Budget MASTER(tm) Instruction Manual v2.6 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents. 1. Introduction to Budget Master. 1.5 Whats New to V2.5? 1.6 Whats New to V2.6? 2. Uses of Budget MASTER(tm) EXAMPLE WALK THROUGH. 3. Commands and Command line options. 4. What You get when you Register Budget Master. 5. How to REGISTER Budget Master. 6. Distribution/Disclaimers. 7. Copyright. Note: Sections are Preceded with "Section# ". Search for a Section by "Section# x" where x in the Section Number you want. Section# 1. INTRODUCTION TO BUDGET MASTER(tm). Budget Master is a program that when supplied with a list of bills and income, will subtract all or part of those bills from all or part of the income. But more than that, it allows you to "Rob Peter to Pay Paul" so to speak, something no other finance program does, to our knowledge. juggling bills is no easy task in any case, that is until now. Most Finance programs assume you've got tons of money and no place to spend it, Budget Master assumes you have tons of bills and no money to pay them. Although this program won't cure that problem for you, it will make it easier to deal with. Paying Bills is an art when you are short on cash ! the only real answer is get more MONEY ! But if you can't or if you would rather do something else with that pay-check than give it all to the creditors, Budget Master will help you do just that ! However, if you are well-off, and paying the bills isn't a problem, Budget Master will work just as efficiently for you to, perhaps more so. Sense Budget Master is a simple,easy to understand program you'll find it faster than many other fancy programs that in essence do the same thing. This Program was specifically made to be easy to use,FAST,and accurate ! It has NO check-tracking system in it, so you don't need to waist time entering each check you've written for the last 30 days ! But it will tell you how much money you do have, or don't have, what ever is the case. The controls are simple, logical keystrokes... Not icons that you've got to memorize, or mouse-clicks in the right order, or your LOST. Help is there, if you need it. Simply hitting the "h" Key will bring up a General help window. And there is a Context sensitive Help file for each section of the program. which is brought up by hitting the F1 Key. Section# 1.5 Whats New to V2.5 New in this relese, A much asked for CALANDER! Hit 'C'(or 'c') while in the main screen. The ITEMs listed in the CALANDER DAYs are the first 10 characters of the bill names, it is put on that date by the input of the DUE DATE. these are also color coded for paid or un-paid and hold. to exit it just hit any key and you'll return to the main screen. Note# if the month is not correct check the date of your computer! simply type "date" at the DOS prompt then set it acordingly, or type "HELP date" at the dos prompt for more information.(dos v5+) Note: Do NOT Use a EXE Compresion Program on Budget.Exe! This would cause the Evaluation Version's TimeLimiting to Mess up. The Regestered Version _SHOULD_ (I Can't test it) be EXE Compresable. ... Sorry For Any Inconviences ... Section# 1.6 Whats New to v2.6 Corected Some Bugs in the Calander... Should Work Fine Now. Win95 .PIF File. This _Should_ be the last Release of the Dos Version of Budget MASTER(tm) Bug Fixes and/or Good Ideas not includeuded. The New Version Is Titled VISUAL Budget MASTER(tm), and Registered Keys Will UnLock this New, Much Improved, Win95 Version! Section# 2. USES OF BUDGET MASTER. We will cover 3. uses of Budget master. Example #1. Lets get you started, When you run Budget MASTER(tm) (by typing budget at the DOS prompt and pressing enter.) the first thing you will see is a register reminder, READ IT! then hit any key to go on... Next, is the main screen. Budget MASTER(tm) has already loaded the last file ran into it. this won't do you much good except to see the lay-out of the thing... Now, use the cursor keys and move the high-lighted bar around on the screen. You will notice that there are 5 columns that are reached by moving the cursor keys right or left. and below there is a section you can get to by going down, or using TAB, it has only 3 columns in it. this is the INCOME section. Using your cursor keys, go to the TOP LEFT of the screen as far as you can go... this is the ITEM SECTION. Now, press ENTER. this SELECTS an entry to edit. Just moving the cursor to the place you want to change and hitting ENTER will SELECT ANY THING YOU CAN CHANGE. This theme is used through Budget MASTER(tm) to make it simple to use. (see COMMANDS. for more information.) Once you've pressed enter on an ITEM you will be in the EDIT MODE. now type in the name of a bill or expense you have. up to 28 letters and then hit ENTER again to EXIT the edit mode. Your Entry will now be there replacing the old one. Now, Move the cursor over to the right one column, under AMOUNT. Press the enter key and Type in the amount of the bill you just put in a second ago... if its $25.00 then put in 25 and hit enter. if its $345.79 type in only 345.79 and hit enter.(JUST BE SURE TO LEAVE OFF THE DOLLAR SIGN AND COMMAS.) Again, Move the cursor over to the right one column, under STATUS. But this time you don't enter anything... STATUS is a TOGGLE... That means it can be one of three things, but it must be one of them, those things are PAID, UNPAID, and HOLD. Now, press the space bar until the word UNPAID shows up in the window. If at any time you need more help press F1 and a help screen will pop-up for the area you are in. this is the CONTEXT SENSITIVE HELP! or you can hit the H key (when not in the edit mode) and get the general help screen. Again, Move the cursor over to the right one column, under DATE press ENTER again, and type in the number of the day of the month this bill is due. just the number and press enter. Budget master(tm) does the rest. Now, last but not least is the Comment section one more space to the right. Either a comment or an account number here is handy, but neither one is a must. GREAT! NOW, do that for all your Bills... then hit the s key to save your hard work ! As for a name of the file you are about to save, using the name of the month you are currently in works fine. just keep it short, only 8 letters max. Don't save it over the NOV01-96.BGT file, its used in an example later. Now for the INCOME section. using the same,enter to select, enter when done idea put in the name of your income. be it John,Sam, or Pacific Cost Fisheries. it really doesn't matter, the idea is to just keep tract of the income sources one step to the right, and your in the Paydays Per Month section... this is simple. Budget MASTER(tm) only needs to know how many paydays you have in this particular month. Type in that number. Next is the Amount per payday you get. Put in the TAKE-HOME-PAY not the hourly wage or gross pay. after hitting enter to exit the edit mode you can see the amount of monthly income at the right. If this isn't correct adjust your figures accordingly, but be assured Budget MASTER's calculations are right! Save it again. at this stage you should see all of your expenses, and all of your income in one spot. NOW THE FUN BEGINS ! Pick out an expense and tag it, you do this by placing the highlight-bar on it and then hit the t key. Notice the change in color (blue text) now look to the display bar (the area where the totals are printed) the top right side displays the total amount of the TAGGED items! Tag another and watch it change again. this is extreamly handy when in the middle of a month and some bills are paid and some are not. tag the ones you plan on paying this week and you can see at a glance the amount needed. of course you can do that in another way... say your 2 weeks into the month, toggle the bills paid that you have paid. now go down and change the PAYDAYS PER MONTH to 2 (in this case only 2 weeks left in the month and only 2 paydays...assuming you get paid every week.) this will give you a total that you need to pay off in the next 2 weeks. You will find that you will most likely change the TAGGED ITEMS and the PAYDAYS PER MONTH the most, although the TOGGLE option is also very useful and used a lot. Example #2. Now that you know how to enter things into Budget MASTER(tm) lets try a imaginary BUDGET EXAMPLE! type L and load the file NOV01-96.BGT As you can see, by a quick glance our mystery boy (we'll call Pete.) is pushing the limit on his budget. especially when the financial experts say you should be saving around 20% to 25% of your monthly income EACH MONTH..... Yeah, WELL RIGHT ! If my grandmother had wheels she'ed be a wagon too! But back to the budget. We can see he's got 2 jobs. one full time and another part time. and look at the tagged items. these were the bills he had before he got the car, and other job to support the car. but even there he was pushing the wire. if he broke a leg and couldn't work for a month or so.... he's had! So, lets help him out! Move the highlight bar over the Item called club dues. and press enter. now type in savings plan. and press enter again. move over to the amount column and put in 25.00 You should be getting the hang of it by now, but wait ! our buddy now is running into the RED. now what? and what's the big deal about running into the Red? Well, Running into the Red is the point of no return, from this point on its a self perpetuating spiral down into complete financial chaos.... NO REALLY ! How can that be? well, if you miss one payment on your new car, there goes your GOOD credit rating, they so understandingly add a late charge to it... you see? your starting to go backwards now. ok you catch up with them next month but can't pay RENT. will he add a late fee or just simply up your rent? Ok, you catch up on him the next month but who's going to go un- paid then??? and soon, you'll reach the point that you can't make up the late payment because you have gone backwards so far...get it? My advice is don't fall into this trap ! and if you are caught in it, get out of it... get out of it by sacrificing one of those things that cost you each month. be it car, cable TV, club dues, insurance even. but for Pete's sake stop the spiral ! Speaking of Pete lets see what we can do to stop that spiral before it starts. Well, Chopping the food budget is out...he hasn't got one ! which is either a lie or a miricial and he says the car stays! but we find that he's so busy with the new car he's not watching much TV.... AH-HA! KILL THE CABLE TV ! But I don't wanna..... Look Pete, its the TV or your sanity, future marriage, car, and possibly world war 3 !!!! (well maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but I'm sure about the first 3!) Ok, Pete said he'ed KILL the Cable TV... so go up to that item and press the Ctrl & Delete keys together. that will Delete that entire entry. That's looking better now. But I better have a talk with him about that food budget part.... incidently, hit the h key for the general help file or f1 for particular help in any area. Example #3 Ok, Lets assume you have 4 incomes and those are rental properties which you own, pay taxes on and in general have the headache of trying to keep them producing some sort of an income.... And under California Law, you gotta keep them in reasonable condition. and that is costly.... Here's what we'll do.... set up a file for each rental. put in the expenses,taxes(divided by 12MO.) and its income at the bottom. So... now you'd have for example... Jones-Dr.BGT Rose-st.BGT 4plex01.BGT Mother.BGT these are all files that you saved after you filled out expenses and such in Budget Master. at any time now you can load the file and see where you stand concerning that unit. now make one final file... Your BUDGET off of the information you get from the other units.... Too many times I've seen people struggling with rental units and they can't figure out why? and the reason too often is they take the gross income from the rental and not the Net income (income after expenses taken out) Back in the 1980's having a rental with $200.income above the payment was fantastic. Now days $50-$75. is considered great ! Today if you break even your lucky! The investment is in the Long-haul 10 to 15 years from now, that place may be worth twice what you paid for it, that is if you keep it in good repair.... if not you'll more than likely loose money on it. especially if it carries a newer loan. Ok, You probably already know all this or you wouldn't have the rental in the first place. But with Budget Master You will have a one on one look at each rental you have and will be able to tell at a glance if that rental is starting to cost you more than what it is worth. not guess work, you'll know ! convent things to add in these files would include... electricity per MO.(if you pay it) water/sewer(same, if you pay it) garbage heating cst(if 4-plex or apartments) expenses..... this is way too general. ! paint(and date put on ) Henry roof cement. (tag) windows. (tag) sink basket. (tag) sprinkler. (tag) plumbing parts. (tag) water heater. (tag) 3rd qtr taxes. others... total exp.Jan total exp.Feb total exp.mar YEAR TO DATE EXPENSES ( you'll have to total this up separately or use tag) Also don't under estimate the power of the TAG feature in Budget Master its great for totaling all expenses when you have each listed separately ! as above all parts are tagged and there total is read in the Tagged Total section in the middle right in the main screen. Also as the year progresses you could migrate the expenses into categories for year end totals. like... plumbing, electrical, structural, gardening. This makes tax time much easier. Section# 3. COMMANDS Mathematically speaking, Budget MASTER(tm) uses Doubles in all its calculations which is 15 digit precision. both negative and positive. that's numbers into the trillions ! Apart from the obvious features there are some hidden abilities in Budget MASTER(tm) these are listed below. hidden features... tag,status & file Load and Save. copy line to buffer copy buffer to line. delete entire line.delete file. Quit key or exit key or escape to DOS.h for help and f1 for help. Note# Budget MASTER(tm) is fully functional and will do all calculations equally well in both the Registered version and UN-Registered versions However the registered version can load and save 90 files ! and the reminder screens are removed. EDIT MODE. Hit Enter to Get Into The "Edit Mode" Yellow on Purple(Magenta) Text is Displayed. This is the DEFAULT SELECTION. To Keep the Default selection and exit "Edit Mode" simply hit . To Use the Default text as a base to edit from, hit Left/Right Arrow, Home/End, Backspace and delete Edits and Deletes the 1st char, Insert Edits and toggles the Insert Overwrite Mode.(DEFAULTS TO INSERT MODE) Any AlhpaNumeric Characters(a-Z,0-9) will clear the editing field and print that character. Item... Hit enter to select it, type in change, hit enter to exit it. Amount...Hit enter to select it, type in change, hit enter to exit it. TAG...this highlights an item in Blue, and will add it to any other Tagged item or items. just hit the 't' key to toggle it on or off This nifty addition allows you to have two calculations going at once. Really handy when you know you have 4 bills to pay and you don't care about the rest right now.... just tag them and read their separate total. Status... Paid, Its already paid, so Budget Master doesn't add it in at all. UNPAID,Its un-paid so Budget Master tries to pay it and subtracts its amount. Hold, no calculation done at all... Anywhere! Comment..Hit enter to select it, type in change, hit enter to exit it. Mainly here for your reference, you can put notes here or account numbers... Income... Name...Hit enter to select it, type in change, hit enter to exit it. Paydays/MO. Hit Enter to select it, type in number(0-99),hit enter to exit. Amount/payday. Hit Enter to select it, type in number(0-99mil.),hit enter to exit. Total/MO. This is the total of the month(paydays times amount per payday) for that one row the total income for all incomes is found near the center left marked TOTAL INCOME. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS. A command line option is an order you can give Budget Master upon startup (at the DOS prompt). Budget /? = usage help. Budget /h = usage help. Budget /H = usage help. Budget /a = usage help. Budget /u = usage help. Budget /q = Quite Mode.(No Sound) Budget /Q = Quite Mode.(No Sound) Budget /V = toggles usage of direct video using this will slow down the program but may cure some problems on some clones. it will then use normal video Bios(slow). So if your running a 386 at 25mhz don't use this option unless nothing else works ! However, any 486 should be fast enough to make the difference so small as to be barely noticeable. (Registered Version Only) Budget Makes Budget Master Load a specific budget file on startup(registered only) otherwise Budget Master normally loads the LAST file you saved or loaded. The Format of the Command Line is: Budget So, Budget Nov.BGT /V is Valid, while Budget /V Nov.BGT is NOT. NOTE. You May Include A Budget File On the Command Line only with the Registered Version. Section# 5. WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU REGISTER BUDGET MASTER. * You will receive a bit of information including a 20 digit code that will turn on the functions in Budget Master allowing it to LOAD AND SAVE up to 90 of your budget files.(not just 4.) * The Register Reminders will be removed. * We'll give you a discount on future products we put out. and free access to up-dates to this version. * Ability to Load a Budget File from the Command Line. * Unlimited Technical Support. (E-Mail, Normal Mail, Telephone.) Once REGISTERED, Budget MASTER(tm) Will save this information in a file called Budget.KEY. This special code will UNLOCK Budget MASTER(tm) and Register you. This is the only copy protection we use, it can't be edited and changed or it will be invalid. We mainly did this to keep the people from giving away the REGISTERED copy.... That's a NO,NO ! if you want to give away the Un-registered copy of Budget MASTER(tm), go right ahead ! in fact please do ! Question?... .....But, I want to give Budget Master to my friend, but I've REGISTERED it with you, can I still give it away ???? Answer... YES, IF YOU STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL UNMODIFIED ZIP....SURE! If you don't, DOWN LOAD it from Compuserve or the BBS where you got it from, and give it away.(it should be in its Original ZIP form) Budget MASTER(tm) writes a file to the current DIR called Budget.KEY without it, Budget MASTER(tm) won't know it was ever registered. this special file is generated by REGKEY (Best in the business) and must remain in the same directory for Budget MASTER(tm) to Know it is Registered, otherwise it will default to Un-registered. So, We have given you all the information you need to rob us blind if you so desire, but please don't, Our income is low enough as it is! Ha! I believe, Most People will do the right thing, our Business is based on that belief. So, DO THE RIGHT THING AND REGISTER TODAY ! We At Wizard's Workshop are a Father and Son team, and we sincerely Thank You! and May Your Budget be Mastered! ..... No, REALLY ! :) Section# 6. HOW TO REGISTER BUDGET MASTER. You Simply type in the information we will give you, Type 'R' in the Main screen, this will bring up the REGISTER screen. type in EXACTLY each letter we give you. by EXACTLY I mean upper case and lower case(capitals or not) numbers, letters and so on. and hit F10 when done. That's all there is to it. If you did this correctly Budget Master will have a new look at the top of the screen,and be able to load and save files. if not, Budget Master will tell you INVALID REGISTRATION. so try again. there's no time limit here so take your time (to you hackers, I calculate the odds of hitting the right combo. at an astronomical number of 2.60 with 27 zeros behind it!) HOW TO GET THAT INFO. (1.)SWREG in Compuserve. product#9502 Register while in Compuserve (CIS) and We'll E-Mail the info. to you within 24 hours baring any power outages. CIS will bill you on your monthly billing. (2.)mail us a check for $25.00 and say you want to Register Budget Master, with your name address & phone number to.... Wizard's Workshop 35274 Shenandoah Dr. Shingletown, CA. 96088-9734 (allow time for the check to clear) and you'll receive in the mail, all the information you need to get Budget Master going. sorry no C.O.D.'s (3.)call and Order using our friends at PsL (PUBLIC (software) LIBRARY)a 1-800 service....they take orders for us _ONLY_. call TOLL FREE 1-800-2424-PSL (orders only) Tell them you want to register Product ID#14408 (Which is Budget Master's PsL ID#). They take, Visa,MasterCard,Discovery card, and American Express. Tell them how you would like the information sent to you,E-Mail on Compuserve, (I'll need your Number!) or regular Postal mail service Then, you'll receive either through Compuserve E-MAIL, Phone, Fax or regular old postal service(your choice) the information you need to type in after typing an 'R' in the main screen in Budget Master to register. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY - You can order with MC, Visa, Amex, or Discover from Public (software) Library by calling 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 or by FAX to 713-524-6398 or by CIS Email to 71355,470. You can also mail credit card orders to PsL at P.O.Box 35705, Houston, TX 77235-5705." THE ABOVE NUMBERS ARE FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS ONLY. THE AUTHOR OF THIS PROGRAM CANNOT BE REACHED AT THESE NUMBERS. Any questions about the status of the shipment of the order, refunds, registration options, product details, technical support, volume discounts, dealer pricing, site licenses, non-credit card orders, etc, must be directed to Wizard's Workshop, 35274 Shenandoah Dr. Shingletown CA 96088-9734. Or call Wizard's Workshop at (916)474-1152, or Email, Compuserve ID 102527,1253, or InterNet at 102527.1253@compuserve.com. To insure that you get the latest version, PsL will notify us the day of your order and we will ship the product directly to you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section# 7. Distribution/Disclaimers. DISTRIBUTION/DISCLAIMER DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may copy their Shareware. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT Users of BudgetMASTER(tm) must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "BudgetMASTER(tm) is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or conse- quential, which may result from the use of BudgetMASTER(tm)." BudgetMASTER(tm) is a "shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find this program useful and find that you are using BudgetMASTER(tm) and continue to use BudgetMASTER(tm) after a reasonable trial period, you must make a registration payment of $25.00 to Wizard's Workshop(see Order.Frm). The $25.00 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Commercial users of BudgetMASTER(tm) must register and pay for their copies of BudgetMASTER(tm) within 30 days of first use or their license is withdrawn. Site-License arrangements may be made by contacting Wizard's Workshop. Anyone distributing BudgetMASTER(tm) for any kind of remuneration must first contact Wizard's Workshop at the address below for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering BudgetMASTER(tm) immediately (However Wizard's Workshop must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to-date with the latest version of BudgetMASTER(tm).). You are encouraged to pass a copy of BudgetMASTER(tm) along to your friends for evaluation. Please encourage them to register their copy if they find that they can use it. All registered users will receive a copy of the latest version of the BudgetMASTER(tm) system. Section# 8. Copyright. COPYRIGHT Budget MASTER is a Trademark of Wizard's Workshop. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. // ///End Of File