Your first useful entry
Get started with your workbook
A useful workbook starts with one real entry. Here is how to download your files, open a working copy and check that it is ready for your information.
1. Find your download link
For a free workbook, enter your email on its download page. Check your inbox and spam folder for the download email. Your private free-download link expires after seven days; the files you download do not expire. Newsletter sign-up is a separate, optional choice.
For a paid product, download after checkout or open My downloads. Enter the email you used to buy and we’ll send a secure link to your purchased files. No password or registration is needed. The library link lasts 30 days; you can request another whenever you need it.
2. Extract the ZIP and keep an original copy
Download the ZIP to a folder you can find again. Extract its contents before opening the workbook: on Windows, right-click the ZIP and choose Extract All; on a Mac, double-click the ZIP.
Keep the original ZIP somewhere safe. Make a separate working copy of the workbook and give it a recognisable name, such as My budget — September. Read any instructions included with your product before editing.
3. Choose the supplied edition that suits your records
Choose UK for pounds, US for dollars or EUR for euros where those editions are included. Currency-neutral planners have one edition. If you see several files for your region, open the standard workbook first. The Example file shows a completed setup; Creator Edition is the unlocked copy for customising the layout.
A currency label or regional edition does not convert amounts at live exchange rates or make a workbook suitable for a particular country's tax rules. Keep the units consistent in your working copy and follow the product's stated scope.
4. Open the workbook in your chosen spreadsheet app
The workbook files use the Excel .xlsx format. Open your working copy in Excel, or upload the XLSX file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. If you choose to convert it to a Google Sheets file, retain the original XLSX too. Access to Excel or a Google account is not included with your download.
In Google Sheets, check that the dates and currency display as you expect after importing. Use the workbook’s instructions to find the input cells and try one entry before adding the rest of your records.
5. Enter one real item and check the result
Start with a single expense, client, meal or task, depending on your workbook. Use the input areas identified in its instructions and leave formula cells intact. If it includes sample information, use the instructions to distinguish that from your own records before relying on any totals.
Check that the entry appears where you expect it. For a money workbook, compare a simple total with your own calculation and the source record. For a planner, check the date and the next action. Save your working copy, close it and reopen it to make sure your entry is there.
Once that works, add the next few items. You do not need to fill every section before the workbook can become useful.
Get an updated workbook
Open My downloads to see the current version of your purchased files, what changed and any update instructions. You can also manage product-update emails there. Keep your existing workbook: updates do not move your entries automatically. Follow the release instructions and copy input values into the new version, leaving its formulas in place.
Need another download link?
- Free workbook: return to its product page and request another email. You can find the free range in the template shop.
- Paid purchase: open My downloads and request a link using your purchase email. Check your inbox and spam folder.
- Something still looks wrong: email [email protected] with the product name, the spreadsheet app you are using and what happened. Do not send a workbook containing private financial or client information.
Ready to choose a workbook? Browse the template shop, or return to your product page to review exactly what is included.