Short answer
- Five columns are enough: date, description, category, account, amount.
- Use 10-12 categories; more makes tracking harder.
- A card purchase is an expense on the day you buy; the card payment is a transfer.
- At month end compare category totals with your budget and adjust next month's limits.
What is an income and expense table?
An income and expense table is a line-by-line record of the money that comes in and goes out over a period. It is the simple, personal version of a business ledger. It answers three questions: How much did I earn? Where did I spend it? How much is left?
The table is how you measure your budget. The budget says "I will spend ₺12,000 on groceries this month"; the table shows what was actually spent. Without comparing the two, a budget stays a guess.
The columns you need
| Date | Description | Category | Account | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01.09.2026 | Salary | Income: Salary | Current account | ₺45,000 |
| 02.09.2026 | September rent | Housing | Current account | -₺18,000 |
| 04.09.2026 | Weekly groceries | Groceries | Credit card A | -₺2,450 |
| 05.09.2026 | Phone (3/6) | Electronics | Credit card A | -₺1,500 |
| 09.09.2026 | Electricity bill | Bills | Current account | -₺1,180 |
Writing income as positive and expenses as negative lets you get the total with one formula. You can also use separate income and expense columns; what matters is being consistent.
Choosing categories
Keep to around 10-12 categories. Too few ("expense", "other") tell you nothing; too many ("coffee", "bagel", "water") cause decision fatigue on every entry. A list that works:
- Fixed: Housing (rent/fees), bills, phone and internet, insurance, debt and loan payments, subscriptions
- Variable: Groceries, transport, eating out, clothing, health, entertainment and hobbies, education
- Savings: Emergency fund, goal savings
For finer detail use tags instead of more categories: a "holiday-2026" or "baby" tag groups spending across categories.
Three methods: paper, spreadsheet, app
| Method | Pros | Cons | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notebook | High awareness while writing | Totals and reports by hand, no search | Mostly cash, few transactions |
| Excel / Google Sheets | Free, flexible, formulas and charts | Installments and balances by hand, awkward on mobile | One account, likes spreadsheets |
| Budgeting app | Automatic balances and installments, instant entry by phone | Most are paid, learning curve | Several cards, installments and loans |
If you start with a spreadsheet, see our monthly budget template for a ready layout. The methods are compared in detail in income and expense tracking: spreadsheet or app.
Setting up the table step by step
- Enter opening balances. The balance on the first day of the month for every bank account, cash and card debt.
- Pre-enter fixed income and costs. Add salary, rent, fees, subscriptions and loan installments as rows at the start of the month.
- Record spending the same day. Type it on your phone in two minutes when you get the receipt.
- Match with bank transactions weekly. Fill in forgotten rows.
- Close the month. Total the categories, compare with your budget and move what is left to savings.
Things to watch
Installment purchases
If you bought a ₺9,000 phone in 6 installments, do not write ₺9,000 today; write ₺1,500 in each of the next 6 months. That way each month's real load is visible. In a spreadsheet you have to copy these rows by hand; more in our installment tracking guide.
Cash spending
Cash is the easiest item to lose track of. Record ATM withdrawals as a transfer to a "cash" account and deduct from it as you spend. At month end, the cash in your wallet should match the cash balance in the table.
Annual payments
Car insurance, other policies, property tax and annual subscriptions can crush a single month. Divide the annual amount by 12 and set that aside each month as "annual expenses"; when the payment month comes, the money is ready.
In butce.app you just enter the number of installments; they are written into the months automatically and card payments are recorded as transfers.
Try FreeMonth-end analysis: reading the table
The table shows its value at month end. Make these three comparisons:
- Income minus expenses: If positive, move the difference to savings; if negative, find which category caused the gap.
- Budget versus actual: Focus on the two categories that overshot most, not all of them.
- This month versus last: Annual inflation in Turkey was 31.51% in August 2026, so higher spending is not always overspending. Separate price increases from buying more.
Why people give up on tracking
Most people who start an income and expense table stop within a few weeks. The three most common reasons and fixes:
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Entries pile up and the table stops matching reality | Same-day entry with a tool you can open on your phone |
| Installments and card accounts get confusing | Record card payments as transfers; use a tool that spreads installments over months |
| The table does not tell you anything | Month-end analysis and a budget comparison |
Frequently asked questions
Which columns should an income and expense table have?
At least five: date, description, category, the account or card used, and amount. Keeping income and expenses in separate columns, or writing expenses as negative numbers, makes totals simple. For installment purchases an extra column for the installment number helps.
How often should I update the table?
On the day of the transaction, or at least once a week. Entries left to month end are forgotten and the table stops reflecting reality. Two minutes a day takes less time than hours of scanning bank statements at month end.
When do I record a credit card purchase?
Record it as an expense on the day you spend, and record the card payment as a transfer between accounts, not as an expense. Otherwise the same purchase shows up twice. For installment purchases, write each month's installment in that month.
How do I choose between a spreadsheet and an app?
With one account and a few dozen transactions a month, a spreadsheet is enough. With several cards, installments and loans, an app that spreads installments over months and updates balances by itself saves time.
Sources
butce.app Editör Ekibi
This guide was written by the team behind butce.app, a budgeting app for tracking income, expenses, card installments and loans. Figures were checked against the official sources listed above; the article was last reviewed on .
This content is general information, not investment, tax or legal advice. Rates change, so check the official source before you decide.
