Formulae could be as simple as adding up a column of figures—automatically. That is, if any of the figures in the column change, the total is recalculated. Or it could be as complicated as recalculating your mortgage repayments based on the current interest rate.
Although the main uses of spreadsheets are in a business environment, there is no reason not to use them in the home environment—especially as all Microsoft Office Suites include Excel, which is just such a spreadsheet.
Although the main uses of spreadsheets are in a business environment, there is no reason not to use them in the home environment—especially as all Microsoft Office Suites include Excel, which is just such a spreadsheet.
But what do you do with a spreadsheet if you have one?
You could use it for managing your household budget, to keep track of different types of expenditure and income—either on a weekly or monthly basis.
You could use it to record details and expenditures for a wedding or holiday.
A spreadsheet could also be used to create a contact list of names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays etc. The beauty of a spreadsheet is its ability to manipulate the information. So it would be possible to sort out all the people in your contacts with a birthday this month and print out their names and addresses ready for sending cards.
You could even use one to record the performance of your favourite sports teams.
Anything which requires lists can be done on a spreadsheet. Perhaps you want to catalogue your music or DVD collection. Or even use a spreadsheet as a design tool for practical projects where the cells can be used to draw out your design.
In the inset picture you can see pretty graphics—and yes of course, once you have information in your spreadsheet you can convert it into colourful charts and graphs if it suits your purpose.
You could use it to record details and expenditures for a wedding or holiday.
A spreadsheet could also be used to create a contact list of names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdays etc. The beauty of a spreadsheet is its ability to manipulate the information. So it would be possible to sort out all the people in your contacts with a birthday this month and print out their names and addresses ready for sending cards.
You could even use one to record the performance of your favourite sports teams.
Anything which requires lists can be done on a spreadsheet. Perhaps you want to catalogue your music or DVD collection. Or even use a spreadsheet as a design tool for practical projects where the cells can be used to draw out your design.
In the inset picture you can see pretty graphics—and yes of course, once you have information in your spreadsheet you can convert it into colourful charts and graphs if it suits your purpose.
How do you start? There are templates which can be downloaded for free from the internet. For instance, you could download a Weekly Meal Planner for when you start your diet to lose the consequences of all those mince pies and chocolates you ate over the holidays! There are also on line tutorials and, of course, your friendly neighbourhood computer coaching company can provide you with lessons, either as a general course or one with specific aims in mind.
You may have thought you had no use for a spreadsheet but perhaps, now, it could be the bit of kit you’re looking for?
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