How to create a simple budget spreadsheet using Microsoft Excel 2007

A. To create the different categories you spend money on:

1. Open the Microsoft Excel program on your computer.
2. Click on cell A3 and type the word “Rent”.
3. Press Enter.
4. Type “Bills” inside of A4.
5. Press Enter.
6. Type “Food”.
7. Press Enter.
8. Type “Recreation”.
9. Press Enter.
10. Type “Fuel”.

Result: You will have five rows, but parts of some words will have extended beyond the edge of the cell.

You resized column looks like this

B. To adjust the width of cells

1. Put the cursor between the A and B cells at the top of the sheet.
2. Click once, then click and hold down the left mouse button, pushing the mouse right. You see that the entire Column A expands right.
3. Expand the cell A right until the words all fit inside of Column A.

The resized columns look like this

C. To continue entering information on your budget spreadsheet:

1. Click cell B2.
2. Type “Total Cost”.
3. Press Tab.
4. Type “Checking Account Balance”.
5. Press Tab.
6. Type “Money Used”.
7. Press Tab.
8. Type “Monthly Expenditures”.
9. Press Tab.
10. Type “Available for Emergencies”.
11. Complete the column resizing process from step B for columns B, C, D, E and F.

You're spreadsheet will look like this, but with your own values in the cells

D. To enter your personal monetary amounts into the spreadsheet:

1. Click cell B3.
2. Type the amount that you pay per month for rent.
3. Press Enter.
4. Type the amount of total money you need to pay off all bills for the month.
5. Press Enter.
6. Type the amount of money you need for food for a month.
7. Press Enter.
8. Type the amount of money you need for recreation for the month.
9. Press Enter.
10. Type the amount of money you need for fuel for a month.

Result: In column B under “Total Cost” you will have a list of your estimated monthly expenses.

Note: Your bills section of the spreadsheet should include expenses such as electric, natural gas, water, cell phone, car payment, and car insurance bills.

The formula bar is here

E. To continue:

1. Click cell C3.
2. Type in your current checking account balance.
3. Click cell D3 and type the equal sign "=".
4. Type the number zero “0”.
5. Move the cursor to the formula bar.

F. To update your monthly spending on a daily basis in column D:

Note: Do not press the Enter key until the entire formula is typed into the cell.

1. Once the cursor is in the formula bar, move it to the right end of the text and click.
2. Type the plus sign “+” by holding down “shift” and pressing the equal sign “=”.
3. Type in the amount of money you have spent for the day.
4. Press Enter.

Result: The “Money Used” cell (D2) will update your total amount that you have spent. You will need to repeat this process daily to keep your total current.

Cells B3 through B7 are highlighted and look like this

G. To formulate the gross estimate of your important monthly expenses:

1. Click cell E3.
2. Type in the equal sign “=”.
3. Click on cell B3.
4. Type the plus sign “+” into E3. (To see how to do his, refer back to section F, step 2.)
5. Click on cell B4.
6. Type the plus sign "+".
7. Click on B5.
8. Type the plus sign "+".
9. Click on B6.
10. Type the plus sign "+".
11. Click on B7.
12. Press Enter.

Result: You see the sum of the cells of B3 through B7.

Your final budget should look like this

H. To formulate the money remaining for emergencies

1. Click on cell F3.
2. Type the equal sign “=”.
3. Click on cell C3.
4. Type the minus sign “-“.
5. Click on cell E3.
6. Press Enter.

Result: The difference between your checking account balance and your monthly expenditures is now in cell F3. Cell F3 represents the money that you have available aside from your estimated expenditures.