Zero Based Budget Agent Skill

Zero-Based Budget

Overview

Creates a zero-based budget where every dollar of income is assigned a job — spending, saving, or debt repayment — until the remaining balance is exactly zero. Analyzes your current spending patterns to create a realistic starting budget, then identifies reallocation opportunities.

Wilson Tools Used

• spending_summary — get current spending by category to inform budget allocations
• transaction_search — find income transactions to establish total monthly income

Workflow

• Run transaction_search with query: "paycheck OR salary OR direct deposit OR income OR freelance" and months: 3 to identify all income sources.
• Calculate average monthly income from the results. If income is variable, use the lowest of the 3 months as the planning baseline.
• Run spending_summary for the last 3 months to get average spending per category.
• Build the initial budget template using actual spending as the starting point:

   ZERO-BASED BUDGET
   ══════════════════════════════════════════════════
   Monthly Income:                         $X,XXX.XX
   ══════════════════════════════════════════════════

   NEEDS (Target: 50% = $X,XXX)
   ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
   Housing/Rent               $X,XXX   (actual: $X,XXX)
   Utilities                  $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Groceries                  $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Transportation             $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Insurance                  $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Minimum Debt Payments      $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Healthcare                 $XXX     (actual: $XXX)

   WANTS (Target: 30% = $X,XXX)
   ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
   Dining Out                 $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Entertainment              $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Shopping                   $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Subscriptions              $XXX     (actual: $XXX)
   Personal Care              $XXX     (actual: $XXX)

   SAVINGS & DEBT (Target: 20% = $X,XXX)
   ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
   Emergency Fund             $XXX
   Retirement                 $XXX
   Extra Debt Payment         $XXX
   Other Savings Goals        $XXX

   ══════════════════════════════════════════════════
   TOTAL ALLOCATED:                      $X,XXX.XX
   REMAINING TO ASSIGN:                  $0.00
   ══════════════════════════════════════════════════

• Compare actual spending to the 50/30/20 guideline. Flag categories where actual exceeds the guideline.
• If total actual spending exceeds income, identify the largest "wants" categories and suggest reductions to bring the budget to zero.
• If there is surplus after covering all actuals, suggest allocating it to savings or debt repayment.
• Present the final budget with all dollars assigned and remaining balance at exactly $0.

Without Wilson

• Calculate your monthly take-home pay. If you are salaried, check your pay stub for net pay and multiply by pay frequency (biweekly = x26/12, semi-monthly = x2). If variable, use your lowest recent month.
• Export one month of transactions from your bank as CSV.
• In a spreadsheet, categorize every transaction. Create a pivot table summing by category.
• Open a new sheet and list every category with its actual average. Add a "Budget" column next to it.
• Start with fixed expenses (rent, utilities, insurance, loan minimums) — these are non-negotiable. Enter them as-is in the Budget column.
• For variable needs (groceries, gas), set the budget at or slightly below the 3-month average.
• For wants (dining, entertainment, shopping), set budgets that fit within 30% of income.
• Allocate remaining dollars to savings and debt categories.
• Check: =SUM(BudgetColumn) should equal your income. If not, adjust until it does.

10. Free tools for ongoing tracking: YNAB (You Need A Budget) is built entirely around zero-based budgeting. EveryDollar (by Ramsey Solutions) is a free alternative.

11. Google Sheets template formula for remaining: =Income - SUM(B2:B30) — this cell should read $0.

Important Notes

• Zero-based budgeting works best when done before each month starts, since every month has different needs (holidays, birthdays, irregular bills).
• The 50/30/20 split is a guideline, not a rule. High cost-of-living areas may require 60%+ on needs.
• If income is irregular (freelance, commission), budget based on the lowest expected month and treat extra income as a bonus to allocate.
• Review and adjust the budget monthly. A budget that does not evolve with your life will be abandoned.