Category Archives: Tools

Excel wordsearch creator

I needed to create some wordsearches recently. So I turned to Excel. I created two identically-sized grids: a blank one in which I could type the words I wanted to appear in their rightful positions; and another one next to … Continue reading →

Times tables spreadsheet

My daughter's in the midst of learning her times tables. There are various apps out there that can help, but I was after something that addressed a specific need. I wanted to be able to specify the times tables that … Continue reading →

Excel dice shaker

Here's the spreadsheet you've all been waiting for. The Excel dice shaker. It caters for up to four dice. Simply hit F9 to make 'em shake. Click here to download.

Calculating basis points

Here's a handy spreadsheet to help you calculate basis points, and prorate their charge as necessary. Simple, but useful.

Risks and issues registers in Excel

There are two big problems with most risks and issues registers: They’re difficult to read They’re difficult to maintain. Let’s start with the readability. Usually, they’re a lifeless grid in a tiny font with lots of columns and, depending on … Continue reading →

Number to text converter: most useless spreadsheet ever

I can’t remember why, but I set myself a personal challenge some time back to create a spreadsheet that could convert numbers to text. Here it is. Type in a number between 1 and 999,999 in the red cell and … Continue reading →

Most useful spreadsheet ever? Excel-based year calendar

I created an Excel year calendar recently. Here's a link to it. It's completely dynamic, allowing you to show the calendar for any year between 1900 and 9999. The only user interaction is to enter the year. The rest of … Continue reading →

Killer Sudoku Pro: spreadsheet helper

Challenge: There is a variant of Sudoku called Killer Sudoku in which areas of the grid, either square, rectangular or some other irregular shape, are caged off. A small number in the corner indicates the value to which the numbers … Continue reading →