metricvalley Spreadsheet tools for small agencies

Help · Freelancer Cash at a Glance

Set up Freelancer Cash at a Glance

Updated

This guide covers version 1.0.0, the version you download today. Estimate: setup takes about 5 minutes, plus about 1 minute per invoice or bill. A first setup with 10 invoices and bills takes about 15 minutes. After that, the weekly check takes about 5 minutes.

Before you start

  • You need Excel 365 on a Windows desktop computer. That is where this version was tested. Other apps are listed on the compatibility page.
  • Have your bank balance and the date you checked it, each unpaid invoice, and each bill you pay: rent, subscriptions, insurance, your own pay.
  • Sheet names and column labels below are quoted exactly as they appear in the version 1.0.0 file.

Yellow cells: you type. Leave every other cell to the workbook.

1. Download the ZIP file

About 2 minutes.

  1. After payment, Payhip shows a download link on the confirmation page and sends the same link by email.
  2. Click the link and save the ZIP file (about 725 KB) somewhere you will find it again, such as a "Metricvalley" folder in Documents.

Can't find the email? Search your inbox and spam folder for "Payhip". If it isn't there, email [email protected] with the address you used at checkout and we'll resend the link.

2. Unzip it

About 1 minute.

Excel can open a file from inside a ZIP, but it opens a temporary read-only copy, and your changes may be lost. Extract the files first.

  • Windows: right-click the ZIP file, choose Extract All, then Extract.
  • Mac: double-click the ZIP file. The files appear in a new folder beside it.

You now have ten files:

File What it is
freelancer-cash-at-a-glance-v1.0.0-blank.xlsx The workbook for your own money
freelancer-cash-at-a-glance-v1.0.0-worked-example.xlsx The same workbook with a fictional designer's money
START-HERE.html Open this first: every file and where to begin
quick-start.md Setup, the weekly routine and reading At a Glance
metric-dictionary.md Every field and calculation defined
support-and-compatibility.md Where it's tested, and how to get help
license.md License terms for both licenses
release-notes-v1.0.0.md What is in this version
money-back-guarantee.md The 30-day money-back guarantee
MANIFEST-freelancer-cash-at-a-glance-v1.0.0.sha256 SHA-256 checksums, so you can check every file arrived intact

START-HERE.html opens in any browser. The .md files open in any text editor, such as Notepad or TextEdit.

3. Open the worked example, then save your own copy of the blank file

About 2 minutes.

  1. Open freelancer-cash-at-a-glance-v1.0.0-worked-example.xlsx to see a finished screen for a fictional designer, as of 5 Oct 2026. Every client in it is fictional, and the status reads SAMPLE until the sample rows are cleared.
  2. Open freelancer-cash-at-a-glance-v1.0.0-blank.xlsx. Excel may show a yellow Protected View bar that says the file came from the internet. This is normal for any downloaded file. Click Enable Editing. The file has no macros, so you will not see a macro or content warning.
  3. Choose File > Save As and save a copy with your business name in the file name. Keep the format as Excel Workbook (.xlsx).
  4. Keep the original download untouched in its folder. It is your clean copy if you ever need to start again.

The workbook has four sheets: Start Here, At a Glance, Money and Guide. It opens on Start Here. The Guide sheet explains every input, calculation and check, so you can work without this page.

Every sheet is protected without a password, so a formula can't be overwritten by accident. You never need to unprotect a sheet to enter data. If you want to change the workbook itself: Review > Unprotect Sheet.

4. Fill in the Setup block on Start Here

About 2 minutes.

  1. Choose your currency. Every amount in the file is in this one currency.
  2. Type your cash in the bank: the balance of the account you pay bills from. Leave out money you keep for tax in another account. A minus sign means an overdraft.
  3. Type the date you checked the balance, as 5 Oct 2026. Excel reads a date with the month name the same way on US, UK and Australian settings, and dates show as 5 Oct 2026 everywhere, so a mix-up is easy to spot.
  4. Optional: the buffer to keep (cash you never plan to spend), your tax set-aside rate, the last day you moved tax money aside, and the weeks to look ahead (1 to 13; 4 if you leave it).

5. Add your invoices and bills on Money

About 1 minute per row.

  1. One row per unpaid invoice: Money in, who owes it, what it is for, the amount and the due date.
  2. One row per bill: Money out, who you pay, what for, the amount and the due date.
  3. A retainer, rent, a subscription or your own pay is typed once: give the first due date and choose how often it repeats (weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, quarterly or yearly). Add an end date if it stops.
  4. When a one-off invoice or bill is paid, type the date in Paid on. Repeating rows need no Paid on date: every payment before today is counted as made. If one was missed, add it as its own row.

6. Read At a Glance

About 2 minutes.

  1. Check the status in row 3. OK means every check passes. CHECK (n) names how many fail; the Checks block says what to do. SAMPLE means sample rows remain.
  2. Work down Needs attention from the top. Do this next names the most urgent action and its date.
  3. Read the six figures: money coming in, overdue invoices, bills to pay, tax to set aside, safe to spend and the weeks your cash covers. The breakdown below them shows every step.

Then set a weekly calendar reminder, for example every Monday at 9:00, to open the file. The workbook can't remind you, and its dates move only while it is open.

7. Each week

About 5 minutes.

  1. Type today's bank balance and the date on Start Here.
  2. On Money, type the Paid on date for each invoice paid to you and each one-off bill you paid.
  3. Add new invoices and bills.
  4. Open At a Glance and work down Needs attention. When you move tax money aside, change Tax set aside up to on Start Here to that date.

If you skip a week, nothing breaks: unpaid items stay overdue and repeating rows roll forward.

8. Clearing the worked example

Only if you want to reuse that file:

  1. Save a copy of the worked example under a new name first.
  2. Click the Name Box, the box left of the formula bar that shows the cell address.
  3. Choose MV_Clear_Money and press Delete.
  4. On Start Here, delete View as of, then replace the cash, its date, the tax settings and the buffer with your own. At a Glance shows OK.

Getting help

Email [email protected]. Support replies within 1 business day (Monday to Friday, Australian Eastern time). Include the version (1.0.0, on Start Here), your Excel version, the sheet and row, and what you saw. Send made-up or redacted figures only.

The Google Sheets edition is free for every buyer when it ships, delivered through your Payhip download link. Don't import the .xlsx files into Google Sheets.