Zero-based budgeting has one rule: income minus everything you plan to spend, save, or pay off equals exactly $0. Every dollar gets a job. You don't need an app, just a Google Sheet and five formulas.
1. SUM: total your income
=SUM(B2:B5) adds up take-home pay from every source. Use your lowest normal month if income varies.
2. SUMIF: total each category
=SUMIF(C:C,"Housing",D:D) adds every expense tagged "Housing". Repeat for Food, Transport, Savings, and so on.
3. The zero check
=B7-SUM(D2:D20) is income minus planned spending. The goal is 0. Positive means unassigned money, negative means overspending.
4. IF: a visual warning
=IF(B8=0,"Balanced","Fix me: "&TEXT(B8,"$0.00")) tells you at a glance whether the budget balances.
5. Percent of income
=D2/$B$7 shows what share of income each line takes. Format as percent to spot where money really goes.
Skip the setup (free and paid templates)
- Free zero-based budget template (Excel + Google Sheets, pay what you want, $0 is fine): https://financely15.gumroad.com/l/hebytt
- All 7 budget and productivity spreadsheets plus ChatGPT prompts, pay what you want ($0+): https://financely15.gumroad.com/l/yfcbno
- Want to support the work? The full Financely Templates bundle: https://financely15.gumroad.com/l/okzjiw
Disclosure: I make these templates under Financely Templates.
Build it once, and each month takes about 10 minutes. What formulas do you use in your budget sheet?
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