Description

Our strategy around budgeting is focused on making ourselves accountable by understanding four aspects of our lives including our lifestyle, debt, expenses and savings goals. By improving our awareness of these aspects we have been able to set and achieve our goals. Our budgeting system is simple, we:

Step 1: Enter our income, debts, savings goals and expenses into our Annual Budget spreadsheet which then determines a ‘luxuries figure’ we can comfortably spend.

Step 2: Enter our luxury purchases into our Monthly Budget to ensure we’re not compromising our savings goals and are able to meet our debt and expense repayments.

 

By spending less than 10 hours a year we have been able to achieve our goals and most importantly we don’t let money worries consume our lives (making it easier to keep a house clean and organised because we have eliminated a common life stress).

What you will receive:

• Our formulated and automated “Annual” spreadsheet which will help you determine your very own ‘luxuries’ figure.
• Our formulated and automated “Monthly” spreadsheet which will allow you to track your expenses and provide a visual of where your money is going.
• Detailed instructions, live examples and figures on how to use both tools provided.
• Everything we’ve learnt about finances along the way, tips and tricks we use to save, an explanation on how we manage our money, set up our bank accounts and budget for the future.

FAQ

Is this a one off cost?

Yes, this is a one off cost. You will only be charged once and will have instant access. 

Will this tool work for casual employment? 

As long as you’re comfortable estimating your income, then yes. There are allocated spots to record excess or under-warranted and we recommend you underestimate to make sure that even when you have a slower month, your mandatory expenses are comfortably covered. 

Will this work for a single income/student/etc family? 

We only ever share what works for us and what we have experience in. It’s a budgeting tool, so realistically it should work for everyone and the information provided is universal however we’ve only personally used it as students and through a double income, casual and full time employment. 

Can the tool be used on a phone or tablet?

As specified, you need the full version of Microsoft Excel to be able to use the annual budget. Most phones and tablets only have the app which doesn’t support the complex formulas. You will only need to spend about an hour a year populating the annual budget though and once you have determined your luxury figure, you can do the rest on your phone via google sheets (instructions on how to access our google sheets template are included in the guide). 

Can I edit the spreadsheet myself? 

The spreadsheet is locked to protect users from amending formulas. If you are a skilled excel user, you are more than welcome to ‘unprotect it’ and edit the fields however you see fit. The tool provided is an addition to the guide and is a reflection on what we use. You are also welcome to create your own to suit your circumstances based on the principles explained in the guide. 

Can I change the currency? 

Yes, but to do so, you have to unprotect the spreadsheet and once you do that, we can’t help you if you break it. The currency is purely a symbol in this tool however and will not affect any formulas or calculations.

The numbers aren’t adding up. My weekly income is more than it would be per month? 

The numbers are in fact correct. Each month of the year is not made up of an equal four weeks so it would be inaccurate to just double a periodic income for example. The formula calculates it based on what you actually receive. For example: If you receive $200 a week, it’s not $800 a month – it’s $200 x 52 (weeks in a year) / 12 (months in a year) = $866. 

The dropdown menus aren’t working?

This is a common issue if you’re using a MAC. You need to hold down the menu instead of clicking out of it. It’s a MAC feature we can’t disable. 

How do I receive the files once I purchased them? 

The files are available for instant download once you make a purchase. You will also receive a copy to your nominated email address but they may potentially go to your spam. If you do not receive a copy, please forward us your receipt and we will get the files to you ASAP.