Below the warnings Tom clicks the button
that says “Click Here” to calculate the difference
between income and expenses. It shows he needs to cut about
$600 per month.
If what you are trying to simulate represents a future “balanced
month” change the items for starting balance and ending
balance at the top of the page to be the same number and then
get to the task of rethinking where you should spend your money
in the future. At this stage you use the budget calculator more like an interactive budget worksheet to make a new budget as opposed to showing a true picture of your current budget. Some items come to mind easily, like no more
lottery. Change lottery to 0, do not just erase a number leave
a 0. Tom decides there can be no more weekend trips for now,
that $250 gets changed to 0. Move the $119 in telephone over
to the “paid by check or cash column, you should not have
to put off expenses with a good balanced personal budget. You
reduce credit card payments to $100 per month, but it’s
all still not enough. You decide some very serious belt tightening
must occur. You cut movie rentals, movies, meals at restaurants,
and other entertainment to zero.
All that still doesn’t quite do
it; you make your cable bill zero. Now when you do the analysis
calculation even more warnings show up. When you click to calculate
the difference between income and expenses it shows you are
up a bit, what is happening? You are still using a credit card
to make the ring payment.
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