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If you’ve got plenty of time, and need sophisticated tools to run advanced calculations of your finances, you can’t beat Microsoft Money or Quicken.
On the other hand, if you just want a basic spreadsheet to keep track of your checking, savings, and credit card accounts (like I did), you might be interested in the simple checking account registry spreadsheet I created with Mircosoft Excel. It’s easy to use, it’s quick, it can be used on virtually any computer, and best of all it’s FREE! You may also be interested in my article How to Pay Off Your Debt (The Debt Snowball), and How To Get Your REAL Free Credit Report.
Click HERE to download Excel Template
To use, simply follow the directions below:
1) Click the “download” button above. A new window will open, you will see a file called “Checkbook Registry”. Click “download” and save the file to your computer.
2) Once the file has downloaded, double click on the icon and it will open.
3) The program will automatically open to the “Checking Account” page you see in the picture above.
4) Enter your “Beginning Balance” in the Yellow Box, this will be your starting point.
5) From here it’s simply just a matter of updating your registry with every transaction you make.
ID: This is where I enter the transaction type or check #. For example, if I made a purchase with my atm/debit card I would enter “atm” here. If I wrote a check I would write the check # here, if I made a deposit I would write “deposit”, if I transferred funds to my savings account, I would write “transfer”, you can use your own codes to suit your needs.
X: I write an “X” in this column when I see that the transaction has cleared at my bank either online or in the statements that are mailed to me. This is my form of reconciling.
Date: Enter the date of your transaction.
Description of Transaction: Write a quick blurb that best describes the transaction (Example: Ford Car Payment, Exxon Gas Station, Dinner @ Olive Garden, etc.)
- : If the transaction involves money coming out of your account enter the amount in the – column.
+: If the transaction involves money going into your account enter the amount in the + column.
Balance: Your new balance will be calculated automatically!
This simple spreadsheet has been extremely valuable to me over the years. I no longer have to worry about making mistakes when adding up long columns of numbers, the program saves me time, and it is extremely portable. You can even email a copy to yourself so you can always have access to it no matter where you are. If you do try it out, I hope you find it as helpful as I have. There are more sophisticated programs on the Internet, but this is all I ever needed a money management program to do.
Advanced Tips: If you look at the tabs in the lower lefthand corner of the screen you will see that I have included a page for you checking account, savings account, and credit card so that you can keep track of multiple accounts with this one program. If you want to add an additional account, right click on the tab you want to copy and select “move copy”, then check the box that says “create a copy” and press “OK”. To change the title of each page (example “Jane’s Checking Account) simply click the title where it says “checking account” and type what you want the new title to be.
Have you read my Guide to Protecting Your Credit and Identity?
Related Articles:
How to Clean Up Your Credit Reports
Dave Ramsey’s 7 Financial Baby Steps
How to Use a Goodwill Letter to Remove Late Payments From Your Credit Report
Free Excel Checkbook Registry Spreadsheet
Identity Theft Prevention Guide
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This is just what I have been looking for! Exactly, exactly, exactly! I have searched high and low before finding this great little tool, and I am soooooo grateful! Thanks a million!
Thank you so much. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this in Excel all day and finally gave up and looked you up on Google. You’ve saved my hairs original color.
You are very welcome! I’m glad that I could help you out!
Hi. Thanks for this sheet. It’s very helpful. I like your blog and just book marked it. =)
Thank you for this great template that you have created. I have one simple question though. I would like to change the format in which the date is displayed. But in order to do that, I need the workbook password as excel states that it is locked. Can you provide me with this information so I may change this slight preference? Thanks!
JW
Exactly what I’ve been looking for – simple and quick! I had been trying to create something like this in Excel, but just couldn’t get it to work correctly (probably more my fault than Excel’s!). Thanks so much!