How to add categories to the Simple Expense Tracker
When I started tracking expenses four years ago, I was disappointed with the free templates I could find online. Too many required registrations, and ultimately the spreadsheets were bloated with formats and sometimes macros. I initially created the free expense tracker (downloadable here) for readers of this site. That is, young, ...

Expense tracking: end of year review
For 4 years on this blog, I have been praising the benefits of tracking expenses (get the free spreadsheet here). I have gone into detail on how best to account for purchases properly, including topics such as: Tracking expenses while traveling How many categories should you have? Why the richest American suggested tracking expenses But I ...

Holiday expense tracking
The holiday season is a special time. But however you enjoy the holidays, it is important not to forget about your finances. All those gifts and donations do add up, and you will want to keep a consistent record of your spending. Here are a few examples of holiday purchases and some ...

Making a per diem budget using the simple expense tracker
One of the most popular things on this site is a free budget and expense tracking spreadsheet. The spreadsheet has been downloaded over 21,000 times in the past two years and I get a lot of feedback for it. Occasionally I get a request for a new feature. Here is an ...

How many categories should you have for your budget or expense spreadsheet?
My friend is getting serious about his finances, and at my suggestion he has agreed to work through a couple months of my free budget and expense tracker spreadsheet. The first thing that struck him was the list of budget categories. Many mainstream budget worksheets have about 20-30 categories. Even Bundle, ...

The simple expense tracker–over 1,000 downloads
Not long ago I introduced a free spreadsheet called "The Simple Expense Tracker" to help people record their expenses. The spreadsheet tabulates expenses and income, and it automatically calculates monthly and yearly savings and spending by category. It's not as fancy as the software on websites like mint.com or wesabe.com. ...