likely to accidentally introduce errors. So, be sure to double-check your work. (If you’re a spreadsheet whiz, you’re probably already used to watching for mistakes.)

The web page for this spreadsheet has some tips on how to use the template effectively, including instructions on how to customize the budget categories and how to record transactions. If you download this and use it, please be sure to submit your feedback — both good and ill — to Wittwer. This will help him improve the money-management template for future users!

Categorized as Totally Random