Build Your Freedom Fund (Finally): A 30-Day, Spreadsheet-Powered Plan

In partnership with

From Italy to a Nasdaq Reservation

How do you follow record-setting success? Get stronger. Take Pacaso. Their real estate co-ownership tech set records in Paris and London in 2024. No surprise. Coldwell Banker says 40% of wealthy Americans plan to buy abroad within a year. So adding 10+ new international destinations, including three in Italy, is big. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

Invest for $2.90/Share

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

Last week, we explored the why of rest and freedom. Today, we build the how: a clean, repeatable system that protects your nervous system and your cash flow, without relying on heroic willpower.

You don’t need another “someday.” You need a number, a place to put the money, and a rhythm that runs whether you’re fired up or fried. This is that plan, plus a spreadsheet that does the math and shows your progress in real time.

Step 1: Define what your Freedom Fund covers

Open the Calculator tab and fill in B3–B11 with only the core expenses you’d still pay in a slow quarter or during a pause: housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, insurance, minimum debt payments, healthcare/meds, non-negotiable childcare, and any true must-pays. The sheet auto-totals Core monthly (B13) so you don’t have to.

Why “core only”? Because freedom is a runway, not a lifestyle upgrade. If it wouldn’t sink the household or the business to skip it for a season, it doesn’t belong here. (Upgrades live in your regular budget or in separate “sinking funds,” coming up in Step 6.)

Step 2: Pick your coverage and timeline — the sheet does the math

Still on Calculator:

• Enter your chosen coverage in B15 (3, 6, or 9 months).

• Enter how many months you want to take to build it in B18 (6–18 months is realistic).

• The sheet calculates Target Freedom Fund (B16) and Monthly transfer needed (B19) automatically.

• If you already have savings earmarked for this, record it in B23; Progress % (B24) updates on the spot.
  

Quick guidance:

• W-2 with stable income? Start with 3–4 months.

• Variable income, business owner, or single income with dependents? Target 6–9 months.

Step 3: Decide how the money will flow (automation beats motivation)

Pick the method that fits your world and wire it once.

If you’re W-2:
Ask payroll to split your direct deposit: 10% to the “Freedom Fund” savings, 90% to checking. If your employer can’t split, set an auto-transfer for the morning your paycheck lands.

Copy/paste:
“Hi [Payroll/HR], please set a split on my direct deposit: 10% to [Bank + routing + account named ‘Freedom Fund’], 90% to my checking. Effective next pay period. Thank you.”

If you’re 1099/owner:
Adopt a weekly skim rule: every Friday, move 10% of collected revenue into the Freedom Fund before paying anything else. Busy month? Bump to 15–20%; lean month? Keep the habit at 10% so momentum never dies.

For everyone:

• Windfalls (refunds, bonuses, gifts): route 50% to the Freedom Fund automatically.

• Turn on card round-ups and schedule a monthly sweep of those micro-savings into the fund so the pile stays visible and consolidated.

Step 4: Irregular income? Let percentage, not feelings, drive the bus

If your deposits swing, forget fixed dollar transfers. Use the sheet’s Monthly transfer needed (B19) as your pace and choose a % skim that gets you there on average. Open the Progress Tracker tab and record each deposit with the % to FF you skimmed. Column E ($ to FF) calculates automatically; Cumulative FF Balance (F) adds up each row and includes your starting balance from the Calculator tab. The box at the top right shows your Goal, Current Balance, and Progress % without you lifting a finger.

Step 5: Make it hard to raid (future-you will thank you)

Two moves reduce “oops, I took from savings”:

1. Separate + label. Keep the Freedom Fund in a distinct high-yield savings account and rename it exactly “Freedom Fund (Do Not Touch)” in your banking app. Toggle off debit/ATM on that account.
   

2. Rules you’ll honor. In the Sprint Planner tab, write your personal policy for “what counts” (job loss, revenue below baseline, medical, must-fix car/home). Add a 24-hour pause rule before any withdrawal and a replenish rule: anytime you dip into the fund, your auto-transfer increases by +1–2% until the target is restored.
   

Share the policy with your partner/household so everyone’s aligned. Money leaks through ambiguity; clarity is cheaper.

Step 6: Sinking funds keep “emergencies” rare

A lot of crises are just expenses we failed to plan for. Open the Sinking Funds tab. For each category (car, medical deductible, travel, gifts, annual renewals), put your Annual Cost in column B. Column C auto-computes the Monthly Transfer (annual ÷ 12). These live in separate labeled sub-accounts or “buckets,” funded via small automations. Result: your Freedom Fund isn’t constantly bailing out predictable life.

Step 7: Follow the 30-day sprint to get it moving

On Sprint Planner, you’ll see a four-week checklist. It’s intentionally light and compounding:

Week 1 — Numbers + Naming

• Fill Calculator B3–B11 with your core numbers; confirm B13/B16/B19.

• Open and nickname your savings account “Freedom Fund.”

Week 2 — Automation + Rules

• Set the paycheck split or weekly skim.

• Schedule a 15-minute Friday money check-in (just enough to update the Progress Tracker).

• Turn on round-ups and a monthly sweep to the Freedom Fund.

Week 3 — Guardrails + Sinking Funds

• Write your emergency policy and share it.

• Create 3 sinking funds and turn on transfers.

Week 4 — Acceleration

• Sell 3 unused items; deposit 100% to the fund.

• Cancel 2 subscriptions; redirect the savings.

• Increase your auto-transfer by +1–2% (you won’t feel it; your future self will).

Step 8: What if you have high-interest debt?

Use a 50/50 rule until you hit one month of core expenses: half of your surplus to the Freedom Fund, half to extra debt payments. Once that first month is funded, shift more aggressively to the debt while maintaining a steady drip to the fund so one surprise doesn’t send you back to the card.

Step 9: Pitfalls to avoid (and quick fixes)

• “I’ll save what’s left.” You won’t. Pay yourself first via payroll split or skim.

• All-or-nothing mentality. The first $500–$1,000 changes your nervous system. Start there.

• Too many accounts. Keep it simple: one Freedom Fund + 3–5 sinking funds you can see in one app.

• Calling wants ‘emergencies.’ Wants live in your monthly plan or “Joy” fund. Preserve the runway.

How to use (and share) the spreadsheet

• Calculator: Fill the yellow cells (B-column inputs). The sheet calculates your target (B16), timeline math (B19), and live progress (B24).

• Progress Tracker: Log deposits as they happen. Columns E and F auto-calculate; the top right shows current progress at a glance.

• Sinking Funds: Enter annual costs; column C tells you the monthly draft to set.

• Sprint Planner: Treat it like a checklist — write dates or “Done” in the status column.
  

Implementation scripts (ready to copy)

• Payroll/HR: “Please split my direct deposit: 10% to [Bank/Routing/Acct ‘Freedom Fund’], 90% to checking. Effective next pay period.”

• Bank: “Please set an automatic transfer of $[Monthly transfer from B19] from Checking to ‘Freedom Fund’ on each payday morning.”

• Household/team: “We’ve set a Freedom Fund to cover [3/6/9] months of core expenses. We’ll only use it for [list]. If we draw from it, our transfers increase until it’s full again.”
  

When you hit the target

Keep a 1–2% monthly drip to offset inflation. Anything above the target can flow to mid-term goals (down payment, business runway) or to investments per your plan. Keep your rules in place; a full fund is not an invitation to spend — it’s permission to choose.

Bottom line: Freedom is a system. Name the number, automate the flow, protect the boundary, and track the proof. Use the spreadsheet to make the invisible visible — and let your fund grow while you live your life.

Prefer a guided setup? I’ll do it with you, start to finish. Schedule here

Live richly. Rest deeply. Rise fully.
Najma Zanelli
Book A Private Call
Explore Offerings
Founder, NAZ Global Consultancy
Email: [email protected]