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Every business owner knows the sinking feeling of opening a bank export on Sunday night and realizing you still haven’t updated last month’s expenses. A good monthly expenses template in Excel or Google Sheets turns that chaos into a single, reliable source of truth. You see where money is going, spot waste early, and plan hiring, campaigns, and runway with confidence.But the real unlock comes when that template stops depending on your spare time. An AI computer agent can pull CSV files from banks, paste data into the right tab, categorize transactions, and flag anomalies before you even open the sheet. Instead of wrestling with cells and filters, you review clear summaries, tweak assumptions, and make decisions. The template becomes a living dashboard that quietly updates in the background while you focus on selling, building, and leading.
### The Two Ways To Run Your Monthly Expense TemplateFor most founders and marketers, monthly expenses live in one of two worlds:1. A manual spreadsheet you dread opening.2. A living system that seems to run itself.Let’s walk through both — first the classic manual approach in Excel and Google Sheets, then how to turn the same template into an automated workflow with an AI agent like Simular.---## 1. Manual Setup in Google Sheets### Step 1: Create Your Structure- Open Google Sheets and create a new file.- Add a tab called `Raw_Transactions` and another called `Monthly_Summary`.- In `Raw_Transactions`, create columns: Date, Vendor, Category, Payment Method, Amount, Notes, Month.### Step 2: Import Your Data- Export your bank or card statement as CSV.- In Sheets, go to **File → Import → Upload** and bring the CSV into the `Raw_Transactions` tab.- Make sure dates and amounts are in the correct formats.### Step 3: Add Categories- Create a data‑validated Category column with items like Advertising, Software, Payroll, Contractors, Rent, Misc.- Manually assign categories, or use **FILTER** and **FIND** to bulk‑update common vendors.### Step 4: Build the Monthly Summary- In `Monthly_Summary`, list categories in column A.- Use `=SUMIFS(Raw_Transactions!$E:$E, Raw_Transactions!$C:$C, A2, Raw_Transactions!$G:$G, "2025-01")` to total spend per category for a given month.- Add a total row and a simple bar chart for category spend.**Pros (Manual Sheets)**- Free and cloud‑based.- Easy collaboration and commenting.- Great for early‑stage or small teams.**Cons**- Repetitive monthly imports.- Error‑prone manual categorization.- Time cost grows as transaction volume increases.---## 2. Manual Setup in Excel### Step 1: Start From a Template- Open Excel and search the template gallery for “monthly budget” or “expense tracker”.- Choose a layout with separate income/expense sections and charts.### Step 2: Adapt to Your Business- Rename categories to match your world: e.g., Lead Gen, Tools, Team, Ops.- Add columns for Project/Client to link spend back to revenue.### Step 3: Bring In Transactions- Import bank CSV files via **Data → Get Data → From Text/CSV**.- Map columns to the template structure (Date, Description, Amount, Category).- Use **Flash Fill** and rules to classify common vendors.### Step 4: Visualize- Build a PivotTable by Month and Category.- Add a PivotChart for quick burn‑rate and category breakdown views.**Pros (Manual Excel)**- Powerful formulas, pivots, and charts.- Works well for large transaction sets.**Cons**- Files can get heavy and version‑sprawl quickly.- Still requires you to import, clean, and categorize every month.---## 3. Turning Your Template Into An Automated System With AI AgentsNow the fun part: keeping the same Google Sheets or Excel templates, but letting an AI computer agent do the drudge work.With Simular’s computer‑use agents, you’re no longer writing brittle scripts or clunky RPA flows. You’re delegating the exact clicks and keystrokes you would normally perform across your desktop, browser, and cloud apps.### What the Agent Can Do For You- Log in to bank or card portals.- Download the latest CSV statements.- Open Excel or Google Sheets and the right template file.- Paste new data into `Raw_Transactions`.- Apply your categorization logic (rules, lookups, or prompts).- Refresh formulas, PivotTables, and charts.- Save, back up, or even email your monthly report to stakeholders.Because Simular Pro agents operate like a meticulous assistant sitting at your computer, they can handle thousands of steps reliably — from browser navigation to spreadsheet updates.**Pros (AI‑Driven Automation)**- Massive time savings every month once set up.- Far fewer manual errors or missed transactions.- Works across both Google Sheets and Excel without separate scripts.- Transparent execution: every action is visible and replayable.**Cons**- Requires an initial onboarding session to teach the agent your exact workflow.- You’ll still want periodic human review for edge cases or unusual transactions.---## 4. A Simple Hybrid WorkflowMost knowledge workers start with a hybrid approach:1. **Month 1–2:** Build and refine your template manually in Sheets or Excel.2. **Month 3:** Record one full run while the Simular agent “observes” — how you download files, where you click, how you categorize.3. **Month 4+:** Let the agent execute the routine end‑to‑end, while you only review the summary tabs and specific anomalies it flags.The result is the same spreadsheet you trust today, but updated by a tireless AI operator instead of your late‑night self. You stay in control of the model and the money — you just get your hours back.