Excel formulas for budget tracking and currency conversion

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1

Hey everyone! I’m trying to set up a budget spreadsheet and I’m stuck. Here’s what I want to do:

  1. Have a list of expenses in one column
  2. Put prices in Korean Won (KRW) next to them
  3. Automatically copy the expense names to another column
  4. Convert KRW prices to USD in the last column

I’ve tried using array formulas but I’m having trouble because I have headers in the first few rows. Also, I want to avoid copying and pasting formulas for each new entry.

Here’s a simplified example of what I’m aiming for:

| Expense   | KRW    | Expense   | USD    |
|-----------|--------|-----------|--------|
| Header 1  | Header | Header 3  | Header |
| Header 2  | 2      | Header 4  | 4      |
| Restaurant| 10000  | Restaurant| 8.50   |
| Groceries | 50000  | Groceries | 42.50  |

Any ideas on how to make this work automatically? Thanks!

2

As someone who’s lived abroad and managed finances in multiple currencies, I can relate to your struggle. Here’s a nifty trick I discovered:

Use OFFSET and COUNTA functions to create dynamic ranges. In C4, try:

=OFFSET($A$4,0,0,COUNTA($A$4:$A$1000),1)

This will automatically copy your expenses, ignoring headers.

For currency conversion in D4:

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(B4:B1000<>“”,B4:B1000/1175,“”))

Replace 1175 with your desired exchange rate. This formula will convert all KRW values to USD in one go.

Pro tip: Use GOOGLEFINANCE function to fetch live exchange rates if you’re using Google Sheets. It’s been a game-changer for my international budget tracking!

3

hey mate, i feel ya on the budget struggle. here’s a quick fix:

use this in C4: =FILTER(A4:A1000, A4:A1000<>“”)

for D4, try: =ARRAYFORMULA(IF(B4:B1000<>“”, B4:B1000/GOOGLEFINANCE(“CURRENCY:KRWUSD”), “”))

this’ll auto-update w/ live rates. no more manual updates! lmk if u need help.

4

I’ve tackled a similar project for my personal finances. Here’s what worked for me:

For copying expense names, use this formula in cell C4: =IF(A4<>“”,A4,“”)

To convert KRW to USD in column D, starting from D4: =IF(B4<>“”,B4/1175,“”)

The 1175 is the exchange rate - you’ll need to update this regularly or pull it from a live source.

Drag these formulas down as far as you need. They’ll automatically populate when you add new expenses in columns A and B, and they’ll ignore the header rows.

One tip: Use Data Validation in column B to ensure you’re always entering numbers for the KRW amounts. This will prevent formula errors down the line.

Hope this helps with your budgeting!