Looks backward
It tells you what already happened. By the time you see the problem, the money is gone.
The complete paycheck planning kit
Stop running short before payday.
A 58-page guide and an 11-tab Excel workbook that help you plan what happens to each paycheck before it lands, not after it's gone.
- 3 hours to build your plan
- 15 minutes a week to keep it
- PDF + XLSX, instant download
Paid weekly✦Every two weeks✦Twice a month✦Monthly✦Two adults on different schedules✦Overtime months✦Three-paycheck months✦
Sound familiar?
You track every penny. You know where last month's money went. And you're still short before payday.
That's not a discipline problem.
Looks forward
You decide what each paycheck does before it arrives. Surprises become line items, not emergencies.
What's inside · 3 files · PDF + XLSX
The guide tells you what to do and why. The workbook does the math.
📘 The Guide · 58 pages
A 9-step method, with worked examples
- Build your paycheck plan step by step, with examples at every stage
- Troubleshooting for 12 common situations: a partner who won't join in, overtime, three-paycheck months, credit card debt
- Partner scripts, and questions to ask your child's school
- A 90-day, week-by-week plan
- A printable fridge sheet for your weekly check
📊 The Workbook · Excel · 11 connected tabs
Type in the yellow cells. Everything else updates itself.
- 01Pay Rhythm & 12-Month Calendar, including your extra-paycheck months
- 02Statement Sweep, to see what really leaves your account
- 03Family Cost Finder, to price the whole year
- 04Lumpy-Cost Pots
- 05Bill-to-Paycheck Map
- 06Paycheck Plan with a Zero Check
- 07Weekly Caps Tracker & Weekly Money Check
- 08Money Moves Log
- 09Monthly Review & Score
- 10Live Payday Dashboard, with charts and KPI cards
- 1190-Day Progress Tracker, with checkpoints that tick themselves
Lumpy-Cost Pots
A $600 Christmas becomes about $23 a paycheck, not a December crisis.
Birthdays, school trips, car repairs, the holidays. They aren't surprises. They're lumpy costs: bills you know are coming but that land all at once, so one paycheck has to cover them and you end up short.
- Pick a cost that shows up once or twice a year, or type your own.
- Choose how often you're paid.
- See your slice: the small amount to set aside from every paycheck, so the money is already waiting when the bill arrives.
How it solves the problem
Five moves that keep your account from dipping before payday.
-
1
See it coming
Your calendar shows every payday, and the months with a third paycheck.
-
2
Price the surprises
Birthdays, school trips and car repairs become small, planned amounts per paycheck.
-
3
Give every dollar a job
Before each paycheck lands, you write the plan. The Zero Check tells you if it doesn't balance.
-
4
Match bills to paychecks
Every bill is matched to the paycheck that arrives just before it's due. Your account stops dipping before payday.
-
5
Keep it alive
Weekly caps and a 15-minute check stop the plan from being abandoned in week two.
A look inside the workbook
Charts and cards that update as you type.
Easy to start
No formulas to build. Ever.
You can build your first plan in about three hours, split across two evenings. After that, it's a 15-minute check once a week.
Yellow cells=type here
White cells=automatic
- Instant download of both files
- Works if you're paid weekly, every two weeks, twice a month or monthly
- Works when two adults are paid on different schedules
- The guide also works on paper or in any spreadsheet; the workbook just saves you the setup
Choose your kit
Pick the part you need. Most people get both.
Get the complete kit · $27$36 separately · Save $9
- Instant download
- PDF + XLSX
- Secure checkout via Gumroad
The workbook
Excel Paycheck Workbook
The 11-tab workbook that does the math for you.
$13
- 11 connected tabs, from payday calendar to live dashboard
- Lumpy-Cost Pots, bill map and Zero Check built in
- Type in the yellow cells; everything else updates itself
- XLSX · Microsoft Excel
Instant download · XLSX
The complete kit
Guide + Workbook
Learn the method. Let the workbook do the math.
$36$27Save $9
- Plan It Before Payday guide (58 pages)
- Excel Paycheck Workbook (11 tabs)
- Save $9 against buying separately
- PDF + XLSX · one download
Instant download · PDF + XLSX
The guide
Plan It Before Payday
The 9-step method to plan every paycheck in about 3 hours.
$23
- 9 steps with worked examples at every stage
- Troubleshooting for 12 situations, plus partner scripts
- A 90-day plan and a printable fridge sheet
- 58 pages · PDF
Instant download · PDF
Questions
Before you download
What exactly do I get?
Three files (PDF and XLSX, 2.4 MB in total): the step-by-step guide and the 11-tab Excel workbook. You can download them right after purchase.
How long does it take to set up?
About three hours for your first plan, which most people split across two evenings. After that, the weekly money check takes about 15 minutes.
I'm not paid every two weeks. Will it still work?
Yes. It works for weekly, every-two-weeks, twice-a-month and monthly pay, and for households where two adults are paid on different schedules.
Do I need to know Excel?
No. You only type in the yellow cells; the white cells calculate by themselves. There are no formulas to build. And if you prefer, the guide works on paper or in any spreadsheet.
What if my partner won't join in?
The guide covers that in its troubleshooting section, along with overtime pay, three-paycheck months and credit card debt, and it includes partner scripts to start the conversation.
Make your next paycheck the first one with a plan.
58-page guide + 11-tab Excel workbook. Instant download.
Choose your kit