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Introduction to Microsoft Excel - Excel Basics Tutorial

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If you wish to be part of the Money Matters series, please fill up this form: Finally, a dedicated video to MS Excel! In almost every video I make about Personal Finance, I figure out a way to include MS Excel in it!! This video is not going to give a 100% understanding of Excel, so here is my recommended course on Udemy which I have taken personally, and go back to it whenever I need some help. You can check it out here: So why not give you a dedicated video on MS Excel? MS Excel, in my opinion, is the most powerful software ever made! I use it for everything - budgeting, my video ideas, all my personal finance, and whatnot! In this video, I will explain to you the basic and most importa…

Put it into practice

How to build your first Excel expense worksheet

Practice cells, numbers, and formulas by creating a tiny expense tracker. The sample figures below are a HowToVids exercise, so you can check your work without using private financial information.

HowToVids companion guide · About 20 minutes

What you’ll need

  • Excel desktop or Excel for the web
  • A blank workbook

Before you start

Menu labels vary by version. Type formulas with an equals sign and keep amounts numeric. This exercise builds on the linked introduction; it does not reproduce the creator’s exact spreadsheet.

The example after changing Transport to 20: expenses total 85, leaving 15 from a limit of 100.ItemAmountGroceries40Transport20Supplies25Total85=SUM(B2:B4)Limit: 100Remaining: 15
The example after changing Transport to 20: expenses total 85, leaving 15 from a limit of 100.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. Name the sheet

    Open a blank workbook and rename its first sheet Practice expenses. Save it somewhere you can find again. Notice that a cell address combines a column letter and a row number: B2 means column B, row 2.

  2. Create a small table

    Enter Item in A1 and Amount in B1. In A2:A4 enter Groceries, Transport, and Supplies. In B2:B4 enter 40, 15, and 25. Select the amount cells and apply a currency or number format.

  3. Calculate a total

    Put Total in A5. In B5 type =SUM(B2:B4) and press Enter. The result should be 80. Select B5 again and inspect the formula bar: the cell displays a result, while the bar shows the calculation.

  4. Test the relationship

    Change B3 from 15 to 20. B5 should change to 85. This is the useful distinction between typing a total and calculating one: the formula refers to the input cells and updates as they change.

  5. Add a simple comparison

    Enter Limit in D1 and 100 in E1. Enter Remaining in D2 and =E1-B5 in E2. The result should be 15. Label it clearly so a future reader knows a negative result means spending exceeded the sample limit.

  6. Check and save

    Widen the columns if text is clipped. Confirm the SUM range includes all three expenses and excludes the total cell. Save, close, and reopen the workbook to make sure you can find it.

Check your result

Changing an expense updates both Total and Remaining correctly.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Typing an apostrophe before = turns a formula into text.
  • Adding a new expense outside the formula’s range leaves it out of the total.

About this companion guide

Companion practice for warikoo’s Excel introduction. This original exercise uses Microsoft’s documented formula behavior.

Written from the available video description, published chapters where provided, and the references below. The full video demonstration has not been independently verified. These are original companion instructions, not a transcript or an endorsement by the creator.

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