Budgeting is one of the best ways to take control of your finances. Whether you’re trying to track your spending, save for a big goal, or simply get a better handle on your monthly cash flow, a budget can help. With Apple Numbers, creating a budget is straightforward and accessible. In this guide, we’ll take you step-by-step through setting up your first budget template.

Apple Numbers is a powerful tool that offers flexibility for users of all skill levels. If you’re a beginner, you’ll find that building a basic budget template is a great way to get comfortable with the program. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a functional, customizable template that can grow with your budgeting needs.

You can build your own budget template by following along in the tutorial or you can download the sample simple budget template that I made for this article.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Budget Template

The first step is to set up your project in Apple Numbers. This is where you’ll input all of your income, expenses, and calculations.

1. Open Apple Numbers and start a new Blank document.
2. Once your document opens, click Insert > Table to add a new table. This will serve as the structure for your budget.
3. Change the Title of the table to “INCOME“.

Pro Tip: Adjust the table size by dragging the corner to make it large enough for your needs. If you know how many rows or columns you’ll need, you can quickly modify the size.

For beginners, it’s important to remember that a good budget is organized and simple. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many details—stick to the basics at first and expand later as needed.

Step 2: Structuring Your Budget Table

Next, we’ll set up two key sections in your budget: Income and Expenses. Keeping these separate allows you to track where your money is coming from and where it’s going.

Income Section

This section is for tracking the money you earn. You can include wages, freelance work, gifts, or any other source of income.

1. In your table, create columns for:
   • Date (when you receive the income)
   • Source (e.g., salary, freelance work, rental income)
   • Amount (the total amount received)

Here’s a sample layout:

For the purposes of this article I’ve also set the formatting of Column C to Currency.

Expenses Section

This section helps you track where your money goes, whether it’s for rent, groceries, bills, or other living expenses.

2. Create a new table and give it the title: “EXPENSES“
3. Below the income section, create columns for:
   • Date (when you make a payment)
   • Category (e.g., rent, groceries, utilities)
   • Amount (the total amount spent)

Here’s a sample layout for expenses:

It’s a good idea to break expenses into categories to get a clearer picture of where you’re spending most of your money. If you’d like, you can add a Notes column to include additional details about the expense (e.g., “Grocery store trip,” “Electric bill”).

Again here in the Expenses Table for the purposes of this article I’ve also set the formatting of Column C to Currency.

Step 3: Adding Simple Calculations (SUM Function)

Now that you’ve set up your table, we can use the SUM function to calculate the total income and total expenses.

The SUM function adds up all the numbers in a specific range of cells. Here’s how to use it:

1. In an empty cell below the Income Amount column in the INCOME table, click and type the following formula to calculate your total income:

Read more about the SUM Function.

This will add up all the income amounts in the specified range (adjust the range based on your actual table).

2. Similarly, in an empty cell below the Expenses Amount column in the EXPENSES table, type the following formula to calculate your total expenses:

Read more about the SUM Function.

These simple calculations will automatically update as you add more income or expenses, helping you keep track of your overall financial picture. When you have this completed your spreadsheet will look something like this:

Step 4: Creating a Balance Formula

The next step is to create a Balance formula. This will tell you how much money you have left after accounting for your expenses.

1. Create a new Table with only 1 row and 1 column and change the Title to “BALANCE”.
2. In the empty cell type this formula:

Where INCOME::C11 represents your total income and EXPENSES::C11 represents your total expenses. This will calculate the difference between what you earned and what you spent, showing you how much you have left at the end of the month.

This is what your completed Simple Budget should look like:

Step 5: Saving and Customizing Your Template

Once your budget template is set up, it’s time to save your work and make any customizations to suit your needs.

1. Save your template by clicking File > Save and giving it a meaningful name like “Monthly Budget Template.”
2. You can further customize your budget by adding categories for savings, investments, or debt payments. To do this, simply add more rows or columns to your table.

Customization Tips:

• Change the Table Style: You can modify the look of your table by selecting it and choosing a different style from the formatting menu. Choose colors that make it easy to read.
• Add More Categories: As your budget grows, you may want to track more details, such as entertainment, transportation, or savings. Add these categories as new columns or rows in your table.
• Adjust Date Formats: Numbers allows you to format dates in different ways, making your table easier to read. Select the Date column, click Format > Date & Time, and choose your preferred style.

Pro Tip: A well-organized budget is easy to read at a glance. Use formatting options like bold text or different colors to highlight important sections like income totals and the balance.

Step 6: Troubleshooting Common Issues

When you’re new to Apple Numbers, you might encounter a few common issues. Here are some quick fixes:

• SUM Function Isn’t Working: Double-check that your range is correctly defined. For example, =SUM(C2:C10) means you’re summing values from C2 to C10. If your data extends beyond these cells, adjust the range.
• Balance Shows a Negative Number: A negative balance means your expenses exceeded your income. Check your expense entries to ensure you haven’t entered any amounts incorrectly, and consider adjusting your budget for next month to avoid overspending.

Step 7: Downloadable Beginner Budget Template

To save time, you can download our free Beginner Budget Template, which includes the exact layout we’ve walked through in this guide. With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to start tracking your budget immediately!

Download our free Beginner Budget Template

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created your first budget template in Apple Numbers. With this basic setup, you’re already well on your way to better financial management. The next step is to get comfortable with using this template regularly, entering your income and expenses as they happen.

As you become more familiar with Apple Numbers, you’ll be ready to move to more advanced budgeting techniques. In our next article, we’ll show you how to create charts and add visual elements to your budget, making it even easier to track your spending at a glance.

If you found this guide helpful, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on our next articles, where we’ll cover intermediate and advanced budgeting techniques in Apple Numbers. Don’t miss out!

Next Article: Mastering Budget Tracking in Apple Numbers: Adding Categories and Customizations