The spreadsheet is supplied as is, in otherwords I can't accept any liability for it's use. Spreadsheets by their nature can have information changed and you are still responsible for any financial decisions you make from using this free spreadsheet. The spreadsheet has been developed using Microsoft Excel, however it also works on the Open Office spreadsheet that you can download for free, I will be providing an Open Office version soon.
I have created a simple spreadsheet that can be downloaded and used for free that may help you manage your finances. The spreadsheet has been created using Microsoft Excel XP, it should be compatible with different versions of Excel, and it may work on Open Office although I have not tested that.
What is a spreadsheet? it is a computer application that comes with Microsoft Office and is used by many people to do calculations. A spreadsheet is not difficult to use and I have tried to make this budget and debt management spreadsheet easy to follow and use. I am planning to create a number of tutorials on using Excel and other software, so bookmark now and come back soon!
So what does this "budget and debt management" spreadsheet do.
- It allows you to record all your income and spending so that you can easily see how much you have left at the end of each month.
- It copies some of this information to two other worksheets (a different page on the spreadsheet) and then gives you the opportunity to see where savings can be made in your monthly budget.
- Finally it gives you a scarey projection of how long it will take to clear off any debt you may have.
I have to say this, the spreadsheet comes free, it also comes without any warranty of any sort. If you find that it helps you then I will be delighted, and you can always say thanks by buying books etc through my Amazon associate shop on this site, it all helps. You are not obliged to buy or do anything except help yourself manage your own money better. If I succeed in helping you do that it will make me a very happy person.
How to get the spreadsheet, easy just click on the link to the compressed zip file below, download it to your computer and extract it to a folder. Some pages are password protected, the main budget pages are not. So if you mess up the spreadsheet just pop back here and download it again, easy.
Download the spreadsheet now - homebudget.zip 67.7KB extracts to 273KB Microsoft Excel XP version
For the Excel 97-2003 version please download the multi-version homebudget spreadsheet 129KB
You will require Microsoft Excel to open this spreadsheet although you can always try the Free Open Office software (I plan to create a version for this spreadsheet in the future).
Screen captures of part of the spreadsheet
Intro and Menu
Provides a navigation menu and simple instructions on using the spreadsheet
Click for a larger image (then click on the image to make it larger / smaller - in Microsoft Explorer 6)
Income and Expenditure Planner - Financial Statement
This sounds grand, yet a financial statement is simply a list of what you earn and what you spend along with a list of all your debt (money you owe on credit cards and loans).
When you enter the information on this worksheet (a spreadsheet page) it links the information into the two other pages, the first being the Saving Planner, which is simply a list of what you are spending and it allows you to think of what you can save, or cut back on. If you are spending too much then you must cut back - the horrible word is "economise", after you start you will often find it easy to save between 5-20% of utility bills for example.
The third page or feature is a debt planner - this just gives you a list of all your debts that you entered in the financial statement (income and expenditure) page and gives you an idea of how long it will take to pay off your debt, based on how much you are able or willing to pay each month.
Debt Payment Payment Planner (sounds very grand and important!)
Click to see a larger image of the debt payment schedule page
Ok that's it. I will try and add more detailed "how to use" instructions. You can download the zip file and play around with it. Feel free to give it to your friends although it would be better if they came to this page and downloaded the latest version as I may (probably will) modify and improve it.
This Money section of the visitandlearn.com website is about money, how to save it, make it, and how to handle debt. This is not an "official" financial advice website, and we do not offer any financial advice. I have developed a simple to use financial planning spreadsheet that is free to download and use. It is supplied as it, without any warranty, implied or otherwise and you are welcome to use it to help plan and manage your finances.
I have developed the spreadsheet based on personal experience of having to pay off a heavy debt due to credit cards and loans. The only and best personal advice I can give is do not get into debt in the first place, and if you are already in debt, and it is giving you worry then contact a local voluntary agency that will give you sound personal and financial advice. You can find the telephones for these advisory services in your local library or by contacting your citizens advice centre.
You may also want to download and use the spreadsheet, it is always useful to have a start point in financial planning and management. You have nothing to lose by downloading the spreadsheet as it is completely free and it can be given to others under a Creative Commons 2.5 Licence, that is you leave the link to http://www.visitandlearn.com/ in the spreadsheet.
Over time I hope to add a number of useful resources, so please bookmark and pop back soon.
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