As altruistically promised – Version 1.0 of Budget Template is here. Download it now (XLSX Format) or for those on Openoffice, consider using ODS format instead.
This spreadsheet template is divided into two (2) sheets. First spanning from January – June. Then on second sheet spanning from July to December. The reason for this split is for ease of viewing without bombarding everything into one. Please note also that this is strictly for the calendar year of 2019.
What you will get is the ability to:
- Set per Weekly Budget Limit spanning across each entire month.
- Each (1) column represents one (1) week for the designated month.
- You have up to seventeen (17) rows for each countable Item(s). If this isn’t enough, then you need to combine multiple items into one entry.
- See which weeks you went over the budget; as highlighted in red text via conditional formatting.
- See exactly when or how much time you are allowed to spend this amount; as denoted by “Expenditures Allowed until <next 7 days>”.
- Choose and set your day of weekly expenditure cycle. Recommended days of setting – Wednesdays or Thursdays. This is tricky, as everything stems from the beginning of calendar date of January 2019 – some months including January itself and May or June – may constitute up to five (5) weekly instead of four (4) in order for everything to all add up correctly. Hence, that’s why only at this stage of release; only Wednesdays or Thursdays fits in logically and whollistically.
- And lastly for visual eye candy – a column graph showcasing all of your expenditures at a glance. *
*Subject to display variability. This may or may not appear in all online editing programs from all that I have tested so far.
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Why did I make this Template?
Since August of 2018 I decidedly abandoned tracking my expenditures combined with the nutritional journalling all in one. This inevitably posed logistical difficulties whenever I needed to quickly browse chronologically on past purchases weeks or even prior months at-a-glance.
Since then I’ve tried developing many “prototypes” with various online free tools; from Google® to Apple® and Microsoft®; using my existing / general knowledge of spreadsheets.
I settled on Online version of Excel®. Irrespective, I believe this template helps at least provide readers a snap shot for assessing their overall spendings / expenditures week to week and month to month. So far, putting myself for beta testing throughout five months of real life usage on my circumstances and habits – everything so far seems stable without issues.
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Why is the weekly budget limit set across month but not weekly?
Any nutritional or sociological accounting/s across just one (1) week is NOT enough at obtaining meaningful enough of Intuitive Data. You’d need at least several weeks, counting perhaps full month/s – before you can attain enough qualitative (and thus Intuitive) Data at reconciling exactly how you live & consume resources month to month.
Rather than week to week limit, I believe this set across each entire month gives a far more realistic assessment at determining if “$35” or however set amount is indeed something you can cope not just one week, but the next week’s, and the next.
Another reason is that for any over-spending (as conditional-formatted in red highlighting) – this incentivises you to decrease the next expenditure to offset it; to further prove your resilience and proof of authenticity.
Of course, nobody is perfect. Succumbing to poverty 35% consistently calorie-deficits of Cylical Keto + IF (or that of my recently 600 cal ADF + regular IF regiment) week after week, one after another are simply impossible. Hence, allow yourself one week or two to do full replenishment budget; be it $40 or $45 as necessary at replenishing as many resources possible.
Humility is “being human” in all one’s honesty. Alas, society, thinks of this instead as renewable force of “charity“. <rolls eyes>.
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“Help! graphs in the Template do not appear!”.
If by chances you are using Google® or Apple®’s spreadsheet editors – cross-software compatibility issues unfortunately is beyond my control. As not all editors behave the same when it comes to displaying embedded “OLE” graphs and charts.
If you are using Openoffice®, please consider using the ODS version. Interestingly despite official notice that all graphs / charts out of Excel is incompatible – I can still see the graphs and charts respond dynamically no problems. However whether this attribute stays consistent to all versions remains yet to be confirmed.
It is recommended nonetheless that you are using Microsoft Excel online version to ensure full compatibility.
The reason why I settle with Microsoft is because of the pin-to-desktop (Windows 10 mobile) functionality. This allows you to conveniently place any document shortcuts directly to your smartphone or tablet’s desktop / dashboard; without having the need to manually log in to a internet browser, and then manually navigating each and every-time you wish to make a small edit or everyday viewing.