BudgetLifeStyle™ Systems
Copyright © 2001 Version 1.0

FAQs Sheet for BLS Templates

 

1. How do I resize the template on my computer?
2. How do I print a copy so it will fit on one sheet?
3. Excel asked if I wanted to save the template to my version of Excel, what should I do?
4. I got this #Value! Error in the template, what happened?
5. How can I split my screen so I can see the headings?
6. Some of my bills are never the same every month, how do I enter my monthly payment?

7. My income varies from paycheck to paycheck, how do I enter my pay in the Income Summary?
8. I get paid by the month, which template should I use and how do I enter it?
9. I have a lot of paid entries and expense items, they won't fit on the templates I have. What can I do?

 

 

1. How do I resize the template on my computer?

A. Up on the menu bar you will see a space with a drop down arrow and 75% written in it. This is the MSExcel "zoom control". You can click on the arrow and pick the percentage size you want or highlight the percentage in there and type in the percentage you want and hit enter.

2. How do I print a copy so it will fit on one sheet?

A. Go to file in the menu bar and click on "page setup", click the "page" tab, and in the scaling section click on "adjust to" and to the right set the percentage that will fit the paper and printer you are using. After you've set the percentage click on print preview to see if it will fit on the paper size you are using. The template comes preset to print at 70% for an 81/2 x 11 sheet of paper in the landscape orientation.

3. Excel asked if I wanted to save the template to my version of Excel, what should I do?

A. You can save to your version of Excel if it is higher than Excel 7, we have made an effort to have most versions work basically the same. To test the waters so to speak, use "save as" to create a copy and convert the copy to your version and see how it responds before you change the template you want to save.

4. I got this #Value! Error in the template, what happened?

A. You probably used the space bar to clear a $0.00 entry in one of the cells where you enter monthly expense amounts. To avoid such an error, clear a cell with $0.00 in it by right clicking the cell and select "clear contents". The problem occurs when you enter an amount and then change your mind and decide not to use that cell, then clear the entry by using the space bar. When you use the space bar the reference cells don't see a number and ask for a value. Enter a zero "0" in the cell and the template should go back to normal. When you change your mind, just enter a "0" or use clear contents.

5. How can I split my screen so I can see the headings?

A. Splitting the screen will make it easier to view your heading and rows etc. Here's how. On the left, click on the row number 7. This will highlight the row across the template. Click on Window in the Menu Bar above, then select Freeze Panes or Split Screen. If you select Split Screen and scroll all the way up a copy of the top section headers will appear again, sometimes confusing the user. When you Split Screen, you get two scrollable views in different sizes of the same thing. If you select Freeze Panes and scroll all the way up, it stops at the row you have selected thus, no duplicate header to confuse you. You get one view with the top header section frozen and the bottom scrollable.

6. Some of my bills are never the same every month, how do I enter my monthly payment?

A. In general your monthly payments are an estimate. There are several ways to arrive at this figure. The following are a few examples.

  1. Total all of last years monthly payments for each bill and divide by 12 for an average payment.
  2. Use the highest months bill for the year as an estimate.
  3. Total the last 3 months bills and divide by 3.

These are just a few ways to come to a figure. Generally it is wise to use the highest months bill as a payment. Usually that will be the most you will probably pay for that bill at any given month. If most of the bills are lower you will be ahead of the game.

7. My income varies from paycheck to paycheck, how do I enter my pay in the Income Summary?

  1. You can use a similar method as above for monthly payments.
  2. Add up the last 4 weekly paychecks and divide by 4 to get an average.
  3. BiWeekly add the last 2 paychecks and divide by 2 to get an average.
  4. Use the last 3 months paychecks and divide by 12 for weekly or 6 for biweekly.

These are just a few ways to come to a figure. Only, in this case use the lowest average paycheck to enter in the BiWeekly or Weekly column. Again, if most of your paychecks are higher, you'll be ahead of the game.

8. I get paid by the month, which template should I use and how do I enter it?

A. You can use either template, depending on how you want to break down the month. The BiWeekly template would probably be sufficient. Because you can't enter a number in the monthly column in the Income Summary, multiply your monthly income by 12 and divide the total by 24 for the biweekly template. For the Weekly template multiply your monthly income by 12 and divide by 48 to get a weekly average. Realistically there are 52 weekly paychecks and 26 biweekly paychecks per year. BudgetLifeStyle uses a 4 week per month standard. For those who get paid more than once a month, when an additional paycheck is present, it can be a bonus or a great help if there are deficits in the account.

9. I have a lot of paid entries and expense items, they won't fit on the templates I have. What can I do?

A. The templates that come with BudgetLifeStyle are based on our perception of a standard budget need, and the ability to print the whole month to an 81/2 x 11 legible sheet of paper. You can consolidate your list or create an additional template and group similar expenses in the new template to see individual expense information, then enter their total expense in a single expense item heading on the original template. In the future we will be reviewing the merits of an expanded version.