Party and Birthday Planner Spreadsheet

About this template

This party planner puts what you budgeted and what you actually spent side by side on every line. It is for parents planning a kids party, or anyone organizing a birthday or celebration, who wants the money and the to-do list under control in the weeks before the day.

Please read: This is a tracker tool only, not financial, tax, legal, medical or any other professional advice or advisory service. It records and calculates what you enter; you are solely responsible for checking all figures, rates, dates and results and for every decision you make. By purchasing, downloading or using it, you accept these terms (your statutory consumer rights are not affected).

Budget and spent, on one line

Many birthday planner templates are a guest list, a party checklist and a column of numbers with no sums between them. This one does the arithmetic.

• 120 lines for venue, food, entertainment, decorations, favors or whatever else the party needs
• Budget and spent on the same row
• Over or under worked out per line and totaled, in red when you go over
• The kind of each line picked from a dropdown, so the totals group themselves

In the worked example, the venue came in exactly at budget while the magician has not been paid yet, and the file shows the difference.

What is left, always visible

The amount of party budget remaining sits on the KPI strip at the top, so you can check it at any point without adding anything up yourself.

Due dates counted back from the day

Every job gets a due date counted backwards from the party. The file counts what is still to do and shows which items are closest, which is what matters in the final two weeks.

Tasks, Today and the dashboard

• Tasks: the to-do list for the two weeks before
• Today: what needs doing now
• Dashboard: reads the whole plan, a simple event planner view
• Start Here and Setup: setup in a few minutes

Works with

• Microsoft Excel 2016, 2019, 2021 and Microsoft 365, on Windows and Mac, and LibreOffice
• Google Sheets with a free Google account. The Google Sheets version is a real workbook you copy, not a PDF with a link in it.
• No dynamic arrays, no macros, no add-ins and no subscription

What you download

• Two Excel files: a worked children's party with a village hall, a bouncy castle and a magician, partly paid for with seven things still to do, and a blank copy
• The instruction guide, which has one-click links to the Google Sheets versions
• The terms of use as a PDF

Your files are ready the moment payment clears. The planner is for personal and business use on your own devices, so please do not share or resell the files. Questions? Reach us through our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Excel, or can I use Google Sheets?

Either. The download has Excel files for Excel 2016 or later on Windows and Mac, and the instruction guide has one-click links to copy the Google Sheets versions with a free Google account.

How does it show if I am over budget?

Every line has a budget and a spent amount. Over or under is worked out per line and in total, and anything over shows in red.

How are the due dates set?

Due dates are counted back from the party date, and the file counts what is still to do and shows which items are closest.

Can I use it for parties other than birthdays?

Yes. The lines cover venue, food, entertainment, decorations, favors or anything else, so it works for any celebration.

How many items can I plan?

The Party tab has 120 lines.