Review | 3 Free Excel Spreadsheets That Deserve Another Look

Since my earlier post on 3 free spreadsheets was such a hit, I thought I'd share my latest findings. In my quest for the perfect spreadsheet, I stumbled upon a few more spreadsheets and templates that might serve a purpose for some of you out there. By stumbled upon, I mean I clicked every available Office budgeting template looking for the perfect one to document the financial aspects of  My Early Retirement Journey. I think my goal is to use what I like from each sheet to create my ideal spreadsheet.  My hope is to have a master spreadsheet by March 2019 (my 1 year blog-aversary) to provide readers.

These are all free Microsoft Excel templates and spreadsheets that can be used as is or modified just a bit to fit your individual situation.

Template 1 (Monthly budget)

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What I liked about this one is that it tracks income and spending for the calendar year with attractive visuals for income, expenses, and cash flow.  It tracks cash flow over the 12 months with a line graph, and each category gets a mini line graph on the side. This is one of my favorites by far!

Template 2 (Monthly expenses calendar)

I love this one! This is a great way to track your monthly expenses. I find you can update it daily or weekly or monthly as you see fit.  It auto-calculates your expenses for the day, the week or the month, and keeps a running tally. For those that like to track  no-spend days, if you pull out an old statement and update the calendar, you can get a quick overview of days or weeks that are more spendy than others. I recommend this for those that want to track their daily spending and identify trends.

Template 3 (Household budget)

I love, love, love this one! It has so much to offer. It's great for those trying to stay on budget in just a few categories. It provides a column to set your target and then to track your progress for the whole calendar year! That's my favorite feature and there's a line graph for quick reference.  Other visuals include under/over conditional formatting in green or red to give you a quick monthly reminder how well you're doing each month staying on target. There are also bar graphs at the bottom and a place to track your savings.  Here too you can set a target you're trying to reach for the year. The savings tracker is especially useful because it gives you a mini barometer that presents a visual of your progress. This spreadsheet has a lot to offer, especially for those who benefit from setting goals, seeing numbers, visual representation, and progress bars. It's so hard to choose!

Template 4 (Weekly life calendar)

This is a Word Template. Simple, yet effective. I actually used this recently on my blog. I modified it to take notes on my life for my weekly updates. It's a great resource to get a quick glimpse of a few aspects of your daily life. I used it to track finances and notes on my health, work, and activities of daily living. It's editable, so you can modify the categories to suit your lifestyle.

Bonus! (Simple budgeting)

This one is quick and simple. For those just starting out with budgeting this is a great place to start.  Or if you want a quick check-in on your income and expense. I would recommend this template for first time budgets or those that do periodic checks. I included it because of the icons. Can you tell I like visuals?  Overall the template is simple and basic and doesn't overwhelm you with details. I used this too recently with my Aunty MERJ's finances.

Share your favorite resources and tools on your personal finance journey! 

Related Content:

• Financial Update | June 2018 Income and Expenses


• Financial Update | June 2018 Savings and Investment

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