Free spreadsheets and apps: how to control monthly expenses efficiently
Controlling monthly expenses is an increasingly present need in the lives of Brazilians, especially in a scenario where many still face difficulties balancing budget and income. In this context, the use of spreadsheets or free applications allows you to better understand expenses, identify excesses and make more conscious decisions on a daily basis.
In practice, these tools work like an "x-ray" of financial life. By recording income and expenses, it is possible to understand consumption habits, create goals and better control your own money. Whether through a personalized spreadsheet or an app on your cell phone, the important thing is to maintain consistency in monitoring.
Possibilities of spreadsheets and apps
Before choosing the best tool, it's worth understanding what a good spreadsheet or app should offer to really make a difference in your financial planning:
- Complete record of inflows and outflows (salary, extra income, bills and purchases);Categorization of expenses (fixed, variable and occasional)
- Clear visualization of monthly balance (positive or negative)
- Definition of financial goals (short, medium and long term)
- Frequent updating to reflect the reality of the budget
Compass is available in the Super App, a feature that allows you to categorize statement expenses and view them in graphs. Access and find out how it works.
How to make an expense spreadsheet?
To make sense and fit into your routine, it is interesting that the tool must be created following the following steps:
- Map out all your monthly costs
- Define the best tool to create the spreadsheet
- Structure the main categories and list all inputs and outputs
- Update values frequently
- Use automatic formulas to indicate whether consumption is adequate to available income
- Structure short, medium and long term goals
What data to include in your expense spreadsheet?
In summary, the main information to include in the material are financial inflows and outflows:
- Salaries
- Extra income
- Receipts as a freelancer
- Reimbursements
- Expenses such as electricity, water, cell phone and internet bills
- Subscriptions
- Leisure expenses
- Investments
- Shopping (pharmacy, grocery store, clothes and items)
- Travel costs (bus, subway, transportation by app)
5 financial apps for financial planning
Check out some free options that can help with financial control and organizing your daily life:
- Meu Piquinho: allows you to control your expenses, define various objectives, monitor progress and redeem money whenever you need it
- Mobills: offers detailed graphs and automatic categorization of expenses
- Organize: sends alerts about bills to be paid and helps avoid delays and interest
- Google Sheets: ideal for those who prefer spreadsheets, with the possibility of customization and the use of formulas
- Meu Acerto: aimed at those who need to organize debts and renegotiate pending issues
Regardless of the choice, the most important thing is to take the first step. With discipline and the right tools, controlling expenses stops being a challenge and becomes a path to achieving financial stability and achieving goals.
Source: CNN