Free Excel template

Free Excel holiday gift budget template

For anyone who wants to enjoy the holidays without a January credit card surprise. Set one overall budget, list everyone you are buying for with a gift idea and an amount, and track what you spend and where each gift is up to; the template flags gifts that went over, counts what is still to buy, includes wrapping and shipping, and totals spending by group.

cellwise-holiday-gift-budget-template.xlsxExcel workbook · 5.9 KB · works in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice · no signup

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Preview and try it

This is the template's sheet, calculated by the same engine as the Cellwise app. Change any number to see the formulas react before you download.

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
1	Holiday gift budget
2	Total holiday budget	1200		Planned	1036		Spent	753.03
3	Your plan fits the budget with $164 to spare			Left to spend	446.97		Gifts still to buy	5
4
5	Person	Group	Gift idea	Budget	Spent	Left	Status	Check	Store or link
6	Mom	Family	Cashmere scarf	80	72	8	Wrapped	OK	Department store
7	Dad	Family	Smoker wood chips and thermometer	60	68.5	-8.5	Bought	Over by $8.50	Hardware store
8	Kate (sister)	Family	Pottery class voucher	75		75	Idea		Local studio
9	Sam (brother-in-law)	Family	Board game	40	38	2	Bought	OK	Game shop
10	Grandma	Family	Photo calendar	35	29.99	5.01	Ordered	OK	Photo site
11	Maya (8)	Kids	Building set	60	59.99	0.01	Wrapped	OK	Toy store
12	Leo (5)	Kids	Art supplies kit	35		35	Idea
13	Ava (niece)	Kids	Book bundle	30	32.4	-2.4	Ordered	Over by $2.40	Bookshop
14	Ben (nephew)	Kids	Remote control car	40		40	Idea
15	Partner	Partner	Weekend away (deposit)	250	275	-25	Bought	Over by $25.00	Inn booking
16	Jess (best friend)	Friends	Candle and cookbook	45	41	4	Wrapped	OK
17	Book club (6)	Friends	Leather bookmarks	36	30	6	Bought	OK	Craft fair
18	Neighbors (3 families)	Friends	Cookie tins	30		30	Idea		Bake at home
19	Ms. Lopez (teacher)	Work and school	Gift card	25	25	0	Bought	OK
20	Mail carrier	Work and school	Gift card	20		20	Idea

How the formulas work

Does the plan fit the budget?

=IF(E2>B2,"Your plan is "&TEXT(E2-B2,"$#,##0")&" over budget: trim a few gift budgets","Your plan fits the budget with "&TEXT(B2-E2,"$#,##0")&" to spare")

E2 adds every gift budget plus the other costs. If that is more than the overall budget, the sentence says by how much before you buy anything. In the sample the plan totals $1,036 against $1,200, so there is room for one more gift.

Flag gifts that cost more than planned

H6=IF(OR(A6="",E6=""),"",IF(E6>D6,"Over by "&TEXT(E6-D6,"$0.00"),"OK"))

The check stays blank until you enter what you spent, then shows OK or Over by the amount. In the sample, Dad's gift, Ava's books and the partner's weekend away all went over. Small overs add up, so it is worth taking the difference out of another gift budget.

Count gifts still to buy

H3=COUNTIF(G6:G25,"Idea")

Use a short set of statuses in column G (Idea, Ordered, Bought, Wrapped) and COUNTIF counts the ones still at the idea stage. Change Idea to Ordered as soon as you buy online so the count stays honest.

Spending by group

E34=SUMIF($B$6:$B$25,A34,$E$6:$E$25)

SUMIF adds the Spent column for everyone in the Family group, and the next rows do the same for Kids, Partner, Friends, and Work and school. Seeing each group's total side by side makes it easier to decide where to trim if the plan runs over.

Make it yours

Make the status a dropdown: select G6:G25, Data > Data Validation > List, and type Idea,Ordered,Bought,Wrapped. It keeps spelling consistent so the count works.
Keep the sheet after the holidays. Next year it shows what you spent on each person, and it helps you avoid giving the same gift twice.
Plan the extras up front. Wrapping, cards, postage and shipping often add 10% or more to the total and are easy to forget.
Shade bought gifts: select A6:I25, Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule > Use a formula, enter =OR($G6="Bought",$G6="Wrapped") and choose a light green fill.

FAQ

How do I make a Christmas gift list in Excel?

Make columns for person, gift idea, budget, spent and status. Subtract spent from budget for each person, SUM both columns, and compare the planned total with your overall budget. This template adds over-budget flags and a count of gifts still to buy.

How much should I spend on holiday gifts?

Only you can set that number. A common approach is to decide the total first, from what you can pay off without debt, and then divide it between people, which is the order this template uses.

Can I share the list with my partner without spoiling surprises?

Hide the column with gift ideas or the rows for that person (select, right-click > Hide) before sharing, or keep their gift on a separate sheet. Hidden cells still count in the totals.

Functions used

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Updated November 2, 2026