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Guide · Freelancers & side hustles
Simple expense log in Excel
A simple expense log is not a full books system. It is one sheet where every business receipt gets a date, vendor, category, and amount — so you are not reconstructing the year from bank statements in March.
What “simple” means here
- One row per purchase (not a separate file per receipt)
- A short, reused category list — not fifty custom labels
- Formulas for running total and a small summary block
- No macros, no login, no monthly fee
- Enough for a side hustle or early freelance year; not a replacement for a CPA
If you only need to list spending, a free log is enough. Billing clients, mileage, and a monthly summary in the same workbook is a different job — that is where a paid kit fits.
Minimum columns (do not overbuild)
- Date — when you spent the money
- Vendor — who got paid
- Category — same Schedule C–style label each time
- Amount — the receipt total
- Payment method (optional) — card, cash, PayPal
- Notes — job name, receipt filename, or “personal vs business” flag
Yellow = your entries.
Gray = running total and summary formulas.
No macros.
A weekly habit that sticks
- Once a week, open the log and empty your receipt photo folder or email receipts
- Enter every business purchase from that week; skip personal charges
- Use the drop-down category — do not invent a new label mid-year
- Glance at the gray running total; if it looks wrong, find the last yellow amount you typed
- At month-end, filter or sort by category for a quick spend check (still not tax advice)
Ten minutes weekly beats a weekend of archaeology. The sheet only works if you open it on a schedule.
Common mistakes
- Mixing personal and business rows without a note — hard to filter later
- Putting vehicle trips in the expense log instead of a mileage log (miles ≠ receipt rows)
- Changing category names mid-year so “Software” and “Apps” never sum together
- Typing totals by hand in a second sheet instead of letting gray formulas sum the log
- Waiting until tax season to start the file
Record-keeping only — not tax, legal, or accounting advice. Confirm deductible treatment with IRS.gov or a preparer.
Free log vs $19 kit
| Free simple expense log | Freelance invoice kit — $19 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best when | You only need a receipt list | You invoice clients and want expenses + mileage in one workbook |
| Includes | Expense log, category drop-down, running total, summary | One-page invoice, fuller expense log, 2026 IRS mileage log, monthly summary |
| Price | Free download | $19 one-time (Gumroad) |