255 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
255 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
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_______
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____|__ | (R)
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--| | |-------------------
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| ____|__ | ASSOCIATION OF
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| | |_| SHAREWARE
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|__| 0 | PROFESSIONALS
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-----| | |---------------------
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|___|___| MEMBER
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HOW TO USE BUDGET MINDER (Budget.Doc)
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BUDGET MINDER was prepared after my experience in trying to find a home
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budget program that was easy to use and yet had more than a a minimal
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capacity for categories of expenditures. Spread sheets are cumbersome
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to set up and enter data and even general purpose data bases take a lot
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of work to set up the fields and forms. I wanted a stand alone program
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that would take less time to use than if I were to use pencil, paper, and
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a calculator.
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BUDGET MINDER allows you to establish a budget and keep track of your
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actual expenses on a month-to-month basis. It keeps a running total of
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your expenses for the year and provides you with the variance from your
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budget for both the month and the year. Each month is kept in a separate
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file and can be viewed on the screen or printed out.
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Up to 45 categories of expenses can be enterd into BUDGET MINDER.
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However, you don't have to use all of them. I have found that it is a
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good idea to add a couple of "Extra" categories at the end of the list
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to accommodate unforseen expenses.
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Set up your expense categories and the yearly budget for each category
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using the MAKE BUDGET OPTION. The program will compute the average
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monthly budget. BUDGET MINDER is normally based on a calendar year. If
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you want to start your budget at some month later than January, then enter
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the number of the starting month when prompted. You should file your new
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budget on disk with some name such as "START94".
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Don't worry if you misspell a category or enter a wrong amount for a
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yearly budget because you can make corrections later after you enter
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expenses for the first month.
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If you quit the program after setting-up the budget you will have to
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reload your "START" file to enter data for the first month.
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To enter the actuals for the first month. When asked "Did you load
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budget for the previous month?", answer "Y" if your "START" budget is
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in memory and follow the prompts. BUDGET MINDER will compute the totals
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for the month and the year and the variance of expenditures from the budget.
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Each succeeding month you only need to follow the prompts to enter your
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actual expenses.
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File the monthly data on disk with some name such as "JAN94".
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To make corrections to the current month, select the CORRECT DATA
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and "C" (Current Month) option. Do not use this option for staring a new
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month's actuals. Use it only for corrections. Several prompts on the
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screen will remind you of this. Also, if you goof-up you still have the
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last month's data filed on a disk.
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Note, you don't enter expenses on a daily basis. You only enter a total
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for each category for the month. Once a month I go through my check book
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determine the category of each expense and write down the amount of each
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check on a form I created to use with BUDGET MINDER. I do the same with a
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log of cash expenditures that I keep. I then enter the totals from the
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form into BUDGET MINDER.
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Use the PRINT FORM option to print out a blank form. Use one sheet for
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checks and another for cash expenditures.
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As the year progresses, you load the file for the previous month and
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enter data for the new month. You then save the current month's data with a
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name that reflects the name of the month, Such as "JUL1994."
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The secret of BUDGET MINDER'S operation is that when you want to enter
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actuals for the current month, you are first asked to read in the file for
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the previous month. The program checks to see that you have called-up the
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correct month. The yearly totals for the previous month are stored
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temporarily and once the actuals for the new month have been entered they
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are added to the totals for the past month to provide the current yearly
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total.
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SAMPLE FILE
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I have included a file named JAN2000.BDG so you can experiment with
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the program.
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WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE A BUDGET?
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One reason, often given, is to gain control over your finances. But, to
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be truly effective. a budget derives from a plan, not otherwise. Define
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specifically what you want to accomplish. Buy a home...take great
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vacations...have money for the kid's education...save for retirement...
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To do these things you need to cut costs and increase savings. Most
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people have no idea at all how much money they have coming in or going out.
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I have heard people complain that a budget is too "restrictive." A budget
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is not meant to restrict your life style but to increase your financial
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independence. In some cases those who complain the most are afraid to let
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their spouse know how their money is really spent.
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Even if you have not completely decided on some financial goals, you
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need to make a serious attempt to track your expenses. One way is to use a
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simple note book to record necessary and discretionary spending for at
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least a couple of months.
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A better way is to list your estimated monthly income and every possible
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expense over the year by reviewing last year's bills, checks, and receipts.
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Make a list of mortgage or rent payments, utility bills, property taxes,
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income taxes, food, and medical bills and the cost of maintenance of your
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home. Don't forget to tally up car expenses, the cost of meals out, movie
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tickets, and other miscellaneous expenses that you may have covered with
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cash.
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When you have finished this first phase, you more than likely will have
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some unexplained areas in your spending pattern such as a large number of
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miscellaneous cash expenditures. If your spending habits are way out of
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control, you will see that your expenses are much more than you income.
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But, you already knew that didn't you?
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On the other hand, you may find that you can't account for all your
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expenditures and they are less than your disposable income. Still you don't
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seem to have money to do some of the things that you want to accomplish.
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Most likely it is the cash and credit card purchase that you can't account
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for.
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Once you have a grasp of your present spending pattern, you can take the
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first step in implementing your financial plan by preparing your budget.
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Good Luck!
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REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT
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If you decide to keep using BUDGET MINDER you must pay a registration
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fee of $15 to Bob Day 543 W. Walnut Ave., Monrovia CA 91016.
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Califorinia residents please add sales tax.
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The registration fee will entitle you to software support for a period of
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three months after the date of registration. Support beyond that date will
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be at the option of the author. You may also call 818-358-5963. Leave
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a message if no one answers.
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This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware
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Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle
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works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with
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an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help.
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The ASP Ombundsman can help you to resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP
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member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please
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write to the ASP Ombundsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon, MI 49442 or send a
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Compuserve message via Compuserve Mail to ASP Ombundsman 70007,3536.
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Also, please read the following about Shareware.
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DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE
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Shareware distribution gives the users a chance to try software before
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buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are
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expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some
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request registration while others require it, Some specify a maximum
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trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right
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to continue using the software to an updated program with a printed
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manual.
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Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software and the
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copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as
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stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like
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commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both
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cases there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in
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the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to
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copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a
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specific group. For example, some authors require written permission
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before a commercial disk vendor may copy their shareware.
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Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should
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find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's
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commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs
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easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is
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low, prices are also low. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee
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-- if you don't use it, you don't pay for it.
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DISCLAIMER -AGREEMENT
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Users of BUDGET MINDER must accept this disclaimer of waranty:
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BUDGET MINDER is supplied as is. The author disclaims all waranties,
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expressed or implied, including without limitation, the warranties of
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merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no
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liability for damages, direct or indirect, or consequential, which may
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result from use of BUDGET MINDER.
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BUDGET MINDER is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the
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user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please
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do not give it away altered or as a part of another system. The essence of
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"user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with
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quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for
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programmers to continue to develope new products. If you find this
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program useful and find that you are using BUDGET MINDER and continue to use
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BUDGET MINDER after a reasonable trial period, you must pay a registration
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fee of $15 to Bob Day, 543 W. Walnut Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016.
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The $15 fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one
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time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that
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this software may be used by any number of people and may be moved from
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one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of
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it being used at one location while it is being used at another. Just as
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a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time.
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Commercial users of BUDGET MINDER must register and pay for their copies of
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BUDGET MINDER within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn.
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Anyone distributing BUDGET MINDER for any kind of remuneration must first
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contact Bob Day at 543 W. Walnut Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016 for authorization.
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This authorization will automatically be granted to distributors
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recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware
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distributors, and such distributors may begin offering AUCTION immediately.
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(However, Bob Day must still be advised so that the distributor can be
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kept up-to-date with the latest version of BUDGET MINDER.)
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You are encouraged to pass a copy of BUDGET MINDER along to your friends for
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evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that
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they can use it. All registered users will receive the latest version of
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BUDGET MINDER.
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End of BUDGET.DOC text
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***************************************************************************
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Cut off and mail with your registraton fee of $15 plus $1 S & H to:
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Bob Day
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543 W. Walnut Ave.
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Monrovia, CA 91016
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Registration for BUDGET MINDER program DATE:______________________
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NAME
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ADDRESS
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CITY
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DISK SIZE
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California residents please add sales tax
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