Holiday Gift Budget Planner Excel

Holiday Gift Budget Planner Excel — A gift budget per person, saved month by month, so December is a list you already funded instead of a bill you meet in January.

Built for anyone who wants the whole picture on one page: what the goal is, what is actually there, and which line is quietly falling behind — without accounting software or a subscription app. If one line is underfunded, this workbook shows it while there is still time to fix it.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (6 sheets):

- Gift Planner — Every gift line: budget, saved so far, remaining, percent saved, monthly set-aside, and months to goal — by formula except the yellow inputs.

- Savings and Purchases Log — Every deposit and early purchase January-October: date, gift line, description, amount, and account, with running total and share of total by formula.

- Monthly Plan — Month by month: planned saving, actual saving and purchases from the log by formula, the difference, and cumulative planned vs actual.

- Category Summary — Gift lines grouped by group (family, friends, work): counts, budgets, saved, remaining, and percent saved — all by formula.

- Dashboard — Total gift budget, total saved, remaining, percent saved, monthly set-asides, and the best and worst funded gift lines.

- Cover and How to Use — start here. Yellow cells are the only ones you edit.

EXAMPLE DATA (2026 — replace with your own numbers):

- Target 2,775; current 1,685; remaining 1,090; 60.7 percent complete overall.

- 30 logged entries (January-October 2026) totaling 1,650; monthly plan planned 4,200 for 2026 against actual 1,650 so far.

- Strongest line: Stocking and Wrap at 83.7 percent. Weakest line: In-Laws at 15.0 percent. Largest line: Kids at 600.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Download the Excel file instantly after purchase.

2. On sheet 1, enter each person's gift budget, saved so far, and monthly set-aside. Remaining, percent, and months fill in by formula.

3. On sheet 2, add a row per deposit or early purchase: date, gift line (spelled exactly as on sheet 1), amount, and account.

4. On sheet 3, set planned saving per month. Actuals land by formula from the log.

5. Sheets 4 and 5 summarize everything by formula. Check them monthly.

HOW THE NUMBERS WORK:

Remaining is the target minus the current amount. Percent is the current amount divided by the target. Months figures divide the remaining amount by the monthly amount, rounded up. Monthly actuals are the sum of log entries in that month. Category totals group sheet 1 by its category column. Nothing in the example assumes investment growth or interest unless a sheet says so in plain words.

PLEASE NOTE:

- Instant digital download. No physical item ships.

- Works in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets (upload to Google Drive to open in Sheets).

- Example data is included so you can see how it works. Replace the yellow cells with your own numbers — yellow cells are the only ones you edit.

- This is a bookkeeping tool, not tax, legal, or CPA advice.

- Built by an accountant: B.S. Accountancy, ASU W. P. Carey, with revenue-reconciliation experience at Marriott and audit work at PwC.