A guided tour of every tab.

The guided setup. A short checklist walks you through the handful of things to fill in first, ticking each step off as you complete it and showing an "all set" banner when you're done.

• A live 5–6 step checklist — set your details, add accounts, enter income, list bills, log spending, set a budget — each with a ✓ / ○ status.
• A progress bar and a button to jump straight to the ⚙️ Setup tab.
• A short welcome with how it works and a contact link, so you're never stuck.

Your command center — the whole picture on one screen, updated automatically as you fill in the other tabs. Every section title is a link that jumps to the tab behind it.

• Account Balances and total cash across your accounts.
• Safe to Spend — how much you can spend today and still stay on budget this month.
• Net Worth with a 12-month trend, and your Debt-Free date.
• Needs Attention — overdue bills, low-balance and off-target warnings, and whether each loan is on schedule.
• Bills due over the next 16 days, plus KPI tiles: savings rate, cash flow, emergency fund, spend/mo, income, total debt and more.
• Charts: this-month cash flow, income vs spending over 12 months, top spending, a spending heatmap and your 50/30/20 split.

A month-at-a-glance view of everything with a date — bills, paydays, subscription charges, debt payments and holidays — so nothing sneaks up on you.

• Each bill, subscription and debt payment on its due date; autopay items are marked with a ⚡.
• Paydays and federal holidays, with today highlighted. Opens on the current month.
• An "edit bills" link back to the tabs that feed it — change a due date there and the calendar follows.

Make the workbook yours. Your profile settings plus the master lists that feed every dropdown in the file — set these first and the rest of the tabs speak your language.

Owner / Household

Your name or household — shows on the Dashboard title and ticks off Step 2 on Start Here.

Budget Year

The year you're tracking — e.g. 2026. Holiday dates follow it.

Currency Symbol

Your currency symbol, used across the whole workbook. Pick from the list.

Currency Code

Your 3-letter code — e.g. USD, GBP, EUR.

Savings-Rate Goal

Your target savings rate — e.g. 20%. The Dashboard compares your actual rate to this.

Emergency Fund Goal

Your goal in months of expenses — e.g. 6.

Low-Balance Warning

Warn me if any account drops below this — e.g. 500. Set 0 to turn the warning off.

Expense Categories

Rename or add your spending categories here — they feed the category dropdowns on every tab.

Accounts

One list that feeds every account dropdown — Income, Variable Expenses, Bank Accounts and the Account Directory. Rename or add your own and every tab updates.

Your paycheck planner. Enter each income source once with its pay schedule, and the whole year's paychecks fill in automatically — take-home and all.

Source

Name this income — e.g. Salary, Side Job. Pick from the list or add your own on Setup.

Pay Type

Salaried = fixed salary (Rate = gross per paycheck, leave Hours blank). Hourly = paid per hour (Rate = hourly wage, Hours = hours per period). Bonus = a one-off / periodic bonus (Rate = the gross amount).

Frequency

How often you're paid; paychecks fill in automatically. Two semi-monthly types: "Semi-monthly" = pay date + 15 days; "(1st/15th)" = the 1st & 15th each month.

First Pay Date

The date of your FIRST paycheck this year (e.g. 09 Jan 2026). Every payday after fills in for you.

Rate

Salaried → gross $ per paycheck. Hourly → your $ per hour.

Hours

Hourly only → hours per pay period. Leave blank if salaried.

Taxes

Taxes withheld per paycheck (from your payslip). Leave 0 if unsure.

Pre-Tax

Pre-tax deductions per paycheck — 401(k), HSA, etc. Leave 0 if none.

Post-Tax

Post-tax deductions per paycheck. Leave 0 if none.

Account

Which account this pay lands in.

User

Who earns this, for households. Optional.

End Date

Leave blank if ongoing; set a date only if this income ends.

Hours Override

Worked different hours a given week? Type the actual hours in that paycheck's row and it scales to match. Leave blank for standard.

Net Override

A one-off paycheck (bonus, etc.)? Type its exact take-home to override the calculation for that row.

Money in that isn't a paycheck — refunds, gifts, interest, cash-back, reimbursements. It counts toward your income and tops up the right account balance.

Date

The date you received it — e.g. 15 Feb 2026.

Type

What kind of money-in — Refund, Gift, Interest, etc. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

Description

A short note — e.g. Federal tax refund. Optional.

Account

Which account it went into.

Amount

The amount received — e.g. 1,200.

Your regular bills — rent, utilities, insurance. Enter each once and it posts automatically every month, feeding your budget, calendar and cash-flow forecast.

Bill

Name the bill — e.g. Rent, Electric, Insurance. (Streaming & apps go on Subscriptions.)

Frequency

How often it repeats — Monthly, Quarterly or Annual.

Start Month

The first month it's due; it posts automatically from there on.

Day

Day of the month it's due (1–31).

Payee

Who pays it, optional. Pick a name from your Setup users.

Amount

The amount per charge — e.g. 1,450.

Category

Its budget category — e.g. Housing, Utilities. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

From Account

Which account it's paid from.

End Month

Leave blank if ongoing; set a month only if the bill stops.

Auto Pay

Is it on autopay? Marks it with ⚡ on the Calendar.

Last Paid

The date you last paid it. A manual bill flags ⚠ overdue once a due date passes with this blank or older. Enter X to assume it's always paid on time.

Your everyday spending log — groceries, gas, dining out. Jot purchases as you go; this is also where you record transfers to savings.

Date

The date of the purchase — e.g. 05 May 2026.

Type

Expense = everyday spending · Bill = a one-off bill · Debt = a loan or card payment · Transfer = moving money between your own accounts (use this for savings).

Category

Pick the spending category. To save money, choose Savings with Type = Transfer.

From Account

The account the money came out of.

To Account

Leave blank for a normal purchase. For a transfer, pick the destination account.

Description

What it was — e.g. Weekly shop, Dinner out. Optional but handy.

Amount

The amount you spent — e.g. 142.30.

Every recurring membership in one place — streaming, apps, the gym — so you can see what they really add up to each month. Active subs feed your budget, calendar and balances automatically.

Service

Name the subscription — e.g. Netflix, Spotify, Gym.

Category

Its budget category — e.g. Entertainment, Shopping. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

Cost

The price per charge — e.g. 15.49.

Billing Cycle

How often it bills — Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Annual.

Start Date

When it started (or your next renewal) — e.g. 01 Jan 2026.

End Date

Leave blank if ongoing; set a date only if you've cancelled it.

Paid From

Which account it's charged to.

Auto Pay

Is it on autopay? Marks it with ⚡ on the Calendar.

Your accounts and today's balances. This is the foundation — every balance in the workbook grows or shrinks from the starting numbers you set here.

Type

What kind of account — Checking, Savings, etc. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

Account Name

Name this account — e.g. Everyday Checking.

Institution

The bank / institution, optional — e.g. Ally, Chase.

Starting Balance

The balance in this account TODAY. Everything else builds from here.

Notes

Optional notes — e.g. APY, what it's for.

A safe reference sheet for your accounts — where to sign in, who to call, who inherits them. Details for your own records; nothing here links to or logs into anything.

Account

Name the account — e.g. Everyday Checking, Rewards Card.

Institution

The bank / provider — e.g. Chase, Ally, Fidelity.

Type

What kind of account — Checking, Credit Card, Loan, etc. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

Account #

Just the LAST FEW digits, for your reference — e.g. ••1234. Never store a full account number in a spreadsheet.

Login / Website

The site or app where you sign in — e.g. chase.com. A pointer for you; it doesn't link anywhere.

Contact

The provider's phone number — so it's on hand if a card is lost.

Beneficiary

Who inherits this account — e.g. Spouse (100%). Feeds the With-Beneficiary count; worth confirming yearly.

Status

Active or Closed. Closed accounts stay listed for your records — they just drop out of the Active count.

Last Updated

When you last reviewed this entry. Anything older than a year turns amber and counts as Needs Update.

All your policies in one register, with premiums normalized to a monthly figure and renewals that flag before they lapse.

Type

Kind of policy — Health, Auto, Home, etc. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

Provider

The insurer — e.g. Geico, Blue Cross.

Policy #

Your policy number. Optional.

Premium

The premium per bill — shown as a monthly figure for you. e.g. 145.

Frequency

How often the premium is billed — Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-Annual, Annual or Bi-weekly.

Paid Via

How it's paid — Paycheck, Checking, Escrow, Auto-Pay, etc.

Renewal Date

Renewal / expiry date — renewals within 30 days flag amber. e.g. 15 Sep 2026.

Coverage

Coverage amount. Optional — e.g. 50,000.

Status

Active, Lapsed or Pending.

Every category, month by month, for the whole year — a full grid of where your money went, with a summary that reads Income − Expenses − Savings = Net.

• A month-by-month total for every spending category, pulled from all your ledgers.
• A year-end waterfall: total income, total expenses, money saved, and your net result.
• No input needed — it's a live rollup of everything you enter elsewhere.

Set a monthly target per category and watch how you're tracking. This is what powers "Safe to Spend" on your dashboard.

Month (picker)

Pick which month's spending to compare your budget against.

Budget per category

Set your monthly budget for each category — e.g. 500. Spent & Remaining fill in for you.

The classic budgeting rule of thumb — 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings — measured against your actual spending so you can see how your split really lands.

• Your spending sorted into Needs, Wants and Savings (each category's group is set on Setup).
• Your actual percentages next to the 50/30/20 targets, with an at-a-glance verdict.

A visual breakdown of where your money goes — which categories dominate your spending, ranked and charted.

• Your total spending split by category, largest first.
• A chart that makes the big-ticket categories obvious at a glance. No input needed.

The bottom line — what you own minus what you owe — tracked with a 12-month trend. List your assets and debts and it does the math.

Asset

Something you OWN — e.g. Home, Car, 401k, Savings.

Value

What it's worth today (current value) — e.g. 350,000.

Liability

A debt you OWE — e.g. Mortgage, Credit Card, Student Loan.

Balance owed

How much you still owe on it — e.g. 210,000.

A day-by-day forecast of your balance for the year ahead, built from your real bills, pay and deposits — so you can spot a low point before it happens. Days below your warning level turn amber; negative days turn red.

Account (picker)

Pick ONE account to project just that account, or All Accounts to pool them. Bills, pay and deposits are matched by their From/To Account.

Everyday Spend / mo

Optional — type your own monthly estimate. Blank uses the median of your logged spending.

Savings Transfer / mo

Optional — type your own monthly savings transfer. Blank uses your average from the ledger.

One-off · Date

When a one-off happens — any date this year.

One-off · Money Out

A one-off amount LEAVING the account (a big payment, a purchase). Positive number.

One-off · Money In

A one-off amount COMING IN (a bonus, a refund, a sale). Positive number.

One-off · Account

Which account this one-off hits. Leave BLANK to test it against whichever account you're projecting.

Save up for big, planned expenses a little each month — travel, a new car, the holidays — and see whether you're on pace to hit each goal by its date.

Goal

Name the goal — e.g. Holiday Travel, New Car Fund.

Target

How much you need in total — e.g. 3,000.

Saved

How much you've set aside so far — keep this updated. e.g. 1,200.

Need By

When you need it by — e.g. 01 Dec 2026.

Monthly

How much you add each month — e.g. 200.

Your plan to get debt-free. List your cards and other debts, choose snowball or avalanche, and see your payoff date and the interest you'll save. (Mortgages and big loans have their own tabs.)

Debt

Name the debt — e.g. Visa Card, Student Loan. List cards & everything else here.

Type

What kind of debt — Credit Card, Student Loan, etc. Pick from the list or add on Setup.

Balance

What you still owe TODAY (from your latest statement) — e.g. 4,200.

Credit Limit

The card's limit — drives Utilization (lower is better). Leave blank for a loan with no limit.

APR

Its yearly interest rate, from your statement — e.g. 19.99.

Min Payment

The minimum payment your statement asks for each month — e.g. 120.

Extra Payment

Anything you pay on top of the minimum — this is what speeds up Months to Free. e.g. 80.

Due Day

Day of the month the payment is due (1–31).

On Calendar

Show this debt's payment on the Calendar. Set to No for a debt you ALSO enter as a Recurring bill, so it isn't listed twice.

A full amortization schedule for your mortgage — every month's principal, interest and balance — that tracks against what you actually pay, with an extra-payment what-if.

Original Amount

The original loan amount when you took it out — e.g. 300,000.

Interest Rate

The annual interest rate (APR) — e.g. 6.5.

Term (years)

The loan length in years — e.g. 30.

Start Date

When the loan started (its origination date) — the schedule begins here.

Tracking Since

When you began tracking payments here. Earlier months are assumed already paid.

Escrow / Fees

The non-loan part of the payment — property tax, insurance, HOA. Enter 0 if none.

Interest-Only Months

Interest-only months at the start, if any. Leave 0 for a normal loan.

Extra Payment (what-if)

Try an extra monthly payment to see the time & interest you'd save. This doesn't change the schedule.

Payment Override

Overrides a month's payment — type the actual amount paid (principal + interest, not escrow) for a lump sum, extra/partial payment or escrow change; the balance re-amortizes from there. Leave blank to auto-track.

A second amortization schedule for a HELOC or second mortgage — identical to the Mortgage tab.

• The same fields as 🏠 Mortgage: Original Amount, Interest Rate, Term, Start Date, Tracking Since, Escrow / Fees, Interest-Only Months, the extra-payment what-if, and per-month Payment Override.

An amortization schedule for your car loan, tracked against your real payments.

• The same fields as 🏠 Mortgage — Original Amount, Interest Rate, Term, Start Date, Tracking Since, Escrow / Fees, the extra-payment what-if, and per-month Payment Override (auto loans skip the interest-only field).

A flexible amortization schedule for any other installment loan — personal, student, medical.

• The same fields as 🏠 Mortgage: Original Amount, Interest Rate, Term, Start Date, Tracking Since, Escrow / Fees, Interest-Only Months, the extra-payment what-if, and per-month Payment Override.

Your financial-independence picture — the number you'd need to never have to work again, and how close you are, based on two simple assumptions.

Annual Spending

Your yearly spending — the amount you'd need to cover forever. e.g. 60,000.

Withdrawal Rate

Safe withdrawal rate — the share of savings you can live on each year. 4% is the classic rule.

A simple growth projector — see what steady investing could become over time, across conservative, expected and optimistic returns.

Starting Balance

What you've invested so far (current market value) — e.g. 25,000.

Monthly Contribution

How much you add each month — e.g. 500.

Years to Project

How many years to project forward — e.g. 30.

Assumed Return

Your assumed yearly return. 5–9% is a common range — leave the defaults if you're unsure.

A no-spend challenge tracker — mark the days you buy nothing beyond essentials, build a streak, and tally what you kept.

Status

No-Spend = you bought nothing beyond essentials today. Spent = the streak day didn't hold. Log each day as it ends.

Est. Saved

What you'd normally have spent that day — coffee, lunch out, impulse buys. Counts toward Total Kept on No-Spend days. e.g. 25.