How to use Planly Money Map

Your template lives in your own Google Drive, so the first step is making your personal copy.

1. Open the PDF from your Etsy purchase (Etsy → You → Purchases and reviews → Download files).
2. Click the “Make my copy” button. If you're asked, sign in to your Google account.
3. Google shows a “Copy document” screen. Click the blue “Make a copy” button.
4. Your copy opens. Rename it if you like (click the title in the top-left), e.g. “Our 2027 Budget”.

Every money cell in the template uses the currency you choose here.

1. Open the CURRENCY tab.
2. Click the light cell under “Set up your currency” and pick your symbol from the dropdown ($, €, £ and more).

This step is optional. Give your accounts simple names (like “Everyday”, “Savings” and “Cash”) and Money Map keeps a running total for each, based on what you log: the starting amount, plus income you add to it, minus spending paid from it. Prefer to keep it simple? Skip it. Everything else works without it.

1. Open BANK ACCOUNT. In Checking and Saving Accounts, type a simple name for each (e.g. “Everyday”, “Savings”). Cash is already there for you.
2. Choose its type (Checking or Saving) from the dropdown.
3. Enter its starting amount as of January 1, 2027.
4. Whenever you move money from one account to another, log it in Transferred Between Accounts: date, from, to and amount.
5. Use Adjustments +/- if a total ever needs a correction, and note the date in Last Checked.

Each month has the same layout. Plan what you expect at the start of the month; the Real column fills in as you log transactions.

1. Income: add each source (salary, side hustle…), its payday and the expected amount (plus where it goes, if you added accounts).
2. Bills: add each bill with its description, due day and budgeted amount (rent, utilities, insurance, phone…).
3. Subscriptions: streaming, apps, memberships, with due day and amount.
4. Expenses: flexible spending categories like groceries, dining out, gas and shopping, each with a budget.
5. Savings: what you plan to put aside this month (emergency fund, sinking funds…).
6. Debts: monthly payments for credit cards, loans and so on.
7. Check the top of the tab: Left to Budget shows what's still unassigned. Aim for zero, so every dollar has a job.

Planly Money Map · January monthly budget

The transaction tracker is where your plan meets real life. Log as you go, or batch it once a week.

1. Scroll to Transaction Tracker on the month tab.
2. For each purchase or payment, enter the date and amount.
3. Pick the Budget Name (the category you planned) and, if you added accounts, where it was paid from (Account Provenance).
4. Watch the Real and Diff. columns update instantly against your plan.
5. Paydays work the same way: log your actual income so Real matches what you received.

Once a few transactions are in, the dashboard comes alive. You never type here. It summarizes everything.

1. Budget Summary: annual income, expenses, savings, left to spend, best saving month and biggest expense.
2. Income vs Expenses: a monthly line chart of money in vs. money out.
3. Annual Budget vs Real: how each category compares to your plan.
4. Savings Over the Year and Where Does My Money Go? Your savings trend and spending split.
5. Sinking Funds, Debt and Net Worth summaries, pulled from their own tabs.

Planly Money Map · Annual dashboard

The calendar shows every payday, bill, subscription and debt payment on its date, no typing needed.

1. Open CALENDAR and choose the month at the top.
2. Use the legend: income, bills, subscriptions, debts, bills paid and today each have their own color.
3. Add reminders in the Notes area.

Sinking funds are savings goals for expenses you know are coming: holidays, car repairs, vacations, gifts.

1. In Funds Overview, name each fund and enter its goal amount and monthly goal.
2. Each time you save toward a fund, log it in Contribution Tracker: date, fund and amount.
3. Watch Saved, Left, progress and the estimated finish date update for each fund.

Planly Money Map · Sinking funds tracker

See exactly when you'll be debt-free, and how much interest you save by paying a little extra.

1. Set the start date (year and month).
2. Choose your strategy: Snowball pays the smallest balance first (quick wins); Avalanche pays the highest interest first (least interest).
3. Enter any monthly extra payment you can add on top of the minimums.
4. List each debt: name, current balance, interest rate and minimum payment.
5. Read the overview: total interest, monthly payment and your Debt Paid Off On date. The schedule below shows every month.

Net worth is the clearest picture of your progress: what you own minus what you owe.

1. Fill the Start column with today's balances.
2. Assets: cash and savings, investments, properties and other assets.
3. Liabilities: short-term debts (credit cards), long-term debts (mortgage, student loans) and other.
4. Once a month, fill that month's column. Your worth and annual growth chart update automatically.

Three tabs help you go further once the basics are running.

1. IMPROVE MY BUDGET: choose a month and set your goal split (for example 50% needs, 30% wants, 20% savings/debts), then tag categories to see how your real budget compares.
2. DISTRIBUTION: add family members as spenders and assign a spender to transactions to see who spends and earns what, plus the 50/30/20 rule vs. your budget.
3. INVESTMENT: enter a start date, initial and monthly investment and an estimated annual return to forecast growth.
4. CHALLENGE: try a no-spend challenge (set a goal of days per month) or a cost-cutting challenge like skipping takeout coffee, and watch the money saved add up.

At the end of each month, set up the next one in a few minutes.

1. Review the month: compare Budget vs. Real and note what to adjust.
2. Open the next month's tab and copy your income, bills and subscriptions plan across (select the cells, copy, paste).
3. Adjust amounts for anything that changes: holidays, birthdays, annual bills.
4. Log the new month's transactions as they happen.