Today you will
- set up a small budget template with built-in formulas
- fill it with real costs without breaking the formulas
- save {{code:sm3_from_template.xlsx}} as the base for your Module 3 work
Warm-up
Think of a form you filled in online, like a Leap Card top-up page. Which parts could you change, and which parts were locked?
Key words
- A template is a ready-made spreadsheet with the labels, layout and formulas already set up.
- A built-in formula is a calculation already written into a cell, like {{formula:=SUM(D2:D11)}}.
- Sample data is the made-up numbers and labels in a template, and they are there for you to replace.
- Adapt, don't rebuild means you change the words and numbers but leave the formulas alone.
If you type 40 on top of a total cell, its formula is gone. The total will not update any more.
You will build a small budget template and fill it with Niamh's costs for her phone-sticker business in Galway. Follow the steps in the box below.
Budget starter: copy this table and paste it into cell A1.
| Item | Unit cost (€) | Quantity | Line total (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sample item 1 | 5.00 | 10 | |
| Sample item 2 | 2.50 | 4 | |
| Sample item 3 | 1.00 | 20 | |
| Sample item 4 | 7.25 | 3 | |
| Sample item 5 | 12.00 | 2 | |
| TOTAL |
Niamh's five costs: type these into columns A, B and C only.
| Item | Unit cost (€) | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Vinyl sticker sheets | 8.50 | 10 |
| Ink pack | 12.00 | 2 |
| Packaging envelopes | 0.90 | 30 |
| Market stall fee | 24.00 | 2 |
| Printed business cards | 25.00 | 1 |
Common issues
- My total stops changing. You typed over the formula, so click the total and type {{formula:=SUM(D2:D6)}} again.
- The money shows $, not €. Select the money cells, choose Currency again and pick €.
- I can't find {{code:sm3}}. Open {{code:Project_Portfolio}}, then {{code:09_specialism}}. If {{code:sm3}} isn't there, make it now.
Independent Practice
- Jot down five costs from your project. For each one, write the item, the price in euro and how many.
- Open {{code:sm3_from_template.xlsx}} in {{code:sm3}}. Don't make a new file.
- Type your five costs over Niamh's rows, in columns A to C only.
- Change one cost and check that the total changes too.
If the total stops changing, type {{formula:=SUM(D2:D6)}} into it again.
- My file is saved in {{code:sm3}}, with no extra copies.
- It has five rows of my real project data.
- The totals change when I change a number.
- The money cells show euro.
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