Simple Expenditure Spreadsheet Example.
1. Getting Started.
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A Spreadsheet does the same job as ledgers and account books do. Spreadsheets
are composed of columns under letters and rows after numbers. Every cell
or box in a spreadsheet can be identified by cross reference to these numbers
and letters; A1 or C6
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Start OpenOffice Spreadsheet.
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To make it really easy, we will start by adding up a sum of numbers.
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Let's assume that you spend some money each day on different items and
that you want to keep track of your expenditure.
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In the first cell (A1), type the word DAY. You can change the format and
font later if you wish
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Notice that as you type the word DAY, it also appears in the Input Box
above the letters. Clicking on any cell, makes its contents appear in the
Input Box. This makes editing easy and straightforward
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Underneath the word DAY, in the cell A2, type SUNDAY, and press enter.
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Click on the box (A2) again. Move your mouse to bottom right corner of
the cell until the cursor changes to a plus sign. Now click and drag your
mouse downwards for the next 6 cells. You will notice that the days of
the week are filled in automatically.
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Your spreadsheet should look like this:
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Now in Cell C1, type the word Petrol. Press enter. Type similar expenditure
items in the next four cells.
2. Entering Data.
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Now underneath the word PETROL, put in any amount in numbers for any particular
days. Do not put in any currency sign at this stage. Fill in the other
cells in a similar fashion.
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You will notice that figures do not look well without the correct formatting.
We will correct this later.
3. Adding Up.
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Now we will total each column and row. Click on cell C9. Type =Sum(C2:C8)
exactly as it is here. The = sign means that you expect to perform a calculation,
in this case a sum. Press ENTER. If you used my figures, the number C9
should change to 60.
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Instead of totaling each column separately, you can use click and drag.
Click on cell C9, move the mouse to the bottom right hand corner of this
cell until the cursor changes to a plus sign. Click and drag to the right
until you reach cell G9. The column totals appear automatically.
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Now click on cell H2 and and type =sum(C2:G2). Press ENTER. As there is
only one item in this row, the H2 cell should show a total of 2. Now click
on the H2 cell again. Move the mouse to the bottom right hand corner of
this cell until the cursor changes to a plus sign. Click and drag downwards
until you reach cell H9. This will total all the other rows.
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Now each column and row is totaled and it is easily possible to see how
much you spent on each area or on each day. The total expenditure for the
week was 405.5.
4. Formatting
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Now some formatting is necessary. Click on Cell C2 and drag to select the
entire area from cell C2 to H9. Now choose FORMAT from the top line menu,
then choose CELLS. From the options presented, chooses NUMBER. Here you
can choose the currency.
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Click OK when you have chosen the currency and decimal places. Some numbers
may change to #### signs when you do this. This is because there is no
longer room for the entire number including its decimal places in the cell.
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To overcome this problem, select the entire area again. Choose FORMAT from
the top line menu, click on COLUMN and OPTIMAL WIDTH. This should allow
the correct amount of space for each number.
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The huge benefit is the ability to change any expense within the week to
any other number. All the totals change accordingly. Try this and see.
Last modified: 2008-04-30 01:42 UTC
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