Let’s just say I should have started using this expense tracker a long time ago.

College is expensive.

For context, I grew up with immigrant parents and a relatively frugal lifestyle. We only went out to eat once or twice a month and rarely embarked on long, expensive vacations. Anywhere that we did spend money, we optimized for the cheapest, most effective option. In high school, when my friends got cars and we started going out to stores and restaurants more, I was always careful to spend the least amount possible. And for the most part, this suited me just fine. I never felt like I was missing out on anything because most of the activities we did together were free.

But college was an entirely different beast. I was prepared for college in all of the typical ways — my study habits were top notch (for the most part), my stress coping mechanisms were effective and healthy, and my mind was ready to soak up as many new ideas as possible. But the moneyyy… Oh boy — I was not ready. Going out to eat left and right, spending on Ubers, the occasional grocery haul — these were the realities of making friends and building relationships in college. I was suddenly spending a lot more than I was used to, and despite my on-campus jobs, I knew I needed to get a better grasp on my financial situation.

Before I get into this ingenious expense tracker, I should say that I am by no means an expert. But I am a college student that hates spending money, and this personal quality set me up pretty well to make a highly effective, extremely straightforward expense tracker.

If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you, too, are a college student worried about your spending. If so, kudos! College students like you may find themselves in a diversity of circumstances — some have have a lot of monthly income while others have none; some may live off campus and need to take care of rent, groceries, etc. while others live on campus. Regardless of your situation, college is the perfect time to notice how you spend your money and start learning how to manage it.

This tracker includes all 12 months of expense tracking as well a fun little grocery expense “calculator.” If you’re the type to jump right in without reading the instructions (hi, me too), the tracker is linked right below this and includes everything you need to get started.

Expense Tracker Template

The Excel sheet is made up of 5 tabs; 4 of them cover each quarter of the year and the last one is a “grocery expenses” calculator.

The image below is the first tab you will see, which covers January, February, and March expense tracking. Throughout the tracker, light green areas are where you can input information.

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