*NOW UPDATED FOR 2015!
One very important part of couponing is tracking how much you are spending and saving. Hopefully you have a general idea of how much you spent on groceries pre-couponing, but even if you don’t, tracking your spending can be extremely beneficial. Right now is always the best time to start keeping track!
I have created this awesome and SIMPLE spreadsheet to use to track your grocery spending and savings! All you have to enter is how much you spend and save each week (most stores will calculate your savings for you at the bottom of the receipt!) and the spreadsheet will calculate the percentages for you!
How to use the Grocery Savings Spreadsheet:
First of all, in order to be able to use the spreadsheet, you need to download it to your computer or save to your Google Docs account.
Save to your computer:
1. Open the spreadsheet in Google Docs
2. Click on “File”
3. Go to “Download As”
4. Choose the program you would like to download it to.
Save to your Google Docs (Google Drive) account: (I personally like Google Docs because I don’t have to worry about losing my data if my computer crashes.)
1. Sign in to Google Docs (it is very easy to register)
2. Open the spreadsheet in Google Docs
3. Click on “File”
4. Click on “Make a Copy” (this is a VERY important step)
5. Name and Save it
Now that you have your copy of the spreadsheet, here is how you use it.
You need to save your receipts every time you buy groceries. Either input them in the spreadsheet as soon as you get home, or put them somewhere you will remember and input them at the end of the week.
The only fields you need to fill out are the light blue shaded boxes. That’s it!! Everything else is automatically calculated for you. At the top in the pink fields you can see your average weekly spending as well as your year to date (YTD) totals. This spreadsheet is made for 2015, but it is easy to update it for next year. Just create a new copy and update the week ending dates. I also hope to have a new version prepared every year.
Week Ending – Each row should include the totals for all purchases prior to and including the date entered. So, for the week ending 1/3, include all totals from 12/28 through 1/3 (Sunday – Saturday).
Spending – Input the total spent on groceries. You need to define this for yourself. For me, that includes all food, toiletries, paper goods, pet food, diapers, etc.
Savings – Input how much you saved. You need to define this for yourself as well. Will it include all savings or just coupon savings? I include all savings: coupons, sales, and clearance. Most stores calculate your savings for you and include it at the bottom of the receipt.
Stores – Input the stores you visited. This field is not necessary to fill out, but it can be helpful. I like to include this to see which stores I tend to spend more at or get the most savings from.
This spreadsheet is very simple. You really only have to fill in the spending and savings fields and everything else is done for you! Now you can have visual evidence of how much you are truly spending and saving.
I truly hope some of you will be able to benefit from this spreadsheet! I know spreadsheets can seem daunting to some, but don’t be afraid! Inputting your totals will become habit after a while. I’ve been using this spreadsheet for years and I love looking back and seeing all my savings.
Do you track your grocery spending and savings?