Using the Aspire add-on

The Aspire Budget add-on extends your spreadsheet with features that aren’t possible in Sheets alone — visual reports, CSV importing, auto-categorization, and diagnostics.

Installing the add-on

1. Open your Aspire Budget spreadsheet in Google Sheets
2. Go to Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons
3. Search for “Aspire Budgeting”
4. Click Install and authorize the permissions it requests

Once installed, access it via Extensions → Aspire Budgeting → Open Sidebar.

The sidebar

The add-on opens as a sidebar on the right side of your spreadsheet. It’s your command center for features that go beyond what the spreadsheet tabs offer.

Budget Snapshot

The main sidebar view shows a real-time snapshot of your budget:

• Category group summaries with balances
• Account balances at a glance
• Quick visual health check without navigating tabs

Reports

Access visual reports from the sidebar:

• Spending Report — breakdown of spending by category for a selected month, with percentage bars
• Trend Report — month-over-month spending in a category, visualized as a chart
• Income vs Expense — compare your income to your total outflows over time

Reports are triggered from the sidebar but open in a separate modal dialog window with interactive date and category selectors. They pull data directly from your spreadsheet — no external servers involved.

CSV Import (Turbo)

Import bank transactions in bulk:

1. Download a CSV from your bank’s website
2. Click CSV Import in the sidebar
3. A separate dialog window opens where you upload the file, map columns, and import

See CSV Import for full details.

Auto-Categorize (Turbo)

Automatically assign categories to uncategorized transactions based on your past history:

1. Import transactions via CSV (they’ll arrive uncategorized)
2. Click Auto-Categorize in the sidebar
3. The add-on matches descriptions to categories you’ve used before and fills them in — all within the sidebar interface

See Auto-Categorization for full details.

Diagnostics

The diagnostics panel checks your spreadsheet for common issues:

• Missing starting balances
• Categories referenced in transactions that don’t exist in Configuration
• Potential data integrity problems

Run diagnostics if something feels off and you can’t pinpoint the issue.

Free vs. Turbo

The core reports and sidebar are completely free. Turbo adds time-saving import and categorization tools.

Tips

• The sidebar only works on desktop. The Google Sheets mobile app doesn’t support add-on sidebars. For mobile, use the spreadsheet tabs directly.
• Keep the sidebar open while you work for quick access to reports and budget status.
• Reports pull live data. If you add a transaction and immediately check a report, it’ll reflect the change.
• If the sidebar doesn’t load, try closing and reopening it (Extensions → Aspire Budgeting → Open Sidebar). Occasionally Google’s sidebar API needs a refresh.

Related reading

• CSV Import
• Auto-Categorization
• Spending Reports Tab overview
• Trend Reports Tab overview