A monthly budget spreadsheet that shows where every dollar goes, all year
Log what you spend on one Transactions tab and Centwren fills in the rest: budget vs actual for every category, a one-page view of each month, the whole year on one page, a 50/30/20 check, 15 sinking funds with the monthly amount each one needs, a bills tracker and net worth by month. 21 tabs, no macros, no bank login.
Example file, September 2026: budget vs actual by group
| Group | Budget | Actual | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income | $4,500 | $4,540 | +$40 |
| Needs | $2,765 | $2,548 | under |
| Wants | $635 | $277 | under |
| Savings & debt | $800 | $700 | $100 short |
Source: The made-up example household in the Centwren example file, September tab (built by products/centwren/src/workbook.py; rows in products/centwren/store/listing.json).
Centwren vs the alternatives
Published prices, each checked on the date shown; prices change, so confirm on each site.
| Product | Price | Free | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Centwren Budget Planner | $12 once | free preview PDF | live |
| YNAB | $14.99/month or $109/year | 34-day free trial | 2026-10-10 |
| Tiller | $99/year | 30-day free trial | 2026-10-10 |
| Smart Budgeting Template (Kappa Templates, Gumroad) | $15 | 2026-10-10 | |
| Ultimate Annual & Monthly Budget Spreadsheet (Budgetlyify Creatives, Gumroad) | $18.54 | 2026-10-10 |
Why teams pick Centwren
- One-time $12 instead of a yearly subscription: YNAB is $109/year and Tiller $99/year.
- Your data stays in your own spreadsheet: no account and no bank login.
- Month tabs, a full-year view, sinking funds, bills and net worth work together from one transaction log.
- Tested in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice before release, so formulas don't break when you switch apps.
How it works
- On Setup, set the year and your categories with a monthly budget for each (up to 45).
- Log every income and expense on Transactions; the group and month fill in from the date and category.
- Open the Dashboard or any month tab to see budget vs actual, money left and your savings rate.
FAQ
Why not YNAB?
YNAB is a full app with bank sync and its own method, at $14.99/month or $109/year. If you are happy typing or pasting your transactions, Centwren gives you month-by-month budget vs actual, sinking funds and net worth for $12 once.
Why not a free budget template?
Free sheets rarely have month tabs, sinking funds, net worth and a bills tracker working together from one log. Centwren does, and it is checked in Excel, Google Sheets and LibreOffice.
Does it connect to my bank?
No. That is deliberate: no bank login. You type or paste transactions (for example from your bank's CSV export).
Can I use euros or pounds?
Yes: select the money cells and change the currency in the number format.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's a budgeting tool.