Personal Finance Spreadsheets - Is it Time For an Upgrade?

By Eric Transue 

If you are on a budget or looking to get on one, tracking your finances plays a major role in how successful your budget will be. A personal finance spreadsheet is a great way to keep track of your income and expenses. By using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or a Google docs spreadsheet you can easily see exactly how much you are spending and how much you are saving each month.

The great thing about personal budgeting spreadsheets is they can easily be modified to fit your budget. You can enter the exact categories you use monthly for your income and your expenses. These categories can be really detailed such as having individual credit cards listed by name or they can be broad such as having one group named credit cards for all your credit card bills.

If you are experienced with spreadsheets you can also add extra features such as the ability to create graphs from the data you entered. Graphs make it easy to get a quick view of your current financial situation. The graphs will allow you to easily spot trends and areas that are in need of attention in order to keep you on budget.

If you find creating financial spreadsheets a task that is a little to advanced for you, don't fear. There are other options for you that can combine and even exceed all the features even the most advanced personal finance spreadsheets can offer. The other options such as personal budget software may cost more than a spreadsheet you create at first, but are also powerful enough to pay for themselves with the advanced budgeting features they provide.

If you are looking for software that will provide you with more advanced features than your basic budgeting spreadsheet, click here to check out YNAB Pro.
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