Resource Supplement Tools

Good $ense Budget Course Pre-Work – PDF, 270KB, 10pgs

Participants should bring this completed Pre-Work to the Budget Course training.

Small Group Facilitator's Guide is available with information for use with your small group, including discussion questions.

Budget Course Forms Available To Download

Click here to download or see the list of forms used in the Budget Course Workshop (also available on the PowerPoint CD-ROM.)

Spending Record Electronic Version - 12 Month – MS Excel, 178KB, 12 pages
Here's the Spending Record in electronic format. Note that the danger of keeping spending records electronically is that because the computer is off in another room somewhere and/or is not booted up etc., we may tend to not be as diligent in entering our expenditures on a daily basis.

The electronic version has the benefit of tallying lines 2,3,4 & 5 on a real-time basis and carrying forward the Year-to-Date amounts from month to month (see worksheet tab for each month). To make use of these advantages, be sure to commit to daily entry of expenditures. Spending Plan numbers (line 1) carry forward to the next month but may be changed at anytime within the Spending Plan year. Spending Plan numbers do have to be re-entered each January.

Spending Plan – MS Excel, 23KB, 1 page
The Good $ense Spending Plan is available in Excel format, courtesy of Wesley King of Grace Point Church in San Antonio, TX. This can be helpful in developing a balanced plan and when adjustments need to be made.

Personal Action Step Reference Log - MS Word, 26.0KB, 3 pgs (10-04)

This is a convenient tool for participants to use for a quick reference summary of all the action steps encountered in the Budget Course and provides an excellent overview of those steps.

Credit Card Math

Here is an interesting chart of total interest cost based on minimum monthly payment and percent interest charged on a $5,000 credit card balance.

Good $ense MAP (Money Action Plan) - MS Word, 191KB, 5 pgs (10-04)

This tool was developed by Greg Sargent, WellSpring Community Church in Liberty Township, Ohio, for participants following the Budget Course Workshop to keep them involved and working the process.

Consumer Debt Reduction Calculator – MS Excel, 33KB, or (Spanish Version) - MS Excel, 33KB
The spreadsheet to calculate pay-off dates for the Debt Reduction Plan referenced on Pgs. 113-114 and 137 in the Budget Course Participant's Guide; and on Pgs. 297-298 and 321 of the Budget Course Leader's Guide is available here.

Other Types of Calculators

Thanks to the folks at www.dinkytown.net the following Financial Calculators are available for your use:

    Debt Calculator - Find out how much you owe and how long it will take to pay it all off by entering your credit card debt, interest rates and payment amounts. Click Here

    Credit Card Payoff Calculator - Find out what it will take to payoff your credit card balance, and what you can change to meet your repayment goals. Click Here

    Mortgage Loan Calculator - See how much interest you will pay and your principal balances. Click Here

    Savings Calculator - Find out your future savings based on consistent investments over a period of time. Click Here

    Savings Goal Calculator - Calculate how long it will take to save a selected amount based on your monthly savings and interest rate. Click Here

    College Savings Calculator -Calculate how much you need to save to support your kids in college. Click Here

    Retirement Calculator - Use this finance calculator to help you create your retirement plan. Click Here

    Additional Finance-Related Calculators - Click Here

G$ Spending Plan and Quick Record Form - MS Excel, 39.0KB, 1 page (11x17)
Thanks to Ray Hils, one of our Good $ense leaders in Cincinnati, we are able to offer you a single page, combination Spending Plan and Spending Record simplified form which may be helpful to you. Please keep in mind, however, that we recommend those new to budgeting begin with the daily written record form or the envelope system for their day-to-day purposes. Entering end-of-the-month data onto this Quick Record Form, could be a helpful way of compiling monthly and year-to-date results.

Debt Consolidation Process – MS Word, 21KB, 1pg
This Microsoft Word document is supplemental information on the debt consolidation process found in both the Good $ense Budget Course Leader’s Guide (pgs. 296-298) and the Good $ense Budget Course Participant’s Guide (pgs.112-114).

Financial Service Providers - MS Word, 41.5KB
This five-page document contains the following assistance should you decide to provide a referral list of financial service providers: 1) Release Form - a sample form to edit and use when receiving referral requests; 2) Sample Letter - a letter to edit and use when providing your referral list (we also recommend providing documents #4 and #5); 3) Financial Planner Referral List - a sample of information a referral list might contain; 4) Interview Outline - a form to use when interviewing a prospective Financial Planner; 5) Selection of a Financial Planner - some helpful thoughts to consider when choosing a Financial Planner.