Free downloadable 2010 Savings Tracker

UPDATE: Be sure to stop by this post to see how I've started using my Savings Tracker. I'm illustrating using my own, real-life transactions!

Some of you might have been using the Excel spreadsheet savings tracker I created last year. In order to start the New Year of right, I decided I wanted to make some modifications to this spreadsheet. As some of you know, I used to work as an Administrative Assistant to Senior Management for a local bank, so I got rather handy with Excel.

With this spreadsheet you'll be able to:

• Easily imput your monthly and yearly goals
• Enter data from your reciepts and let my preset formulas tally your spending, savings, actual-to-budget, and more
• Track and manage your rebates (NEW!)
• Determine how much you saved with coupons, store sales, and rebates
• Have your monthly and year-to-date savings ratio update instantly

I've worked hard to create this spreadsheet and make it as user-friendly as possible. My goal was to have you be able to enter only a few pieces of data from your receipts and let it do all the calculating for you.

To get started, download and save a copy of the spreadsheet to your computer. Then, open the Summary tab. This is where you can get a year-to-date view of your savings. All you need to do on this tab is set up your monthly budget for food and household items – one entry per month. Once you input that information, your monthly tabs will prefill with your goals. At any point, you can visit the Summary tab to keep an eye on the "bigger picture" of your spending and savings.

Each time you shop, come back and fill out the few pieces of information from your receipts onto the appropriate monthly tab. Again, I have formulas preset to keep your stats updated EVERY TIME new information is entered. 

A couple last notes about this Savings Tracker. First, while I've worked to make it as user-friendly as possible, please note a basic understanding of Excel is essential. I've included a "Start Here" tab with a few basic instructions, but unfortunately, I can't offer Excel training to everyone. Sorry.

Lastly – and this should be common sense – this spreadsheet is intended for personal use ONLY. Please be considerate of copyright issues. If you are a blogger and wish to direct your readers to my Tracker, you are welcome and encouraged to link to this post. However, I request you not place the Tracker for download directly on your personal blog or website.

I hope this helps some of my nerdy Excel friends! I will be using this spreadsheet myself and will try to show you how I make use of it in the days and weeks ahead to illustrate how it works.

UPDATE: One commentor mentioned that the links weren't working from the Summary Page to the monthly tabs. When I took a look, I reazlied I'd hard entered $150 from Feb – Dec. I have uploaded the corrected versions below. I apologize for this!

Download 2010SavingsTracker (Excel 2007 Version)

Download 2010SavingsTracker2 (Excel1997 – 2003 Version; some formats may vary slightly)

Thoughts? Let me know!