Set up a basic quote spreadsheet from scratch

There’s a whole host of reasons that you might want to use Microsoft Office Excel 2007 at home, from working out the holiday budget to keeping track of keeping track of how that weekly take-away treat is really taking out of your pocket. That said, it’s still a program comprised of stastics and figures, which can put some people off even installing the program. Fear not anymore though, for here’s five steps to using spreadsheets without getting worked up about the maths.

1. Create Headings

First off, obviously, you must launch Office Excel 2007. Starting with a completely blank spreadsheet, enter the following headings into the top cells of columns A-D: Item, Unit Cost, Quantity and Cost!

2. Price List

You now need to enter the information that will remain the same each time you use this spreadsheet. In column A enter each of the materials you use plus one entry for labour. Put the prices of each of these into column B.

3. Currency Format

We want to make sure that the prices appear as money, so highlight column B by clicking the B at the top. Now above Number on the Fluent interface, click the Currency button, which is marked with coins and a note.

4. Calculate Cost

In the Quantity column enter zero for each quantity for now. Select cell D2 and enter the formula =B2*C2. Press Enter and this value will be worked out. You can format this column as currency as well.

5. Copy formula

We need to extend this formula so that it’s in each of the cells below D2. Move the pointer to the bottom right of the cell and click and drag over the cells you want to put it into. Release the mouse button and it will be copied.

6. Total Cost

In column A add labels for Total, Budget and Difference. Highlight the cell in column D opposite Total. On the Fluent interface above Editing, click Autosum ?. Click and drag over all the cells in column D and press Enter to add them up.

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