Have you recorded your transactions but found that this month’s balance looks wrong?
This Google Sheets budget template totals your entries and compares spending with your budget.
It automates the calculations; you still enter transactions and check them against your records.
Concepts: Three Things to Check Before Reading the Numbers
Budget Variance vs. Cash Flow
Variance is budget minus spending.
A grocery budget of 300 with spending of 120 leaves 180.
Net cash flow is income minus expenses. Changing the shared budget targets also changes comparisons for earlier months.
The displayed savings rate is net cash flow divided by income.
If income is zero, the formula displays 0%.
Recording a savings transfer as an expense under Savings & Goals lowers this rate.
Treat it separately from a measure of savings across your actual assets.
Selected Month vs. Chart Period
One calendar page is different from a view across several months.
In the bottom [Dashboard] tab → [B3], the month-end date selects the KPI month. [Monthly Summary] → [B4] sets the end month of the 12-month chart.
Leaving B4 empty uses the latest transaction month; the two settings are independent.
A Warning Does Not Block a Transaction
Entry QA in column I on the right of [Transactions] checks inputs.
It flags certain date, type, category, and amount errors.
A flagged transaction may still affect totals.
A blank date also leaves the warning blank, so check missing inputs separately.
Enter positive amounts and use Income or Expense to distinguish the transaction type.
Exercise: Correct a Negative Expense and Compare Results
Practice with two fictional transactions and the default dollar formatting.
The figures below are expected values derived from the formulas, not results from a live Sheets run.
Prepare a Practice Copy
Back up the original and use a separate copy.
① Click [Transactions] at the bottom → ② clear only the contents of A7:F1005 and H7:H1005.
Keep the rows and formulas in G and I.
Enter the Budget and Transactions
Enter 300 in B9, the Groceries row in the bottom [Categories] tab.
Enter the two rows below in A:F on [Transactions], using DATE formulas for the dates. The -120 amount is intentional.
Select the Reporting Month
In the bottom [Dashboard] tab → [B3], enter =DATE(2026,9,30) → ② enter it in [Monthly Summary] → [B4] too.
This replaces the automatic formula in B3, so check that cell again next month.
Check the Warning and Distorted Totals
Expect the warning below in I8 on the right of [Transactions].
With only the two entries, the formulas produce expenses of -120, net cash flow of 1,120, and a savings rate of 112%.
These distorted results occur because the warning does not exclude the transaction.
Correct the Amount
In [Transactions], change [F8] to 120 → ② confirm that [I8] clears → ③ compare the results on [Dashboard].
Save a Validation Record
Expect income of 1,000, expenses of 120, net cash flow of 880, and a savings rate of 88%.
Groceries spending is 120 and its budget variance is 180. If results differ, check leftover samples, the selected month, and column G formulas.
Reuse the record below for your next entries.
Conclusion: Check Input Errors and the Selected Month First
Resolve warnings, then check the selected month and budget variance. Start with the small exercise.
The next post will cover categories and budget targets. Subscribe by email for new posts, and leave your questions in the comments.