Today you will
- show your costs as euro, with two decimal places
- add a Date column between Cost and Notes
- make your headings bold and centred
You will do all of this in {{code:05_project_budget}}.
Warm-up
Look at 12.5 and €12.50. Which one would you trust more on a budget, and why?
Formatting changes how a number looks, not the number itself.
Currency shows a number as money. For example, 24.5 becomes €24.50.
Percentage shows a decimal as a share, so 0.1 shows as 10%.
A real date sorts in calendar order. A date typed as text can sort in the wrong order.
Alignment is where content sits in a cell. Centre your headings and keep money on the right.
Wrap text lets a long note sit on more than one line.
You will practise on a small sample block beside your real budget. Watch your teacher first, then follow the steps in the box below.
Common issues
- You see $ instead of €. Don't delete the numbers. Change the region to Ireland in Excel, or pick Euro in {{menu:Format -> Number -> Custom currency}} in Google Sheets. Then reapply Currency.
- A date sits on the left of the cell. It is stored as text, so type it again and apply Date format.
- A heading turned into €Cost. Press {{kbd:Ctrl+Z}}, then select only the numbers.
Independent Practice
- Select your real costs and format them as euro with two decimal places.
- If you have no Date column, insert one between Cost and Notes and type Date as the heading.
- Type a real date for each row, then apply Date format.
- Make the heading row bold and centred.
- Turn on Wrap Text for long notes. Then type 0.1 in a Contingency rate cell and format it as a percentage.
- Every cost shows as euro with two decimal places.
- My Date column sits between Cost and Notes, with real dates.
- My headings are bold and centred.
- Long notes are easy to read, and one cell shows 10%.
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