Let's jump right in and start creating our first Excel spreadsheet.
When you first open Excel, the software opens to a new, blank workbook.
If you already have a spreadsheet open and want to create a new one, just click the Microsoft
Office Button and select New. The New Workbook dialog box opens.
Blank document is highlighted by default, so go ahead and click Create.
Now your new, blank workbook appears in the window.The next you thing you need to know
is how to insert text. All the little rectangles you see are called
cells. These cells will be where your text appears.
Each cell has a name, or a reference based on the column and row it is in.
For example, this cell is C3 since it is in column C and row 3.
This cell is where that column and row intersect. Looks like we're ready to add some text.
I want to work on creating a spreadsheet that will help me keep track of my monthly expenses,
so let's select cell A1. As you select the cell, you will see the name
of that cell appear in the name box. Let's type Monthly Budget.You can see as you
type that the text appears in cell A1 and in this box which is called the formula box.
This is where any formulas or text you write in the cells will appear.
As I click off of the cell, you'll notice the text extends past the column line.
That's OK. You can change this later.
Since I want to keep my budget for the entire year, I should probably make columns for each
month I receive bills. Let's go down to 7C and type January, use
the Tab key to tab over to 7D and type February. Next we'll go to 7E and type March,
and so forth. Keep in mind that you can move from cell to
cell using the Tab key, the arrows on your computer or by simply using your mouse to
select a specific cell. The Page Up and Down buttons on your keyboard
will help you navigate the spreadsheet, as well.
Now, in 7A, let's type Bills. In this column, we'll type out all the categories
of bills we need to pay each month. I'll start in 8A with some of my expenses
like my rent. If I owned my house, I could put my mortgage
payment here. I'll press the arrow key down and in 9A enter
Car Payment, then in 10A put Life Insurance. If I make a mistake, I can simply use the
Backspace key to make the correction or if I've already moved on and then decide I want
to delete all the text in the cell, I can simply select the cell and then press the
Delete key on the keyboard.You also have the option to make changes to the text from the
formula box. See, if I want to change Life Insurance to
Health Insurance, I can select the cell and make the changes directly in the formula box.
Some people find this easier but you decide what works for you! In cell 7B, let's type Date.
Now in this column, I can type the date my bills are due.
When you're ready to save the workbook, click the Microsoft Office button. If this is the first time you are saving the
file you'll want to select Save As. Save as allows you to name the file whatever
you would like and also choose the location where you'd like to save the file.
Next I'm going to click on Excel Workbook. This is because I want to save my file as
an Excel workbook. Next I'm going to save my file to the desktop
and name my file Household Budget. Then click Save.
If I'm sending my file to someone who does not have Excel 2007, I can save my file as
an Excel 97-2003 workbook. This way the other person does not have to
have Excel 2007 to share and edit the workbook I created.
I successfully saved my file and I'm ready to move forward with my budget!