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In this video, you will format your spreadsheet to make it more organized and easier to read.

When you calculate percentages and complete other calculations in a spreadsheet, there is likely to be certain data that you want to emphasize, such as your totals.

You may also want to create a contrast between certain types of numbers, such as between discounts and fees added.

Formatting your purchase plan will help you achieve these goals.

To begin, open your purchase plan spreadsheet.

Then, change the font of certain words in your spreadsheet, such as the names of your items and vendors.

This helps make these words distinct from the column headings.

You can add even more emphasis to entire columns with words or numbers if needed.

Then, add color to the row with your totals.

These are the numbers you are most likely to use when sharing details about your purchase with others.

Emphasize your grand total further.

Your grand total is the total amount you or your group would have to pay for all of the items in your purchase plan, so you want it to stand out.

Next, add color to the most important columns in your spreadsheet.

You might want details, such as the cost of your items, highlighted to show they are a major part of your calculations.

You can use the same or similar colors in certain columns to show how they are related...

And you can highlight other columns with contrasting colors to indicate that the calculations are different.

Add borders to your rows and columns to keep all of your details separated and organized.

If there are any other individual cells you want to emphasize, you can add borders to those cells as well.

When you make several purchases for an event or activity, or when you are buying something like school supplies, it is a good idea to start with a budget.

You want to try your best to spend less than your budget.

In this video, you will calculate the percentage of your original budget that you were able to save by finding item discounts.

There are many reasons for calculating percentages.

When you are planning to make purchases for an event or other purpose, you want to find out as much information as possible to make sure you are saving the most money.

One calculation that can help you figure out how much you have saved overall is finding a percentage of your budget.

To begin, open your purchase plan spreadsheet.

Then, add a new column for your budget.

Format the column in the same way as your other columns.

Next, fill in the column with the amount that you budgeted for each item you plan to purchase.

If you did not have a budget in mind when you began your spreadsheet, it is okay to estimate a budget amount.

You may have exceeded your budgeted amount when you planned your purchases.

You should still add that amount to your spreadsheet, so you can see how it affects your calculations.

Finish adding your budget for each item.

Then, use a formula to calculate a budget total.

Format the budget so the numbers are represented as money.

Add and format a new heading in a column for the percentage of your budget that you spent.

And add a formula to each cell in the column to calculate the percentage of your budget for each item that you spent.

For example, if you budgeted for two hundred dollars and spent two hundred dollars, you would have used one hundred precent of your budget.

You can determine how much of your total budget you spent as well.

Format the cells in the column as percents.

If you have any percentages over one hundred, that means you have spent more than you budgeted for.

To find out the percentage of your budget that you saved, add and format a new heading in a column...

And add a formula to the cells in that column to find your savings.

If your percentage is a negative number, you exceeded your budget.

Before you make any purchases, you may want to look for a greater discount or a different vendor to stay within your budget.

Then, find how much of the total budget for your event you were able to save.

In this video, you will compare two types of discounts for an item to determine which provides the best value.

When you are calculating discounts for purchases you want to make, it is important to get the best deal possible.

A great way to find a good deal is to look at the prices and discounts for the items you plan to buy.

After you find an item you know you want to purchase, you can look at stores and online vendors that sell the item and compare their cost details.

Different businesses often sell the same item at the same or similar prices.

You can look at the discounts the businesses offer through rebates, coupons, or sales, to decide which place to buy the item from.

To begin, open your purchase plan spreadsheet.

Add a new sheet to your spreadsheet to use for comparing discounts.

Rename your new sheet.

Then, copy the headings from your purchase plan to add to your new sheet.

And copy and paste an item to use for comparing.

Copy the information up to the total after the discount.

You might want to choose an item that you would like to find a better discount for.

Format your new sheet to make it easy to see all of your details.

Next, search online for other vendors that offer this item for sale.

You may have done this before, but vendors often update their prices and discount offers.

To make a good comparison, search for a similar quantity and quality of the item as your original search.

Add the item details to your discount comparison sheet.

Add any discount offered.

Discounts can be given in different ways, including the percentages you previously calculated.

Some vendors will offer discounts based on how much you spend, such as twenty-five dollars off for every one hundred dollars spent.

Others offer a flat rate, such as ten dollars off your purchase.

Use a formula to determine the dollar amount of savings each discount provides.

If your discount is listed as a dollar amount, subtract the discount from the original cost.

Then, compare your totals after the discounts have been calculated.

And select the vendor that offers the best overall cost for the same quantity of the item.