Since we began including the budget-calendar tool with our 2nd edition of Adulting 101, we’ve typically had to annually update the sheet’s dates manually. The original designer built the calculator function into the third column using some basic formulas, but they were no MS-Excel formula-master. To this day, while our team uses Excel, regularly, we’re not exactly joining those Excel competitive tournaments (it’s a thing: look it up!).
Still, thanks to our dedication to innovation, our desire to impact students for years after their last contact with our team members, and a cautious willingness to engage with AI, we were able to finally update the date formulas in the tool. Now, student’s can simply and quickly create new tabs each year (though the current downloadable workbook already has sheets for each year extending to 2030).
That all might sound like too much insider baseball…until you realize what the budget tool is, and how it benefits young adults chasing after independence.
The Project REAL Budget Tool is part calendar, part calculator, part planner, and part spending journal. While there are many budgeting apps out there, we’ve yet to find one quite like this, which is why we make it available to anyone seeking it out.
The tool was originally created for young earners and early-career individuals navigating tough financial realities—people living paycheck to paycheck who can’t simply follow advice like “save 20% of every paycheck.” Advice like that often comes from “experts” who haven’t had to rely on food stamps between jobs or choose between paying the power bill or buying groceries, even while working full-time. Our tool is for those who want to be financially responsible but are dealing with circumstances that demand hard choices and sacrifices. Even if your financial situation is more secure, this step-by-step, practical approach can still be valuable when you’re ready to build wealth.
We encourage you to take the time to explore the tool and consider making it a regular part of your routine as you work toward a prosperous and independent future. If you’re a young adult, we hope you find the tool useful. If you’re an adult who can share it with young 18-25 year olds, we sincerely appreciate you helping to introduce our work to a generation of people who will really benefit from having access to it, so thank you!
You can read more about the tool and find the chapter of Adulting 101 information it accompanies here:
