Spreadsheets are still one of the best ways to track expenses. They're free, completely flexible, and the data is yours. The catch is that most templates are either too bare to be useful or so elaborate that you abandon them by week three.
This one is deliberately simple: a single log of purchases and a summary that adds them up by category. Below you'll find the download, setup steps for both Google Sheets and Excel, and the exact formulas for the summary.
Download the free expense tracker template
Download the expense tracker template (CSV)
It's a CSV file, which opens in Google Sheets, Excel, Numbers and LibreOffice. It contains the column headers and six example rows so you can see how entries should look. Delete the examples once you've started.
No email address or signup needed.
What the template includes
| Column | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Date | The day you paid, as YYYY-MM-DD | 2026-10-02 |
| Description | A few words: what or where | Weekly grocery shop |
| Category | One of your categories (dropdown) | Food & Dining |
| Amount | What you paid, no currency symbol | 64.20 |
| Payment method | Card, cash, transfer | Debit card |
| Notes | Optional: anything to remember | Renews on the 3rd |
Why these columns and not more? Every extra column is one more thing to fill in on your phone at the till, and slow logging is the main reason people stop. Payment method is worth keeping because it helps you reconcile against card statements. Notes is optional.
The suggested categories are: Housing, Utilities, Food & Dining, Transport, Health, Shopping, Entertainment, Subscriptions, Work & Education, Travel, and Other. That's enough for most households. Our list of monthly expenses explains what goes in each one.
How to set it up in Google Sheets
- Open a new spreadsheet at sheets.google.com.
- Go to File, Import, Upload, and choose the CSV. Pick Replace current sheet.
- Rename the tab to
Expenses(double-click the tab name). The summary formulas below refer to this name. - Click the row 1 number, then View, Freeze, 1 row, so the headers stay visible.
- Select column C (Category), then Data, Data validation, Add rule. Under Criteria choose Dropdown and type in your categories. Now every row gets a picker instead of free text, which keeps your totals accurate.
- Select column D and choose Format, Number, Currency if you'd like currency symbols displayed.
How to set it up in Excel
- Open the CSV in Excel.
- Straight away, go to File, Save As, and choose Excel Workbook (.xlsx). A CSV can't store formulas, formatting or a second sheet, so this step matters.
- Rename the sheet to
Expenses. - Click any cell in the data and press Ctrl+T (Cmd+T on Mac) to turn it into a table. New rows will pick up the formatting automatically.
- Select the Category column, then Data, Data Validation. Set Allow to List and type your categories into Source, separated by commas.
Add a monthly summary with SUMIFS
The log tells you what happened. The summary tells you what it means. Add a second sheet called Summary and set it up like this:
- In cell A1 type
Month, and in B1 type the first day of the month you want to see, for example2026-10-01. - In A3 to A13, list your categories, one per row.
- In B3, paste the formula below, then drag it down to B13.
=SUMIFS(Expenses!$D:$D, Expenses!$C:$C, $A3, Expenses!$A:$A, ">="&$B$1, Expenses!$A:$A, "<"&EDATE($B$1,1))
In plain English: add up the Amount column wherever the category matches this row and the date falls within the month in B1. Change B1 to another month and the whole summary updates.
Two more formulas finish it off:
| Cell | Formula | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| B14 | =SUM(B3:B13) | Total spending for the month |
| C3 (drag down) | =IF($B$14=0,0,B3/$B$14) | Each category's share, format as % |
If you want a chart, select A3 to B13 and insert a pie or bar chart. A bar chart sorted from largest to smallest is usually easier to read than a pie.
Both formulas work identically in Google Sheets and Excel. If you prefer, a pivot table with Category as rows and the sum of Amount as values gives the same result without formulas.
Optional: set a monthly limit per category
Add a column D on the Summary sheet called Limit, type a monthly limit next to any category you want to watch, and in E3 put =D3-B3 to show what's left. Conditional formatting that turns E red below zero makes overspending obvious at a glance.
You don't need limits for everything. One or two categories you're actively trying to change is plenty. If you want a starting point for the overall split, the 50/30/20 budget calculator divides take-home pay into needs, wants and savings.
How to keep a spreadsheet tracker going
The template is the easy part. These habits are what keep it alive.
Log on your phone, at the time. Install the Google Sheets or Excel app and add your file to your phone's home screen. Entering a purchase at the till is far more reliable than reconstructing a week of receipts on Sunday.
Try the Google Forms trick. In Google Sheets, create a form (Tools, Create a new form) with three questions: Amount, Description and Category. Responses land in a new tab of your spreadsheet with a timestamp. Save the form link to your phone's home screen and logging becomes three taps. You'll need to point the summary formulas at the responses tab instead of Expenses.
Review weekly. Ten minutes on the same day each week: check for missing purchases against your card app, glance at the summary, pick one thing to adjust. Our guide on how to track expenses goes into the full routine.
When a spreadsheet isn't the right tool
Spreadsheets are great for analysis and terrible on a phone at a busy checkout. If you've tried one before and the log kept falling behind, the problem is probably the logging step, not you.
Two alternatives worth trying:
- The free expense tracker on this site works in your browser, needs no account, and totals categories automatically. Your entries stay on your device.
- TallyMsg lets you log by sending a message in Telegram or WhatsApp, like "coffee 4.75", or a photo of a receipt. It fills in the category and keeps the dashboard for you. On the Starter and Pro plans you can export any month as CSV, which drops straight into this template if you still like doing your analysis in a spreadsheet.