TL;DR Managing your money doesn’t have to be complicated — Notion makes it easy to track your savings, expenses, and financial goals all in one place. Whether you want to save for a trip, monitor spending habits, or build an emergency fund, creating a Notion savings or budget tracker helps you stay accountable and organized.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to set up a simple yet powerful Notion budget system to manage your finances, visualize progress, and make smarter spending decisions.
Key Takeaways:
• Use Notion databases to track expenses, income, and savings goals.
• Automate totals with formulas and rollups.
• Build dashboards to visualize monthly budgets and progress.
• Use filters and views to analyze spending trends.
• The All-in-One Life Planner Template from PlanMyPersonalBrand.com includes a complete pre-built Notion Budget Tracker with expense logs, savings goals, and visual analytics.
Why Use Notion for Budget Tracking
Unlike static spreadsheets, Notion offers flexibility, visuals, and automation. You can connect income, expenses, and goals in one space, helping you see exactly where your money goes and how much progress you’re making toward your financial targets.
You can also create visual dashboards that track your monthly budgets, upcoming bills, and total savings — all updated automatically.
Step 1: Set Up an Expenses Database
Create a Database titled “Expenses” with these properties:
- Expense Name: e.g., Groceries, Rent, Coffee
- Category: Food, Housing, Entertainment, etc.
- Amount: Use a number property
- Date: Date of the expense
- Type: Expense or Income (select)
- Payment Method: Card, Cash, Transfer
- Month: Formula or relation property to group expenses by month
This forms the foundation of your budget tracker.
Step 2: Add a Savings Goals Database
Create a Database named “Savings Goals” with these properties:
- Goal Name: e.g., Emergency Fund, Vacation, New Laptop
- Target Amount: The total you want to save
- Amount Saved: Sum of related savings contributions
- Progress (%): Formula =
Amount Saved / Target Amount * 100 - Status: Not Started, In Progress, Completed
You can visually track progress toward each goal using a progress bar formula.
Step 3: Link Your Databases
Connect your Expenses database with Savings Goals using a Relation property. For example, you can link each savings contribution to a goal so it updates automatically through a Rollup property in your goals tracker.
This allows you to see total contributions per goal and how close you are to reaching each savings target.
Step 4: Create a Budget Overview Dashboard
Now create a page titled “Budget Dashboard” to visualize everything in one place. Add:
- Monthly Budget Progress: Use a formula that sums all expenses and subtracts them from your budget limit.
- Pie Chart View: Use Notion chart widgets (like Notion Charts or Indify) to show expense distribution by category.
- Savings Tracker View: Embed your Savings Goals database with progress bars visible.
- Quick Add Section: Add new income or expenses directly from the dashboard for convenience.
This setup gives you a clear snapshot of where your money is going and how close you are to your financial goals.
Step 5: Automate Totals and Progress with Formulas
Use formulas to make your tracker smarter. Here are a few examples:
- Monthly Total Spent:
sum(if(Type = "Expense", Amount, 0)) - Monthly Savings Progress:
sum(if(Type = "Income", Amount, 0)) - sum(if(Type = "Expense", Amount, 0)) - Progress Bar Formula:
if(prop("Progress") < 1, "▱▱▱▱▱",
if(prop("Progress") < 20, "▰▱▱▱▱",
if(prop("Progress") < 40, "▰▰▱▱▱",
if(prop("Progress") < 60, "▰▰▰▱▱",
if(prop("Progress") < 80, "▰▰▰▰▱", "▰▰▰▰▰"))))))
This creates a fun visual progress bar for each goal.
Step 6: Track Monthly Budgets and Spending
To track budgets over time, add a “Month” select or relation property in your Expenses database. Create a filtered view to show:
- All expenses for the current month
- Total spending by category
- Remaining balance vs. budget limit
This makes it easy to compare spending month-over-month and identify trends in your finances.
Step 7: Add Recurring Expenses and Reminders
To stay on top of bills or subscriptions, add recurring expense reminders:
- Use Notion’s date reminders for upcoming payments.
- Create a filtered “Upcoming Bills” view showing all expenses with future due dates.
- Duplicate recurring expense entries monthly for quick setup.
These small automations keep your financial management consistent and stress-free.
Step 8: Use Pre-Made Templates for a Faster Setup
If you want a professional setup without starting from scratch, use the All-in-One Life Planner Template from PlanMyPersonalBrand.com. It includes:
- Expense and savings trackers
- Monthly and yearly budget dashboards
- Automated progress tracking
- Financial goals section with visuals
With everything pre-built, you can start tracking and improving your financial health right away.
Pro Tips for Managing Finances in Notion
• Track income and expenses weekly to stay on top of your numbers.
• Use color-coded categories for easier visualization.
• Set financial goals monthly or quarterly for motivation.
• Review trends every month to adjust your budget or saving habits.
• Keep it simple — too much detail can make tracking overwhelming.
FAQ: Creating a Savings or Budget Tracker in Notion
1. Can I use Notion to track both income and expenses?
Yes, just include a “Type” property in your database to categorize entries as income or expense.
2. How do I calculate my total monthly spending automatically?
Use a Rollup or Formula property to sum up all “Expense” amounts for a given month.
3. Can Notion display charts of my spending?
Yes, use free tools like Notion Charts or Indify to embed visual charts and graphs.
4. What’s the best way to track savings progress?
Link each savings contribution to a goal and use a Rollup to calculate total progress.
5. Is there a ready-made Notion template for budgeting?
Yes — the All-in-One Life Planner Template from PlanMyPersonalBrand.com includes a complete budgeting system with income, expenses, and savings dashboards.
Creating a savings and budget tracker in Notion is one of the smartest ways to manage your money with clarity and confidence. By connecting income, expenses, and goals, you can visualize your financial progress, stay accountable, and plan your future more effectively.
To get started instantly, try the All-in-One Life Planner Template from PlanMyPersonalBrand.com — it includes everything you need to manage your finances, savings, and goals in one simple, organized workspace.