Answers before you start and as you go
Learn what the GetMeFi workbook does, what you need to use it, and how to make sense of your results. For help with a specific issue, visit Support.
Getting started
What exactly is GetMeFi?
GetMeFi is a downloadable Microsoft Excel personal-finance workbook with a detailed User Guide and one year of sample data. It helps you organize imported transactions, build monthly budgets, analyze spending, and estimate upcoming credit card payments and cash requirements.
Is this an app?
No. Your purchase is a digital Excel workbook that you download and use in Microsoft Excel. You enter and import the information used in your analysis.
How much Excel experience do I need?
You should be comfortable pasting data, entering values, choosing dropdown options, sorting tables, and following written instructions. The included User Guide explains the setup and recurring workflow. Experience with detailed spreadsheets may help you explore more of the workbook, but advanced Excel expertise is not the starting requirement.
Do I need to understand the formulas?
You do not need to build the workbook’s formulas. You do need to follow the setup instructions, enter the required information, and select appropriate Formula Types for your credit-card accounts. Comparing the resulting estimates with actual payments is part of using the workbook responsibly.
How long does setup take?
That depends on the condition of your transaction data, the number of categories and accounts, and how much you want to reorganize. Initial setup includes importing data, mapping categories, entering budget information if desired, mapping credit cards, and validating estimates. The User Guide takes you through each stage.
Can I try the workbook with example transactions first?
Yes. Your purchased workbook includes one year of sample data. Explore the worksheets and dashboard before replacing that information with your own transactions according to the User Guide.
What happens after the initial setup?
Update your transaction data, check for any new categories or accounts, review BudgetDashboard, and check PullPredict. Your category and account mappings remain when you save, so you generally do not have to rebuild them for each update. Adjust the workbook when your finances or inputs change.
Transaction data
Do I need to connect my bank account?
No. You import transaction history yourself. The GetMeFi workbook does not require a direct connection to your bank or credit-card accounts.
Do I need Monarch Money?
No. The workbook was designed around transaction exports from personal-finance tools such as Monarch Money, but other sources can be used if you can export transactions to CSV and format the columns appropriately. There is no direct integration or syncing with Monarch Money.
Can I use a CSV from my bank or another finance service?
Yes, if the exported data can be arranged into the columns required by RawData. Different sources may need preparation before you paste the transactions. Follow the User Guide and check the column placement; an export is not necessarily ready to use unchanged.
Does the workbook automatically retrieve transactions?
No. You provide each data update. The spending analysis and payment estimates reflect the information currently in your saved workbook, so refresh your transaction data before relying on it for a new review.
Where do I put my transaction history?
Import it into the RawData worksheet using the column arrangement explained in the User Guide. Keep the worksheet headers intact and confirm that each field is in the correct column.
How many transactions can the workbook support?
Up to 30,000 transactions.
Budgeting and spending
Can I customize my categories?
Yes. Map the original categories in your imported data to your preferred Big Categories and Subcategories. You can keep an existing structure or reorganize it within the workbook’s capacity limits. You can also identify categories that should not be treated as expenses.
What are Big Categories and Subcategories?
A Big Category is a broad spending group. Subcategories give you more detail within that group. For example, you might choose a Big Category called “Food” with Subcategories such as “Groceries” and “Dining Out.” These are examples; choose names that reflect your own spending.
How many categories can I use?
The workbook supports up to 15 Big Categories, with up to 7 Subcategories per Big Category and up to 105 total Subcategories.
Do I have to create a budget?
No. BudgetDashboard can analyze imported spending without a completed budget. Categories without budgets may show “No Budget.” Entering monthly budgets lets you compare your planned amounts with actual spending.
What budget information can I enter?
You can enter monthly budgets for Big Categories and Subcategories, your Monthly Net Income, and a Steady Bank Balance Target. The target represents the amount you generally prefer to keep available in the bank.
What does BudgetDashboard show?
BudgetDashboard supports year and period selection, Big Category and Subcategory analysis, budget-versus-actual comparisons, full-year spending views, and underlying transaction review. A magnitude indicator can help you spot unusually large transactions that deserve a closer look.
Why does a category say “No Budget”?
That category may not have a budget entered. You can still review its spending. Check your budget entries if you expected to see a budget comparison.
Can the workbook help me investigate an unexpected spending total?
Yes. Select the relevant year, period, and category in BudgetDashboard, then examine the underlying transactions. That detail can help you identify a large expense, a category mapping to revisit, or a budget that needs adjustment.
Credit cards and PullPredict
What is PullPredict?
PullPredict is the worksheet for reviewing estimated upcoming credit card payments and comparing those estimates with actual payments. It also incorporates other manually entered cash expenses and your Steady Bank Balance Target to calculate an estimated cash surplus or deficit after planned obligations.
How do I set up my credit cards?
Map your individual credit-card accounts in CardMapping and select the appropriate Formula Type for each account. Formula Types accommodate different issuer or payment structures. Some require additional information, so use the User Guide to check the relevant inputs.
How accurate are the payment estimates?
Accuracy depends on your imported transactions, account and category mappings, settings, selected Formula Types, entered expenses, and timing assumptions. An estimate can differ from the actual amount or date. Treat the results as planning information and validate them against your issuer’s records.
How should I validate the estimates?
Compare the estimated payments shown in PullPredict with actual payment information from your credit-card issuers. Check statement balances, payment amounts, payment dates, and due dates. If the results do not look reasonable, review your imported data, CardMapping selections, required inputs, and timing assumptions before relying on the estimate.
Can I include expenses that are not paid by credit card?
Yes. PullPredict incorporates other cash expenses you enter manually. Keep those entries current so the cash calculation reflects the obligations you intend to include.
What is the Steady Bank Balance Target?
It is the amount of money you generally prefer to keep available in the bank. PullPredict incorporates that target when estimating a cash surplus or deficit after planned obligations. The target is an input you choose, not a guarantee that your account will stay at that balance.
Does a projected surplus mean I should invest it?
No. A projected surplus is an estimate based on the information and assumptions in your workbook. Confirm your actual bank balance and upcoming obligations, and consider any expenses or needs the workbook does not yet reflect. Decisions about saving, investing, transferring money, or paying down debt remain yours.
Does a projected deficit mean my bank account will be overdrawn?
No. It means the current calculation shows a shortfall relative to the included obligations and your Steady Bank Balance Target. Review the inputs and compare the estimate with your actual balances and payment information to understand what it means for your situation.
Can I use the workbook with semimonthly pay?
The example workbook is configured around a semimonthly pay structure. You still need to enter your own information and validate the results against your actual pay and payment timing.
Can I use it with monthly pay?
The framework can be adapted for monthly pay. Follow the User Guide and check that your inputs and timing assumptions reflect your actual schedule; it is not the same configuration as the semimonthly example.
Can I use it with biweekly pay?
The framework can be adapted for biweekly pay. Because biweekly paycheck dates move through the calendar, you may need to manually reflect the actual paycheck timing. Validate the resulting cash estimates against your own dates and obligations.
Does GetMeFi provide financial advice?
No. The workbook and guides support personal financial planning, analysis, and education. They do not provide personalized financial or investment advice. Confirm actual statement balances, payment amounts, payment dates, due dates, and bank balances with your financial institutions before making decisions.
Excel and compatibility
Microsoft Excel is required. For questions about your specific Excel version and device, email hello@getmefi.com before purchasing so you can check suitability.
Can I use Google Sheets or another spreadsheet editor?
The workbook is designed for Microsoft Excel.
Does the workbook use macros?
No. It contains no macros and no executable VBA.
What do the worksheet colors mean?
Blue indicates a formula or calculated cell; green indicates a user input; gray marks a header or label; yellow indicates a check or validation; and red indicates an error or missing information. Use these cues alongside the User Guide.
Privacy and security
Where is my transaction data stored?
You import transaction data into your downloaded workbook and choose where to save that file. If you use a shared folder, cloud storage, or online backups, those choices affect how the file is stored and who can access it.
Does using the workbook require me to give GetMeFi my bank login?
No. The workbook does not require a direct financial-account connection. Do not send bank login details, passwords, or complete financial statements to support.
Is website privacy the same as workbook privacy?
No. Working with transactions in your downloaded workbook is separate from visiting the website, purchasing a download, or contacting support. Read the Privacy Policy for website information-handling details, including the relevant service providers and choices.
Purchase and download
What does the $24.99 purchase include?
The GetMeFi Excel workbook, one year of sample data, and the detailed User Guide. It is a one-time digital purchase with no subscription required.
Is this a physical product?
No. It is a digital download for use in Microsoft Excel.
How will I receive my purchase?
Your purchase is two downloadable files, the GetMeFi Excel Workbook and the GetMeFi User Guide.
Support
What should I do if something is not working?
Start with the relevant part of the User Guide and the checklist on our Support page. Check the RawData column placement, category and account mappings, selected year and period, and any relevant Formula Type. For payment estimates, compare the results with actual issuer information.