A free two-page worksheet from The Payday Cash Flow System.

Set one number — your daily floor — then run every non-essential purchase past a traffic light.

Green: it fits this week and still leaves you above your floor. Buy it and stop thinking about it.
Amber: it fits, but would leave the rest of the week short. Hold it 48 hours.
Red: it doesn’t fit, or it takes money already promised to a bill. Decide on payday.

You set the threshold yourself, on payday, while you’re calm — so the decision in the shop takes seconds instead of an argument. Includes a cut-out card for your wallet and a page for the things you postponed.

What this page will not fix: it only judges spending money. It can’t tell you which bills your next paycheck has to cover first, it can’t see the once-a-year costs coming — insurance, the car, Christmas — and it won’t stop week four from falling apart. Those three are what the full four-week system is built for.

Free. No card needed.

General educational information, not personalized financial advice.