UseExcel: Build a budget with Excel

We are going to build an Excel worksheet containing a monthly budget. Step by step.

1. Open a new Excel workbook.
   
   
2. Change the Sheet1 name to "Budget" to reflect what we are doing. Double-click on the worksheet tab where it says "Sheet1" and rename it to "Budget". Press the Enter key when you are done renaming it.
   
   
3. Enter a column header "Expenses" in cell A1. Select cell B1 and enter a column heading for the month January. Call it "Jan". Locate the cell B1 fill handle in the lower right corner of the cell. It's a black square, and it's highlighted in the image below.
   
   
4. Position your cursor over the fill handle. Notice how the cursor changes from the default cursor of the fat plus sign to a cross hair cursor that looks like a + sign. Left-click and hold and drag over to cell M1, and let go of the mouse, or at least the left-click side. Notice the yellow tool tip that displays what month name will be autofilled into each cell as you drag the mouse across the columns. When you see the tooltip indicate "Dec", you can let go of the left-click side of the mouse.
   
   
5. List your monthly expenses vertically, starting in cell A2. I listed mine in order of importance. Buying groceries is more important than entertainment. The order is subjective of course.
   
   
6. Take advantage of the fill handle for expenses that occur monthly. Utilities, for example.
   
   
7. Make adjustments to filled in cell entries. Utility expenses, for example, are usually less in the warmer summer months. Other expenses do not recur monthly, and must be entered manually rather than being filled in.
   
   
8. In cell A12, or in the next empty cell below your expense list, enter "Total Expenses", then in cell B12, enter the formula =Sum("B2:B11").
   
   
   
   You could use the AutoSum tool (it's the one with the Greek letter sigma, highlighted below), but because there are empty cells in between cells B2 and B11, the Autosum won't select the entire range B2:B11. You'll have to manually adjust it by dragging one of the formula handles.