How to Make an Expense Tracker Spreadsheet (Sheets or Excel)

By Cedar & Ledger

An expense tracker answers one question: where did the money actually go? You don't need an app. One log tab, one summary tab and three formulas will show your spending by category and by month, and you can add entries from your phone in seconds.

This is general information, not financial advice.

Step 1: Make the log tab

Name the first tab Log and add these headers in row 1:

Tips: - Format column A as a date and column D as currency. - Freeze row 1 (View > Freeze > 1 row) so headers stay visible. - Log every purchase, including cash and small ones. Small ones add up the fastest.

Step 2: Add a category dropdown

Select column C from C2 down, then: - Google Sheets: Data > Data validation > Add rule > Dropdown. - Excel: Data > Data Validation > Allow: List.

Keep it to 8–12 categories, for example: Housing, Utilities, Food, Eating out, Car, Subscriptions, Health, Kids, Pets, Shopping, Gifts, Other. Same spelling every time is what makes the totals work.

Step 3: Add a month column

In F1 type Month, and in F2:

=TEXT(A2,"yyyy-mm")

Fill it down (or in Google Sheets use =ARRAYFORMULA(IF(A2:A="",,TEXT(A2:A,"yyyy-mm"))) once in F2). Now every row knows its month.

Step 4: Build the summary tab

Make a tab named Summary. Put categories down column A (A2:A13) and months across row 1 (B1 = 2026-11, C1 = 2026-12, and so on, typed as text). In B2:

=SUMIFS(Log!$D:$D, Log!$C:$C, $A2, Log!$F:$F, B$1)

Fill right and down. Add a Total row with =SUM(B2:B13). That grid is your whole story: each category, each month, side by side.

Step 5: See this month at a glance

• Spent this month: =SUMIFS(Log!D:D, Log!F:F, TEXT(TODAY(),"yyyy-mm"))
• Biggest category: sort the current month column, or add a pie chart (Insert > Chart) over A2:A13 and that month's column.
• Color warnings: Format > Conditional formatting, and highlight any cell over the amount you planned.

Step 6: Add expenses from your phone

• Google Sheets: open the sheet in the Sheets app and add a row, or make a Google Form with Date, Item, Category and Amount, linked to the sheet (Responses > Link to Sheets). Point your formulas at the form's response tab.
• Excel: the Excel mobile app edits the same file in OneDrive.

Logging right after you pay takes 10 seconds. Catching up weekly works too: go through your bank and card statements every Sunday.

Step 7: Review once a month

At the end of each month, look at the Summary grid and ask: 1. Which category surprised me? 2. What can I cut or plan for next month? 3. Did any yearly or irregular expense show up that I should save for monthly?

Then set next month's plan. Tracking only helps when you look at it.

Common mistakes

• Too many categories (you stop using them).
• Skipping cash and small purchases.
• Counting credit card payments as an expense and the purchases (count the purchases only).
• Typing months as dates in the Summary header instead of text, so SUMIFS finds nothing.

Want it ready-made?

Our Paycheck Budget Planner ($7) plans every paycheck of the year with the formulas already built. Want the full set? The Complete Household Money Bundle ($29) has 13 home money spreadsheets. Prefer to start free? Try the free Starter Budget sheet. All work in Google Sheets and Excel.

Made with AI assistance and reviewed before release.

Related template: Complete Household Money Bundle. Also see: Paycheck Budget Planner · free Starter Budget Sheet

See all Cedar & Ledger templates

Try the free 50/30/20 budget calculator →