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Free Download ยท Excel Practice File

Where Does My Money Go?

Learn Excel formulas and charts by building one month of a real household budget โ€” at your own pace, with every step explained.

Excel workbook (.xlsx) ยท 30โ€“40 minutes ยท No experience needed ยท Answers included

Seven Skills You'll Practise

AutoSum Subtraction Multiplication Division Percentages Bar Chart Pie Chart

What's Inside the File

Three tabs. One tells you what to do, one is the work, and one shows you the answers โ€” so you can check yourself without needing to ask anyone.

Start Here

Thirty-three numbered steps in plain language. Each one names the exact cell and the exact thing to type.

  • โœ” No jargon, no assumed knowledge
  • โœ” Written to be read while you work
  • โœ” Undo instructions, so nothing can break
Read this tab first

My Budget

The workbook itself โ€” seven spending categories over one month. Only the yellow cells need you.

  • โœ” First row completed as a worked example
  • โœ” Realistic Australian household figures
  • โœ” Space to build both charts
This is where you work

Answers

Every formula finished and both charts already built, so you can compare your work line by line.

  • โœ” Click any cell to see its formula
  • โœ” Bar chart and pie chart included
  • โœ” Check yourself, in your own time
Open this last

How It Works

A quick look at the kind of thing you'll be doing. Every step in the file is written out like this.

  1. 1

    Work out what was actually spent

    Type =B9*C9 to multiply the cost of something by how many times it was paid this month.

  2. 2

    See if it went over budget

    Type =E9-D9 to subtract the spending from the budget. A number in brackets means you overspent.

  3. 3

    Turn it into a percentage

    Type =D9/E9, then click the % button. Anything above 100% is a category worth a second look.

  4. 4

    Add up the month with AutoSum

    One click on the ฮฃ button totals a whole column. This is the single most useful thing Excel does.

  5. 5

    Build a bar chart and a pie chart

    From the same numbers. Seeing where the money went is very different from reading a list of it.

  6. 6

    Then make it yours

    Replace the sample figures with your own real spending. Every formula recalculates on its own โ€” which is the whole point of learning this.

Download the Excel File

Opens in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc or Apple Numbers.

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More Free Resources

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Please note. This file is general educational content about using spreadsheets. It is not personal financial advice and does not take into account your individual circumstances, goals or needs. All figures in the workbook are illustrative only. Before making financial decisions, please consult a licensed financial adviser. For personal and educational use only โ€” not for resale or redistribution.

Steady hands,
Mandeep

๐Ÿ’ฌ