The Honest Money Binder
$29.00
THE HONEST MONEY BINDER
Your budget isn't the problem.
A full year of budgeting, cash envelopes, debt payoff and stewardship
built by a working tax professional, for people whose budgets keep
falling apart.
24 printable pages · 211 stickers · 8 tab spreadsheet · Instant download
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You've done this before.
You downloaded the budget. You filled in the categories on a Sunday night
feeling hopeful. And somewhere around the 12th it quietly stopped being
true, and you stopped opening it, and you told yourself you'd start fresh
next month.
That's not a discipline problem. That's a design problem.
Most budgets fail for three reasons, and none of them are willpower:
You budgeted the month you wished you had, not the month you actually
have, because you never looked at what you really spent last month.
You gave every dollar a category but never gave the leftover a job and
unassigned money is already spent, it just doesn't know it yet.
You started with twelve cash envelopes instead of three; funded on
payday, empty by the weekend, abandoned by the 10th.
This binder is built around those three things. It starts with the
honest number, not the hopeful one.
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WHAT'S INSIDE
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Four files. Everything you need, nothing you'll never open.
THE 24 PAGE BINDER
Setup
How to use this binder
Year at a glance
Net worth snapshot
Every month
Monthly budget · Income tracker · Bill due date calendar
Spending log · Month end review · Notes
Cash envelopes
Start here: three envelopes
Expanded: eight envelopes
Envelope labels to cut out
Cash withdrawal planner
Debt & savings
Debt payoff tracker · Payoff thermometer · Sinking funds planner
Savings goal tracker · Emergency fund builder
Stewardship
Giving log · Monthly stewardship reflection · Scripture & money
Tax season
Deductible expense log · Tax document checklist
THE INK-SAVER EDITION
The same 24 pages with 84% less ink. Because a binder you can afford to
reprint every month is worth more than a beautiful one you print once.
Both editions are included, same price.
THE SPREADSHEET
Eight tabs that do the math for you. Opens in Excel or uploads straight
to Google Sheets. Type in the white cells; everything else calculates
itself.
A budget with planned vs actual and a live "left over" figure
Envelopes with running balances
Debt payments that total themselves
Sinking funds that tell you exactly what to set aside each month
A self-employment tax set-aside calculator
211 STICKERS, 8 SHEETS
Envelope labels. Bill and payday flags sized for the calendar squares.
Milestone badges. Daily markers. Section and month tabs. And a sheet of
script stickers, because a binder you want to open gets opened.
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THE DIFFERENCE
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Written by a tax professional. Not a planner shop.
I prepare taxes for clients in all fifty states. I see what happens when
the records aren't kept, the deductions people can't prove, the mileage
nobody wrote down, the 1099 income somebody spent before setting aside a
dollar for the taxes on it.
So this binder includes the pages nobody else thinks to add:
A deductible expense log, with the categories that actually matter
A mileage log you keep as you go, not reconstruct in April
A tax document checklist, so nothing gets buried in February
A self employment tax set-aside calculator, built into the spreadsheet
By the time tax season comes, you're not digging. You're handing it over.
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STEWARDSHIP
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"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks,
and look well to thy herds." — Proverbs 27:23
Money is a discipleship issue before it's a math issue. There's a giving
log in here, and a monthly reflection page, and a page of scripture to
come back to on the months when the numbers don't cooperate.
None of it is a formula or a promise of a particular outcome. It's an
invitation to be faithful with what's actually in your hand and to stop
carrying money stress quietly, in a pew, on a Sunday, smiling.
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WHO IT'S FOR
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This is for you if:
You've tried budgeting more than once and it didn't hold
Your income moves: commission, 1099, tips, side work
You want cash envelopes to work without twelve of them
You're self employed and dreading the paperwork
You want your faith in the room when you talk about money
This probably isn't for you if:
You want an app that syncs to your bank, this is pen and paper
You want someone to tell you exactly what to cut
You're looking for investment or tax advice
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HOW IT WORKS
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01 Buy and your files arrive immediately
02 Print what you need: US Letter, at home or at a print shop
03 Put it in any 3 ring binder, add the tabs and stickers
04 Start on the Net Worth Snapshot. One honest number to begin.
Print only the pages you'll use. The monthly pages are meant to be
reprinted; the yearly ones only once.
Start with the honest number!
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THE HONEST MONEY BINDER — $29
24 pages · both print editions · 211 stickers · 8 tab spreadsheet
Instant download. All sales final... please read the full description
before purchasing.
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FAQ
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What exactly am I getting?
Four files: the 24 page binder (PDF), the ink saver edition (PDF), eight
sticker sheets (PDF), and the spreadsheet (XLSX). Nothing is shipped to
you.
What size do these print at?
US Letter, 8.5 x 11 inches. Print at home or take the file to a print
shop.
Do I need special software?
A PDF reader for the printables: free on every device. The spreadsheet
opens in Excel, Numbers, or uploads to Google Sheets.
Can I use the spreadsheet if I don't have Excel?
Yes. Upload it to Google Sheets and the formulas carry over.
Do I have to print all 24 pages?
No, and I'd rather you didn't. Print this month's pages and come back for
the rest when you're ready.
Why two print editions?
The full color version is beautiful and uses real ink. The ink saver
version is the same 24 pages in outline, using 84% less. Both are
included.
Is this tax advice?
No. It's a tool for organizing your own records, and the tax pages are
general information, not advice for your specific situation. If you want
actual help with your return, that's a different conversation and one
I'd be glad to have.
Can I get a refund?
All digital sales are final, since the files are delivered instantly and
can't be returned. If your download fails or a file won't open, email me
within 3 days and I'll make it right. [Full refund policy]
Can I share it with a friend?
Please don't. It's licensed for your own personal use. If a friend wants
one, send her the link to purchase.
Does the download link expire?
Yes, you have 48hrs to download your goodies.