But learning how to make and maintain spreadsheets is a valuable skill that can save you time, paper, and brain power (Banking check books work fine, sure, but online copies are quite convenient once you get the hang of it!). I'll essentially be going over basic Microsoft Excel functions and tips as this tutorial progresses, so no need to worry if you've barely opened a spreadsheet before. Even my brother has asked me to send him a template, so I thought this tutorial might come in handy for others too.
I've been updating a custom Microsoft Excel (the spreadsheet program of the Microsoft suite) spreadsheet for this purpose, and one day a friend saw it and asked me to teach her how to make something similar. I like to record my monthly spending patterns to get a good feel for how much I'm spending in certain categories, whether I'm going in monthly deficits, etc.