Budget Reality Check
A budget that survives real life
Build a realistic budget with sinking funds so irregular expenses stop blowing up your plan. Most budgets assume every month is "typical" — this one doesn't.
INGREDIENTS
PROMPT
Create a skill called "Budget Reality Check". Purpose: build a realistic personal budget that includes irregular expenses via sinking funds so the budget doesn't collapse in "non-typical" months. When the skill runs: 1) Ask for: currency, pay frequency, take-home income, fixed bills, recent variable spending (last 60–90 days is ideal), and any known irregular expenses (annual/semiannual/quarterly). 2) Categorize spending into fixed / variable / irregular. 3) Convert irregular expenses into sinking funds with monthly targets. 4) Produce a budget in a clear template: - Income - Fixed bills - Sinking funds (irregulars) - Variable category caps - Savings/debt goals - Expected monthly surplus/deficit 5) Stress-test: show what happens if income drops by 10% or if a "bad month" happens. 6) End with the next 3 actions the user should take this week (automation, bill timing, category caps). Placeholders you may use: [currency], [pay_frequency], [net_income], [fixed_bills], [variable_spend_last_90d], [irregular_expenses], [goals] Output must include: - A budget table - A sinking-funds list with monthly targets - A short weekly maintenance routine (<=10 minutes) - A safety note: not financial advice; don't share sensitive data
How It Works
This skill builds a monthly budget that accounts for the expenses most budgets
ignore — birthdays, annual insurance, the dentist, car maintenance. It turns
those irregular costs into repeatable "sinking funds" so nothing is a surprise.
What You Get
- A monthly cashflow plan (income → bills → variable spending → savings/debt)
- An irregular-expense plan with sinking funds and monthly targets
- Category spending caps based on your recent spending
- A stress test showing what happens if income drops or a bad month hits
- A 10-minute weekly routine to keep the budget current
Setup Steps
- Gather your pay frequency, take-home income, and rough spending from the last 2–3 months
- List any irregular expenses you can think of (annual, quarterly, semi-annual)
- Decide your goals — debt payoff, emergency fund, saving for something specific
- Run the skill and review the budget it produces
- Automate what you can and set a weekly check-in reminder
Tips
- "Rough" spending is fine — you don't need exact numbers to start
- The sinking funds are the most important part; they're what stops budget blowups
- Review and adjust monthly — no budget is perfect on the first pass
- If you're in crisis (eviction, utilities shutoff), say so — the skill will prioritize immediate stabilization first