Free spreadsheet guides

Step-by-step guides with the exact Google Sheets and Excel formulas for money tasks: budgets, debt, invoices, taxes, pricing and more. Each one ends with a ready-made template if you would rather skip the setup.

Personal Money

• What Are Sinking Funds? How to Plan Them in a Budget Spreadsheet

  Sinking funds spread big, irregular expenses across the months. Learn how to calculate the monthly amount for each fund with a simple spreadsheet formula.

• Debt Snowball vs Avalanche: How to Compare Them in a Spreadsheet

  Compare the debt snowball and debt avalanche methods with a spreadsheet: how each one orders your debts, which saves more interest and when they match.

• How to Make a Wedding Budget Spreadsheet and Track Vendor Payments

  Build a wedding budget spreadsheet: set amounts by category, track each vendor's quote, deposit and balance, and see payments due in the next 30 days.

Business Finance

• How Much Should Freelancers Set Aside for Taxes? A Simple Spreadsheet Method

  A simple monthly method for freelancers to set aside money for taxes using a spreadsheet: choose a rate, apply it to profit and track it by month.

• Simple Bookkeeping Spreadsheet for Small Business: What to Track

  Start small business bookkeeping in a spreadsheet: the columns to record, categories to use and SUMIFS formulas for monthly totals.

Client Work

• How to Track Invoices and Retainers in Google Sheets

  Set up an invoice tracker in Google Sheets: the columns to use, formulas for overdue invoices and outstanding totals, and how to track retainer hours.

• How to Estimate a Job and Track Real Profit in a Spreadsheet

  A simple spreadsheet method for contractors: build an estimate from labor, materials and markup, then compare it with actual costs to see profit per job.

Sellers & Makers

• How to Calculate COGS for Handmade Products

  Work out the cost of goods sold for handmade items: per-unit material costs, labor and packaging, with a worked candle example and spreadsheet formulas.

• How to Price a Product After Fees: Margin vs Markup Formulas

  Find the price that hits your target profit margin after platform fees and costs. Margin vs markup explained, with a spreadsheet formula and worked example.

• How to Measure Content ROI in a Spreadsheet

  Measure the return on your social posts, videos and emails: count time as a cost, log results and calculate ROI per piece and per platform.