The Ultimate Guide to Budgeting Using Notion
Budgeting is hard, and it's even harder to stick to your budget when you're not sure where all your money goes. One of the best features of Notion is that you can track your finances right alongside everything else. By creating a finance tracker sheet, template, or page in Notion, you can easily see where your money is going and create a budget you can stick to with this data. There are a lot of different ways to budget and manage your finances, and what works for one person might not work for another. The important thing is to find a system that fits your needs and stick to it. Here are some steps on how to create your own finance tracker that will help you feel comfortable creating a budget using Notion:
- Create a New Workspace
The first thing you'll need to do is create a new workspace specifically for your budget. This can consist of folders, pages, and templates – whatever works best for you. Name the workspace something that will remind you of what it is and what it contains. I like to keep it simple so I just name my workspace "Budget" and add a cool corresponding emoji for the aesthetics.
2. Create an Accounts Table
In your workspaces, you can create all sorts of different tables. To start with a basic budget template, we will want to create an accounts table. Select "Table" from the menu under the database and enter in the account name, amount, subtype, and credit limit if applicable.
3. Create a Transactions Table
Now that we have all of our accounts listed out, the next step is to create a transactions table. Select "Table" from the menu under the database again and enter your desired categories that are relevant to you and your budgeting process. I recommend adding at least date, amount, category/tag name, and. account. Tip: Add in a "Reviewed" category as well this way you can checkmark a transaction when you have reviewed the purchase. Remember the key to creating a useful budget is by truly understanding how and where you are spending your money.
4. Create a Calendar View
Now that we have our data in table form, it's time to start visualizing it. One of the best ways to do this is by creating a calendar view. This will allow you to see month-by-month how much money you spent on what and when your bills are due. To create a calendar view, simply click "Default View" and select "Calendar View" if that option is not available select "Add a View."
5. Create a Budget Using Your Financial Data and Spending Habits
Now that we have our data visualized, it's time to consider what our financial goals are and how we want to spend our money. You can do this several ways using Notion by creating another table or a board view that highlights how much you are making versus how much you are spending based on your transaction data. We suggest setting up spending caps in each category you spend on every month as well as savings/investment goals.
6. Update Your Budget Worksheet Weekly
Every week you should sit down and review what you spent your money on. By just reviewing your transactions weekly for a few minutes you give yourself financial clarity and can stay on top of your goals without the stress. This is going to require you to manually add your transactions into the database you created in Notion. If this seems like too much you can use tools such as the finotion.app which integrates your financial data into Notion automatically and you never need to manually update your transactions again.
We look forward to you creating a successful financial future with ease.