Build a Budget Spreadsheet

In this guide, you'll build a monthly budget tracker from scratch. Along the way, you'll learn how to use formulas, format numbers, and organize your data.

1. Set Up the Structure

Create a new document and enter the following headers and data:

	A	B	C
1	Category	Budget	Actual
2	Rent	1500	1500
3	Groceries	400	380
4	Transport	200	220
5	Utilities	150	135
6	Entertainment	100	95
7	Savings	500	500

2. Add a Totals Row

Click on cell A8 and type Total. In B8, type a SUM formula to add up all budget amounts:

=SUM(B2:B7)

Press Enter. The cell should display 2850. Now do the same in C8:

=SUM(C2:C7)

3. Calculate the Difference

Add a Difference column to see if you're under or over budget. In D1, type Difference. In D2, enter:

=B2-C2

This shows how much you saved (positive) or overspent (negative) for Rent. Now you need the same formula for every row.

Copy a Formula Down

1. Select cell D2
2. Drag the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell) down to D8
3. Each row now calculates its own difference — the cell references adjust automatically

Your spreadsheet should now look like this:

	A	B	C	D
1	Category	Budget	Actual	Difference
2	Rent	1500	1500	0
3	Groceries	400	380	20
4	Transport	200	220	-20
5	Utilities	150	135	15
6	Entertainment	100	95	5
7	Savings	500	500	0
8	Total	2850	2830	20

4. Use Conditional Logic

Let's add a Status column that says "Over" when you've exceeded the budget and "OK" otherwise. In E1, type Status. In E2, enter:

=IF(D2 < 0, "Over", "OK")

Copy this formula down to E7. Transport should show "Over" since you spent more than budgeted.

Here's the completed budget spreadsheet:

5. Useful Formulas for Budgets

Here are some formulas you might find useful:

Average Spending

=AVERAGE(C2:C7)

Tells you the average actual spending across all categories.

Biggest Expense

=MAX(C2:C7)

Finds the largest actual spending amount.

Count Over-Budget Items

=COUNTIF(D2:D7, "<0")

Counts how many categories went over budget.

Budget Utilization

=C8/B8*100

Shows what percentage of your total budget you've used.

What You Learned

• SUM to total up a column
• Cell references that adjust when copied (relative references)
• IF for conditional logic
• AVERAGE, MAX, COUNTIF for data analysis

What's Next

• Formulas Reference — Full list of supported functions
• Collaboration & Sharing — Share this budget with others