Does anyone have any recommendations for an Excel template to track finance expenses?

Hi anon,

A simple excel spreadsheet, detailing line by line every single spend on each day would suffice. But it's important to capture every single thing. I would suggest making quick notes in your phone throughout the day if you cannot remember, and then recording it in excel at the end of the day.

I did that for 10 years and I'm still doing it.

What's more important is after tracking your expenses, you need to categorize them to understand your patterns. Needs vs wants. Entertainment, food, travel expenses, etc. With an understanding of how much you spend in each category, you'll be able to better understand your spending patterns and from there, make adjustments.

As an example, when I started working, one month of tracking led me to discover that I was spending a bit too much on discretionary food such as bubble tea, etc. That also led to a re-thinking of how to be more careful when spending on such food, etc.

After 2-3 months you'll start to get a sense of your expenditure habits and will be able to see if you can squeeze more out of your hard earned money.

Yes! It's a great way to start and get on top of your finances too.

I have a personal one I created for my own.

If you're just looking to track expenses, there are plenty of apps as well.