Zero Based Budget Spreadsheet, Monthly Budget Planner, Expense Tracker and Sinking Funds, Excel and Google Sheets

Seller's description

Instant digital download: zero based budget spreadsheet. You get 1 .xlsx file with sample data. Nothing physical ships.

Plan your whole paycheck before the month starts. This zero-based monthly budget spreadsheet helps you assign your whole month's income to categories until Left to Assign hits $0, then track what you actually spend.

It's meant to be a simple monthly system, with no finance lecture. Sample numbers are already filled in (including a fully assigned $0 Left to Assign demo) so you can see how it works the moment you open it. Then swap the yellow cells for your numbers. Reuse it every month. Just change the month and year.

WHAT YOU GET

One Excel workbook (.xlsx) that also opens in Google Sheets:

- Instructions: plain English, color legend, 5 simple steps
- Income: month/year, multiple income sources, Total Income
- Categories: Assigned / Spent / Remaining with Left to Assign (the core zero-based number)
- Transactions: optional expense log that auto-fills Category Spent
- Sinking Funds: optional savings goals (target, current, progress)
- Dashboard: income, assigned, Left to Assign, spent, remaining, status line, pie chart

Sample data included so you can see how it works the moment you open it.

YELLOW VS GRAY CELLS

- YELLOW cells = type here (income, category names, Assigned amounts, transactions, sinking balances)
- GRAY cells = auto math (do not type over them. They update when yellow cells change)

If a number on the Dashboard looks wrong, fix it on Income, Categories, or Transactions. The Dashboard is a scoreboard only.

HOW ZERO-BASED WORKS

1. List this month's income
2. Assign all of your income to a category (Needs, Wants, Savings, Debt, buffer)
3. Keep going until Left to Assign = $0
4. Optional: log spending on Transactions. Spent updates automatically
5. Check Dashboard for status

Positive Left to Assign means some income is still unassigned. Negative means you assigned more than you earn. Trim categories.

HOW TO OPEN

Excel:
1. Download the .xlsx after purchase
2. Open it in Microsoft Excel

Google Sheets:
1. Upload the .xlsx to Google Drive
2. Right-click, Open with, Google Sheets

Formulas use everyday functions so they work in both Excel and Sheets. If the pie chart is missing after a Sheets import, select the Needs, Wants, Savings, and Debt numbers on the Dashboard, then Insert, Chart, Pie.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

This is a digital product. After purchase you get an instant download of the .xlsx file. No physical item will be shipped.

Colors and fonts may look slightly different between Excel and Google Sheets. That is normal.

WHAT THIS IS NOT

- Not financial, tax, or legal advice
- Not a bank connection, app, or subscription. It is a spreadsheet you own and edit
- Not a guarantee you will save money or hit every goal. Your numbers drive the results
- Not a biweekly paycheck planner or full debt snowball calculator. This is a monthly zero-based assign system you can reuse any month
- Not locked or password-protected. You can edit everything

GOOD FIT IF YOU

- Want a monthly zero-based budget (all income assigned)
- Like Planned vs Spent in one place
- Prefer Excel or Google Sheets over another monthly subscription
- Want an optional expense log and sinking-fund tracker included

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ABOUT THE PHOTOS AND FILE
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PHOTOS: The listing photos are screenshots of the actual file's tabs (Instructions, Income, Categories, Transactions, Sinking Funds and Dashboard), placed in a simple layout with short captions. They are not mockups. The sample data in the photos is what you get in the file.

WORKS IN: Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, and Google Sheets (upload the .xlsx to Google Drive, then Open with Google Sheets; charts and fonts may look slightly different). Apple Numbers: not tested. I laid the tabs out narrow for phone screens but have not tested every phone, so a computer is easiest.

NOT FOR biweekly paycheck planning, debt snowball payoff or automatic bank sync. It plans one month at a time and you type your own numbers.

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GOOD TO KNOW
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• Digital download: nothing physical ships. You get .xlsx file(s) for Microsoft Excel 2016 or newer, or free Google Sheets.
• Not financial advice. It helps you organize your own numbers.
• Results depend on the numbers you enter. Estimates are estimates.
• License: personal use in one household (or inside your own single business for business templates). Please don't share, resell, or upload the file.
• Problem with your file? Message me on Etsy and I'll fix it within 2 business days or refund you through Etsy.

Questions before or after purchase? Send a message. Happy to help you get the file open and the yellow cells filled in.

Designed with the help of AI tools, then reviewed and tested by me.