Your month starts on payday. Your tracker should too.
A Google Sheets spending tracker built from seven years of writing every expense down by hand. Log a purchase in seconds and know where you stand on day 15, not day 30.
Early-bird price for the first 100 buyers, left. Then $7.99.
- Pay once, no subscription
- Help by email, from me
- Your data stays in your Drive
October paid 24 Sep
- 24 SepGrocery1,250
- 26 SepElectricity820
- 1 OctMobile bill300
- 3 OctGrocery640
- 5 OctOthers275
- 8 OctInternet (due)450
My Spending
Pay month: 24 Sep to 23 Oct- Spent
- 3,285
- Your normal
- 7,000
- Vs normal
- ▼ 6%
- Not paid yet
- 450
paid so far
last 12 months
less than usual by day 15
planned
Day 15 of 30. Usual by now about 3,500. On track.
- Grocery1,890
- Electricity820
- Mobile bill300
- Others275
Sample numbers
Paper tells you what you spent. This tells you where you stand.
Everything sits on one screen and in plain words. If you can read a receipt, you can read this.
My Spending
Pay month: 24 Sep to 23 Oct 2026- Spent
- 3,285
- Your normal
- 7,000
- Vs normal
- ▼ 6%
- Not paid yet
- 450
paid so far
average of last 12 months
less than usual by day 15
planned, not counted yet
Pace: day 15 of 30. Usual by now about 3,500. On track.
Biggest jump: Grocery, +420 vs normal
| Category | This month | Normal | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grocery | 1,890 | 1,470 | |
| Electricity | 820 | 910 | |
| Mobile bill | 300 | 300 | |
| Others | 275 | 390 |
Sample numbers
Months run payday to payday,
not the 1st to the 31st. Add each payday and every purchase lands in the right month.
Compared with your usual by today,
not your whole month. Day 10 doesn't look like a win just because the month isn't over.
The category that grew most,
so you know where to look first.
Bills you wrote down early
stay out of the total until you tick them as paid.
Try it before you buy it
Add a purchase, tick a bill as paid or move the day of the month, and watch the dashboard answer. Same rules as the real sheet.
This month's log
- Day 2Grocery505Paid
- Day 4Electricity770Paid
- Day 6Gas195Paid
- Day 7Mobile bill300Paid
- Day 9Grocery290Paid
- Day 11Others340Paid
- Day 16Grocery290Paid
- Day 18Internet450Planned
- Day 19Others250Paid
My Spending
Sample month · day 21 of 30- Spent
- 2,940
- Your normal
- 3,905
- Vs normal
- ▲ 8%
- Not paid yet
- 450
paid so far
average of last 12 months
compared with usual by today
planned, not counted yet
Day 21 of 30. Usual by now about 2,734. On track.
Biggest jump: Others, +188 vs normal
- Grocery1,085
- Electricity770
- Others590
- Mobile bill300
- Gas195
- Internet–
The real sheet, with 13 months of sample data
It's view only. Switch between the Dashboard, Log and Settings tabs to see how it's laid out.
On a phone? Open it in a new tab.
How it works
-
Make your copy
After checkout you get a link. One click copies the sheet into your Google Drive.
-
Write it down
One row per purchase: date, amount, category, paid or planned. It works in the Google Sheets phone app too.
-
Glance at the dashboard
Pick any month. Spent, your normal, your pace and the biggest jump are all there.
Seven years of pen and paper
I've written down every expense in a notebook since 2019. Paper kept me honest, but it only answered one question, and only at the end of the month: how much did I spend?
What I wanted to know was where I stood in the middle of the month, while there was still time to change something. Pen & Sheet is the sheet I built for that, and it's the one I open every payday.
— Omar, still writing it down
What you get, and what you don't
What you get is a clear picture. Pen & Sheet won't tell you what to cut. It shows you, in plain numbers, where your money actually goes. Once you can see that, the places to save are usually easy to spot.
You can't fix what you can't see.
It does
- Show where each paycheck went, category by category
- Point to the category that grew most, so you know where to look first
- Tell you mid-month if you're running high, while there's still time to change it
- Compare each month with your last 12, so "normal" means your normal
- Keep planned bills apart until they're paid, so the total is what you've really spent
- Split online and offline spending
- Work in any currency, with up to 50 categories you name
It doesn't
- Connect to your bank. Writing each purchase down is what makes you notice it.
- Set budgets, envelopes or savings goals. It shows you the picture, and the choices stay yours.
- Need an account with us
- Show ads or charge you monthly
One sheet. One payment.
No subscription and nothing to cancel. If something doesn't work as described, email me and I'll fix it. Because the sheet is yours the moment you pay, sales are final.
Checkout is handled by Creem, which takes care of payment and sales tax. Your card statement will show Creem, not Pen & Sheet.
Pen & Sheet
$4.99
$7.99
$7.99
One-time payment. Early-bird price for the first 100 copies, then $7.99.One-time payment
- The full Google Sheet, yours to keep
- Dashboard, log and settings, ready to use
- Works on a computer and in the Sheets app
- Something not working? Email me and I'll fix it
Not sure yet? Open the live demo.
Questions
Why pay when free budget templates exist?
Most free templates count calendar months and only show totals. Pen & Sheet runs from payday to payday, compares each month with your usual, and tells you mid-month whether you're on track. You also skip the hours of building it yourself.
Do I need Excel or a paid Google account?
No. It runs in Google Sheets with a free Google account, on a computer or in the Google Sheets app.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. The Google Sheets app handles the date picker, category dropdown and paid checkbox, so logging a purchase takes a few taps.
Who can see my numbers?
Only you. Your copy lives in your own Google Drive and nothing is sent to us. We never see what you spend.
What's a payday month?
If you're paid on the 24th, your "October" runs from 24 September to 23 October. Add the date each salary arrives and the sheet groups everything accordingly. Until you do, it uses your usual payday.
Which currency does it use?
Any. The sheet works with plain numbers, so enter amounts in whatever currency you spend.
Can I bring in my old records?
Yes. Add one row per category per month, dated the 1st, and those months show up in your history and averages.
What if something doesn't work?
Email support@penandsheet.com or use the feedback form and I'll fix it. The live demo is free and shows the whole sheet, so you can look around first. Because the sheet is yours the moment you pay, sales are final.
Why does my card statement say Creem?
Creem is the reseller that runs checkout for Pen & Sheet. It handles the payment, receipts and sales tax, so the charge appears under its name.