This article is the second in a series about Mastering Budget Tracking in Numbers Read the first article here: Select How to Create a Simple Budget Template in Apple Numbers: A Beginner’s Guide How to Create a Simple Budget Template in Apple Numbers: A Beginner’s Guide

Now that you’ve created your first budget template in Apple Numbers, it’s time to take things a step further. In this guide, you’ll learn how to customize your budget by adding categories for income and expenses, using advanced table formatting, and creating a more personalized budget experience.

A well-structured budget will help you visualize where your money is going and give you control over your financial future. Ready to make your budget even more powerful? Let’s dive into categories, customizations, and other advanced features in Apple Numbers.

Step 1: Why Categorize Your Budget?

Categorizing your income and expenses allows you to see where your money comes from and where it goes. Instead of just seeing a lump sum of expenses, you can break down your spending by categories such as Rent, Groceries, Utilities, and Entertainment. This level of detail can help you identify areas where you may be overspending or where you can save more.

Step 2: Adding Categories to Your Income and Expenses

Let’s start by expanding your basic budget to include categories for both income and expenses.

Adding Categories to Your Income:

1. Open your existing budget template in Apple Numbers.
2. Next to the “Source” column in your Income section, add a new column titled Category. This will allow you to categorize your sources of income.
3. In the new Category column, we will input categories that match your sources of income. For example:
   1. Salary
   2. Freelance Work
   3. Investments
   4. Gifts
   5. Side Hustles
4. To make it easier select cells C2::C9 and change the data format of the cells to -Pop-Up Menu. And add your custom categories I like to select the option to start with a blank selection. Using a Pop-Up Menu will make sure we avoid errors later on due to spelling mistakes.

Your updated Income table will look something like this:

This small addition makes a big difference in tracking where your income is coming from and allowing you to see the breakdown of various income streams.

Adding Categories to Your Expenses:

1. Similarly, go to your Expenses section and create a new column titled Category next to the Amount column.
2. Add relevant categories for your expenses, such as:
   1. Rent
   2. Groceries
   3. Utilities
   4. Entertainment
   5. Transportation

Your expenses table might look like this:

With these categories in place, you’ll have a clearer picture of your expenses and where you might need to adjust spending.

Step 3: Using SUMIF to Track Categories

Once your categories are in place, you can start tracking how much you’re spending or earning within each category. One way to do this is by using the SUMIF function, which adds up values in a specified range that meet certain criteria.

How to Use SUMIF for Income:

Let’s say you want to track how much you’ve earned from freelance work. Here’s how to use the SUMIF function:

1. Create a new Table add the heading Category in Cell A1 and Amount in B1 and in the rest of Column A Include each Income Category making sure to spell it the same way you did in the Income Table.
2. Select cell B2 and enter the following formula:

Read more about the SUMIF Function.

In this formula:

• INCOME::$C$2:$C$9 is the range of your Income Category column.
• A2 is the category you’re looking to sum.
• INCOME::$D$2:$D$9 is the range of the Amount column.

3. Hit RETURN and you’ll see the total income from freelance work displayed in the cell.
4. SELECT the cell with the formula and drag it down the column.

How to Use SUMIF for Expenses:

You can apply the same formula to track expenses. For example, to track total spending on Groceries:

1. Make a copy of the Income Categories Table that you just created.
2. Change the Column Headings
3. Replace the Income Categories with your Expense Categories. Making sure you check your spelling.
4. Update the formula in B2 with the coorsponding Expense Categories. It should look like the following:

Read more about the SUMIF Function.

Step 4: Using Conditional Formatting for Better Visualization

Conditional formatting helps you visually organize your budget by applying color-coding based on certain rules. For example, you can highlight expenses that exceed a certain threshold, like $1,000 for rent or bills.

How to Apply Conditional Formatting:

1. Select the column or range of cells you want to format (e.g., the Amount column in your Expenses section).
2. Go to Format > Cell > Conditional Highlighting.
3. Click Add a Rule and choose a rule type, such as “Greater than.”
4. Input the threshold you want to highlight (e.g., 1000), and choose a color that will apply when the rule is met.
5. Hit Done to apply the formatting.

Now, any expense over $1,000 will be highlighted, making it easier to spot high-cost categories.

Step 6: Customizing Table Appearance

Making your table visually appealing and easy to read is essential for budgeting. Apple Numbers offers several ways to customize the appearance of your tables, including fonts, colors, and borders.

Customizing the Table Style:

1. Select your table, and in the Format sidebar, click on Table to access different table styles.
2. Choose a style that suits your preferences. You can change the header color, adjust the gridlines, or switch between predefined styles.
3. Customize your font and font size to ensure that your numbers and text are easy to read.

Adding Borders:

1. To make different sections of your budget more defined, consider adding borders. Select the cells you want to add borders to, and in the Format panel, choose the Cell tab.
2. Under the Border section, pick the border style, color, and thickness you prefer.

Pro Tip: Choose a minimalistic style with soft colors to avoid making your table look too cluttered.

Step 7: Save and Use Your Customized Template

After adding categories, conditional formatting, and customizations, your budget is more detailed, organized, and easy to read. Save your updated template by going to File > Save and give it a new name, such as “Monthly Budget with Categories.”

Now, every month, you can simply copy this template, input your income and expenses, and track your financial progress.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve taken your basic budget template to the next level by adding categories and customizations. With these features, you now have a more powerful, personalized budget that offers detailed insights into your spending and income. Categorizing your budget helps you better understand your financial habits, while customizations like conditional formatting and SUMIF formulas give you a clearer picture of your finances.

Stay tuned for our next guide, where we’ll dive into creating charts to visually represent your budget data. By learning how to add charts and graphs, you’ll gain an even deeper understanding of your financial health.

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