New Budget Planner testers needed!

Former_MSE_Andrea · 29 November 2007 at 7:30PM

Hi everyone

We're updating the budget planner and it would be great if anyone with some spare time on their hands could help test it. It should be usable in Excel and Open Office so comments from anyone using Open Office would be extremely useful.

Here's what we're particularly looking for comments and suggestions on:

If anything breaks or doesn't work
If you can't read something
Colour
Ease of use
If anything looks strange - if it does can you say what version of Excel or Open Office you're using? - if you can post a screen shot that would be a huge help

The macros issue that's been pointed out a lot in the old planner shouldn't be an issue now but again, if it is, please let us know.

Obviously this isn't the final version so if you want your budget in the final version when it's ready then make sure you're getting the weekly email:

[signupbox]box[/signupbox]

It'll be in there when it's ready

Here's the link:

New budget planner Beta version

Thanks in advance to everyone that can help

Have a good evening

Andrea

doodledo_2 · 29 November 2007 at 7:59PM

Just used it and all worked fine for me.

Really liked it so have saved it and will be filling in my real totals later.

Brilliant tool :T

splishsplash · 29 November 2007 at 8:02PM

Hi,
If I use the Other Income lines, I can't name the income source as those fields are protected; I can enter a value in the week/month/year columns, but they are not added to the total monthly column, and I can't enter them into the monthly total column manually.
Hope that helps. I have Microsoft Office Excel 2003.

um, sorry, wouldn't know what a macro issue was if I fell over one...

lewpster · 29 November 2007 at 8:15PM

I am using Office 2007 and it looks fab! Had a quick scout around and it seems to be working fine! THANKS!

Sea78 · 29 November 2007 at 8:16PM

hi

when I click on money maker article link from the final page (check your results) it just takes me to the first page of the spreadsheets - getting started, although the link does work from there.

Gemmzie · 29 November 2007 at 8:33PM

You can't edit the two boxes under other income, and the total boxes don't have a "sum" in them, so it doesn't calculate income correctly at all

The other home boxes are locked too, and I think there should be more than two slots. There's a few things I can't fit in the budget planner at the moment.
TV license shouldn't be in fun and frolics, it's not really optional as the planner makes it seem

mattogier · 29 November 2007 at 8:47PM

OpenOffice 2.3.0

All seems to work okay - my only comment is the pie chart font seems to be an Olde English font that is not easy to read at 75% zoom (so that I can see the whole sheet) on my LapTop (1280 x 800) and the key is over the chart...

cat4772 · 29 November 2007 at 8:48PM

Hi

Having same problem as splishsplash - can enter new income in weekly /monthly column (cells C21-22 & D21 &22), the weekly total changes (C23), but cells I21-23 remains blank.

Cannot enter data in cells B21 or B22 of the income spreadsheet as it is password protected.

Looks snazzy though!

Cat.x

High_Peak_Lass · 29 November 2007 at 9:01PM

Open office worked for me so far!
Excellent, thanks for this, now the real money saving can begin:)

mattogier · 29 November 2007 at 9:05PM

Gemmzie wrote: »

You can't edit the two boxes under other income, and the total boxes don't have a "sum" in them, so it doesn't calculate income correctly at all

Ditto in OO2.3.0

The other home boxes are locked too, and I think there should be more than two slots. There's a few things I can't fit in the budget planner at the moment.

Ditto in OO2.3.0 although if I were doing this I'd link to an external sheet with my totals on.

TV license shouldn't be in fun and frolics, it's not really optional as the planner makes it seem

Disagree - if you are Seriously in debt you don't need a TV and you don't get T/A food!

A nice feature would be to "goal seek" a reduction in expenditure based on imbalance if in and outs as a guide to what expenditure needs to be in an additional column after the part C desired column - if you were feeling clever this could be apportioned according to MSE experience and common sense (eg no point in saying reduce your council tax by 50% but IS worth saying reduce Fun and Frolics items by up to 100%) .

Lemon_Tree · 29 November 2007 at 9:37PM

I'm using Excel 2000

Sounds picky, but Total at bottom of Health and Beauty says Big One Off Total
On the what do you spend page? The bottom is missing off the 'budget could be wrong' bit, could be just my version though. Can't figure out how to do a screen dump though.

Suggestions - please ignore if you want

May be a good idea to tell people to change the document name when they save it as if you want to open it again to fill in your details you get told it's already open. This may throw those not used to Excel.

Could you use the desired spend column to add a calculation on the results page so people can play with their numbers and see what difference changing things makes? Sort of a 'what if' scenario.

please feel free to take my suggestions as the ramblings of a sado person who works with excel every day and has nowt better to do than manipulate financial spreadsheets. lol

Hope this helps

New Budget Planner testers needed!

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