What you will build
Build a clean personal-budget table in A1:E5. Each column holds one field: Date, Category, Description, Amount, and Status. This predictable structure prepares the data for later sorting, filtering, validation, and formulas.
Learning objectives
Open the practice workbook
Open the workbook below. If you want to start again on a blank sheet, paste the TSV into cell A1.
Practice in your own copy
Make your own Google Sheets copy with the same data, formulas, formatting, filter and frozen header. The original remains unchanged.
Sign in to Google. If the original is not publicly shared, download the full workbook and import it into Google Sheets, or paste the example data into your own sheet.
Hands-on practice
Step 1: Start at A1. Put Date, Category, Description, Amount, and Status across row 1, then enter the four sample transactions in rows 2–5. Do not insert blank rows or columns between the data fields.
Step 2: Select A1:E5 and inspect the data range. A correct table is one continuous 5-column × 5-row block, with no blank row or blank column between Date and Status.
Step 3: Check each column: Date contains dates; Category and Description contain text; Amount contains numbers; Status contains Posted or Planned. Keep the four sample transactions in the shown order so you can compare them with the checkpoint.
Checkpoint
| Date | Category | Description | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | Income | Salary | 1500 | Posted |
| 2026-09-02 | Food | Groceries | 85 | Posted |
| 2026-09-03 | Transport | Bus pass | 30 | Planned |
| 2026-09-05 | Housing | Rent | 700 | Planned |
A1:E5 should be one continuous rectangular range with exactly these five headers and four data rows.
Common mistakes and fixes
If Amount is stored as text or Date is not recognized as a date, correct the data type before using the table for formulas, filters, or sorting in later lessons.
Independent practice
Add one new transaction in row 6 with all five fields, confirm A1:E6 is still one continuous range, then remove the test row to restore the sample.
Key takeaways
- ✓Use one field per column and keep headers in row 1.
- ✓Keep the dataset as one continuous rectangle with no blank rows or columns inside it.
- ✓For this sample, the completed range is A1:E5 with five headers and four transactions.
- ✓Keep data types consistent: dates, text, numeric amounts, and statuses.
- ✓Compare the sheet with the checkpoint before moving on to formatting, filtering, or formulas.
Check your understanding
Answer four questions about the practice sheet.
Next lesson
Continue with Design headers and data types for Personal budget.
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