Birthday and Anniversary Tracker

Who this is for

The dates a household is expected to remember, with the cards and gifts ticked off. Each line has the person, the occasion and the date, a tick for the card and the gift, room for an idea, and the budget you set against what you spent. The sheet totals both and shows the difference.

Anyone who buys cards and presents for a wide circle, families keeping one list between them so nobody is bought for twice, and people who would like to know what a year of birthdays actually costs.

What this helps you track

• Who has a birthday or anniversary and when, in date order
• Whether the card has gone and the gift has been bought
• A gift idea written down when it occurs to you, not the week before
• What you set aside for each and what it came to
• The year's total, and how far under or over the budget you set

How to use it

1. Write whose list it is, the year and the currency at the top.
2. Add a line per person and occasion, with the date as day and month so the sheet can be reused every year.
3. Set your own budget for each; there is no figure of ours anywhere on the sheet.
4. Write a gift idea whenever one comes up, then tick the gift and the card as each is dealt with.
5. Enter what was actually spent; the difference and the totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
6. Keep the sheet, or the browser version, and copy the names and dates forward next year.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why is the date written as day and month rather than a full date?

Because birthdays repeat and the list is meant to last. Write the year of birth or of the wedding in the notes if you want to know the age or the anniversary number.

Does it sort into date order?

Not by itself. Write the lines in date order from January, or sort the workbook by the date column once it is filled in.

How much should I spend on a present?

That is entirely yours. The budget column is whatever you decide, and the sheet compares your spending with your own figure, not with anyone else's.

Can I use it for Christmas as well?

You can add a line per person for it, but a separate gift list works better for one occasion with many people. This sheet is for dates spread across the year.

Is there a version with gift sizes and preferences?

The gift ideas and sizes record holds sizes, likes and things already given. This tracker is about the dates and the money.