Log spending by chatting and keep a budget workbook updated with a Claude Project

Posted

Apr 23, 2026 by Mahnoor Faisal (XDA)

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Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.

Context: The writer recreated the setup from scratch for the article; their real tracker isn't shown.

Outcome

Budgeting apps never stuck for Mahnoor Faisal, so they had Claude build a full Excel workbook (transactions, live dashboard, monthly budget, savings goals, recurring bills, net worth) and set up a Claude Project with the template and instructions. Now they type things like the date and 'bought matcha, spent on commute', and Claude categorizes each transaction, asks when unsure (café or store?), updates the spreadsheet and returns the file, from phone or laptop. Faisal says it has done more for their spending than any budgeting app.

Agent

Claude

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so.

Goal: Help me set up a simple way to log spending by chatting, with a spreadsheet that does the maths.

What I'll share as we go:
- My spending categories (or ask me to pick from a starter list)
- Monthly income and rough budget per category
- Any savings goals with deadlines
- Recurring bills

You're not my accountant or financial adviser. Show your working, label estimates as estimates, and tell me which points a professional or the official source should confirm.

Rules:
- Build the workbook so I only ever add rows to one Transactions sheet; everything else updates by formula.
- When I tell you a purchase, pick the category and ask only if it's genuinely unclear.
- Return the updated file every time and say what you added.
- Never invent amounts or dates; ask if I leave one out.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A budget workbook plus short instructions for logging spending in chat.

You'll know it worked when: logging a purchase takes seconds and the dashboard shows where my money goes.

Let's work this out together. I'll tell you what I know, you suggest options and ask what you need, and we'll narrow it down step by step. Nothing gets booked, bought or sent until I say so.

Goal: Help me set up a simple way to log spending by chatting, with a spreadsheet that does the maths.

What I'll share as we go:
- My spending categories (or ask me to pick from a starter list)
- Monthly income and rough budget per category
- Any savings goals with deadlines
- Recurring bills

You're not my accountant or financial adviser. Show your working, label estimates as estimates, and tell me which points a professional or the official source should confirm.

Rules:
- Build the workbook so I only ever add rows to one Transactions sheet; everything else updates by formula.
- When I tell you a purchase, pick the category and ask only if it's genuinely unclear.
- Return the updated file every time and say what you added.
- Never invent amounts or dates; ask if I leave one out.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Once a month, give me a three-line summary of where I overspent.

Output: A budget workbook plus short instructions for logging spending in chat.

You'll know it worked when: logging a purchase takes seconds and the dashboard shows where my money goes.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.xda-developers.com/ditched-my-budgeting-app-for-claude-and-a-spreadsheet/