Keeping track of your finances on paper can get very messy, very fast. Human error, disorganization, and misplaced files are just some of the problems you can encounter.
Instead of doing things the old-fashioned way, turn to Google Sheets to bring order to your messy filing cabinet. The following Google expense trackers and templates can help you manage all aspects of your finances.
How to Find and Install More Google Sheets Templates
As you may already know, Google Sheets comes with a bunch of helpful add-ons and templates. Before we get to our list, it’s important to know how to locate the templates in the first place.
Head to the main Google Sheets page, and you’ll see a heading that reads Start a new spreadsheet. Under this heading, you’ll find the default template gallery that you can expand and scroll through. Clicking on any of these spreadsheets will create a new document using that specific layout.
Since Google Sheets alone doesn’t offer every type of template for personal finances, you can install handy Google Sheets add-ons and download pre-built Sheets to give you more templates. This list includes default Google personal finance templates, as well as templates from third-party sites and add-ons.
1. Monthly Budget by Google Sheets
When you own a business, have a family, or are an individual on a tight budget, it’s important to keep track of your monthly budget. You can find the Monthly Budget template in the default template gallery, and it’s easy enough for anyone to use.
This Google expense manager comes with bar graphs and statistics that allow you to visualize your savings or expenditures. Set your budget for the month, and input the amount of money you plan to spend on food, gifts, utilities, transportation, and any other expenses you might have. After you input your total income, the sheet will compare your budget to your total savings.
2. Credit Account Register by Vertex42
To obtain a copy of this template, you’ll have to download the Vertex42 Template Gallery from the G Suite Marketplace. After that, you can access several templates right from a blank spreadsheet.
Head to Add-ons on the top menu bar, hover over Template Gallery and click Browse Templates. Once the Template Gallery opens, click Personal Finance > Credit Account Register, and you’ll receive a copy.
This detailed template works just like a check register, except its just for credit card purchases. Enter your credit limit along with any balance you owe. You can also add any interest, account fees, and payments. The template will then automatically calculate your available credit and utilization ratio.
3. Home Expense Calculator by Vertex42
Planning on buying a new home? Use the Home Expense Calculator by Vertex42 to predict the total cost. You can access this template by downloading the Vertex42 Template Gallery add-on using the steps above. This template is perfect for first-time buyers, as it incorporates all the possible factors that go into buying a house.
Using this template, you can enter the price of the home, your down payment, the mortgage length, mortgage interest rate, your annual property tax, loan amount, and any home improvement costs. With all that data, the template will calculate your monthly payments and estimated taxes.
4. Savings Calculator by Vertex42
Vertex42’s Template Gallery is one of the best Google budget apps, and its pre-built Savings Calculator template doesn’t disappoint. This Google Sheets savings template makes it easy for you to figure out how much interest you can earn from your savings over time.
All you have to do is enter the length of time you want to invest, the initial investment amount, your deposit amount, and the interest rate. The template will then show you how much money you’ll have in that account after a specific range of time, along with a line graph portraying your savings information.
5. College Student Budget Template by Smartsheet
If you’re a financially-savvy college student, you might use Reddit forums for financial questions, but that’s not all you should use. Get a copy of the College Student Budget Template by Smartsheet to get a clearer picture of your finances. This template helps you keep track of all your expenses, not just your tuition and student loans. Plus, it can get you acquainted to the world of finances before you graduate.
This Google budget tracker separates your finances into three separate semesters. First, enter your income—you can add the money you receive from grants, scholarships, parents, and your own salary. You’ll then have to add in any expenses from transportations, school, daily living, entertainment, and health. The template will calculate how much money you’ll have left over, giving you an idea of how much you should spend each month.
6. Retirement Calculator by Arnexa
Retirement is full of unknowns, and it’s best to get your finances figured out before you take the leap. The Retirement Calculator by Arnexa gives you a detailed prediction of your financial situation after you retire. The template requires you to enter information about your age, your partner’s income, any pensions you’ll receive after retirement, your financial assets, and your possible expenses.
Using this data, the template will automatically generate how much money you’ll have after retirement—now you’ll know which expenses you can and can’t afford.
7. Wedding Budget Template by Brideside
While you can use wedding planner apps to keep track of the budget for your big day, you can also use Google Sheets to get a better idea of your budget. Brideside’s Wedding Budget Template lets you start planning your expenses by adding your estimated costs—this includes everything from the price of the couple’s attire, the ceremony itself, and the flowers.
Wedding expenses add up fast, and failing to plan for this can result in spending more than you intended. This Wedding Budget template will let you know if you’ve stayed within your budget, or if you went a bit overboard.
Google Expense Tracker Templates Keep Finances Simple
As you can see, there are all kinds of creative and useful ways to use spreadsheets to manage your money, and you don’t have to start from scratch to get it done. Browse through the templates section in Google Sheets and load in a pre-made template. This way, you can spend less time creating a budgeting spreadsheet from scratch, and spend more time making money!
Need more help managing your money? Check out these personal finance YouTube channels for more advice.
Read the full article: 7 Money Management Tools in Google Drive You Should Start Using
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