Kids Savings Jar Tracker

Who this is for

A savings record a child can keep with a parent. Every coin or note that goes into the jar or account gets a line, so does anything taken out, and the balance and the amount still needed for the goal update as you go.

Children saving up for something specific, and the parents, grandparents or carers who help them keep count and add to the jar.

What this helps you track

• What the child is saving for and how much it costs
• Every amount paid in, and who it came from
• Anything taken out, and why
• The balance after each entry and what is still needed
• How close the goal is, as a share of the total

How to use it

1. Write the child's name, the jar or account, the thing they are saving for and its price at the top.
2. Each time money goes in, write the date, the amount and where it came from: birthday money, pocket money, a job done.
3. If money comes out, write it in the taken out column with the reason, so the balance still matches the jar.
4. The balance and still needed columns work themselves out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, the child can do the sum each time.
5. Count the jar against the balance now and then, and put the sheet on the fridge or next to the jar where it is seen.

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

Can a young child fill this in themselves?

Yes, with help. The printed sheet has big enough rows to write in, and doing the balance sum by hand is part of the point. The browser and Excel versions do the arithmetic if you would rather they did not.

What if the goal changes halfway?

Change the goal item and amount at the top. The balance stays the same; only the amount still needed and the percentage reached are worked out again from the new figure.

Does it work for a bank or building society account?

Yes. Write the account name in the jar field and copy the entries from the statement or app. Any interest paid can go in as a line of its own, from whatever figure the account shows.

Can I keep one for each child?

Print one per child, or duplicate the browser version for each; it saves in your own browser. Separate sheets avoid arguments about whose money is whose.