Google Sheets budgeting: track spending without manual entry

Why use Google Sheets for budgeting?

Budgeting apps like YNAB cost $14.99 a month and force you into their budget categories and workflows (Mint shut down in 2024). Google Sheets gives you complete freedom:

• Custom budget categories. Track exactly what matters to you, not generic templates.
• Flexible time periods. Weekly, biweekly, monthly or annual budgets.
• Zero cost. Google Sheets is free, and SheetLink has a free plan too.
• Full control. See every formula and customize every calculation.
• Works offline. Open your budget even without internet, through Google Drive.

How SheetLink fills in your budget

Traditional Google Sheets budgeting means logging every purchase by hand. With SheetLink:

Simple Google Sheets budget template

A basic budget in Google Sheets needs two tabs: Transactions and Budget Summary.

Tab 1: Transactions (synced by SheetLink)

SheetLink writes your bank data here, one row per transaction across 34 columns. The ones a budget uses most:

• date (column F)
• merchant_name (column K): the cleaned merchant name
• amount (column M): positive is spending, negative is income or a refund
• category_primary (column S): Plaid’s category, such as FOOD_AND_DRINK
• account_name (column D): which bank account or card

Tab 2: Budget Summary

Create your budget categories and use formulas to track actual spending vs. budget:

For a single month, use SUMIFS with a date range on column F. SheetLink writes dates as text in YYYY-MM-DD form, so convert them with DATEVALUE before comparing them to a real date. Use conditional formatting to turn “Remaining” cells red when you’re over budget.

Budget categories that actually work

Most budgeting apps force you into predefined categories. In Google Sheets, you control the categories. Popular setups include:

50/30/20 budget

• 50% needs: rent, utilities, groceries, insurance
• 30% wants: dining out, entertainment, hobbies
• 20% savings: emergency fund, retirement, investments

Zero-based budget

Assign every dollar a job: income minus expenses equals zero. Track categories like:

Track spending as you go

The power of Google Sheets budgeting with SheetLink is up-to-date visibility into your spending: press Sync now and your budget reflects your latest transactions. Instead of waiting for your monthly credit card statement, you can:

• Check your budget mid-month. See whether you’re on track or overspending.
• Adjust your spending. If you’ve spent $450 of your $500 food budget by the 20th, slow down.
• Monitor multiple accounts. Combine spending from checking, savings and credit cards into one budget.
• Set up alerts. Use conditional formatting or a short Apps Script to flag a category that goes over budget.

Advanced budgeting features

Once you’ve mastered basic budgeting, Google Sheets lets you build more:

• Savings goals tracker: chart progress toward an emergency fund, a vacation or a down payment
• Irregular expenses planner: budget for annual insurance premiums or quarterly taxes
• Income vs. expense trends: a line chart of cash flow over 6–12 months
• Spending heatmap: a pivot table showing which days or weeks you spend the most
• Shared budgets: give your partner view or edit access for joint finances

Budgeting with multiple bank accounts

If you use several banks or credit cards, SheetLink syncs them all to one Google Sheet (more than one bank needs Pro). Each transaction includes an account_name column, so you can:

• Filter by account (see just credit card spending)
• Sum total spending across all accounts
• Track which accounts you use most
• Reconcile each account separately

Is Google Sheets better than Mint or YNAB for budgeting?

Mint shut down in 2024, so today the choice is usually between a spreadsheet and an app like YNAB.

Use Google Sheets if:

• You want full control over categories and calculations
• You prefer a simple, transparent system
• You don’t need bells and whistles like bill reminders
• You like spreadsheets

Use an app like YNAB if:

• You want a mobile app with push notifications
• You need bill payment reminders and alerts
• You prefer a guided budgeting method (YNAB’s four rules)
• You don’t want to build formulas

Pricing

SheetLink is free for one bank and your last 7 days of transactions. That’s enough for weekly budget check-ins, tracking spending for the current week, or trying SheetLink before you upgrade. To track monthly or annual budgets, upgrade:

Compare every plan ›

Questions