Before you start
- Your download is a zip with two files. Double-click it to open it. Start with the one marked with examples to see how everything works, then use the blank one for your household.
- Open the file in Microsoft Excel. Using Google Sheets? Upload it to Google Drive, then open it with Google Sheets.
- Start on the Start Here tab. It has the same steps, right inside the file.
- The sample data is there so you can see how everything works. Type over it with your own when you're ready.
Here's how to set up your home once, then let the Dashboard tell you what's due and what to set aside.
1Check settings (one time, about 2 minutes)
- Open Start Here first. Yellow cells with blue text are yours to fill in. Italic yellow cells are optional. Gray cells calculate on their own.
- Open Settings. Check the inflation rate (3% is a common long-run figure) and, if you want, the interest your savings earn.
2Set up the schedule
- Open Schedule. 45 common tasks are already there. Remove what doesn't fit your home and add your own at the bottom.
- For each task, type when you last did it. Next due date and status fill in on their own.
3Add your big items
- Open Replacements. For each big item, type the year it was installed or its age today.
- Adjust the expected life and cost if you know better. Add anything already saved for it.
4Log work and check monthly
- Each time you finish a job, add a line on Log. The schedule picks up the newest date by itself.
- Check the Dashboard once a month: what's overdue, what's coming up, and the recommended monthly home reserve.
What the messages mean
The tool watches your numbers and tells you in plain words when something needs a look. Here's every message you might see.
What to do: Do the task, then log it on Log.
What to do: Plan it in.
What to do: Add how often and when you last did it.
What to do: Start saving for it now. Its monthly savings use a 12 month window.
Using Google Sheets or your phone
- To use Google Sheets, upload the file to Google Drive, then right-click it and choose Open with, then Google Sheets.
- Dropdowns, colors, and every calculation work the same in Google Sheets.
- On a phone, the Google Sheets and Excel apps work for quick changes. For setup and printing, a computer is easier.
- Want to start fresh? Type over the yellow example cells. Don't delete rows, since other tabs may be reading them.
Ready when you are
Everything above comes with our home maintenance planner for $19, updates included. Or get it as part of the full Home and Money Toolkit.
Common questions
Can I change the lifespans?
Yes. Lifespans are typical ranges, not promises. Use your own when you know better.
Where does the reserve number go?
Into the Home Budget and Bill Planner's Share box, and optionally the True Cost of Homeownership Calculator.
Quick reference from the Start Here tab
Welcome
Houses don't fail all at once. They wear out a little every year, and the big bills (a roof, a furnace, a water heater) always seem to arrive at the worst time. This planner keeps every routine job on a schedule, logs what you've done, and looks ahead at the big replacements so you can save a little each month instead of being surprised.
Where To Start
Open 'Settings'. Check the inflation rate (3% is a common long-run figure) and, if you want, the interest your savings earn.
Open 'Schedule'. Delete tasks that don't fit your home and add your own at the bottom. For each task, type the date you last did it. A good guess is fine.
Open 'Replacements'. For each big item, type the year it was installed (or its age today). Adjust the expected life and cost if you know better.
Each time you finish a job, add a line on 'Log'. The schedule picks up the newest log date by itself, so you never have to update it twice.
Check 'Dashboard' once a month. It shows what's overdue, what's coming up, and how much to set aside each month.
Which Cells To Edit
Yellow cells with blue text are yours. Yellow cells in italics are optional, and their label says (optional).
Gray cells calculate on their own and are locked so a formula can't be erased by accident.
Need to change a formula? In Excel go to Review, then Unprotect Sheet. In Google Sheets use Data, then Protect sheets and ranges. No password needed.
What The Results Mean
Schedule status: Overdue (the next due date has passed), Due this month, Due soon (30 days), OK, or Not scheduled (no last done date or no frequency yet). Check date means a date is in the future or isn't a real date.
Next due date: the last done date plus the frequency in months. A task done on Jan 31 that repeats monthly is next due Feb 28 (or 29).
Last done (used): the newer of the date you typed and the newest date for that task on 'Log'.
Estimated yearly cost: the cost each time multiplied by how many times a year it happens. A $150 job every 2 years counts as $75 a year.
Replacements status: Past expected life (it has reached its typical lifespan; it may still work fine), Plan now (1 to 2 years left), Within 5 years, or Later.
Estimated future cost: today's cost grown by your inflation rate for each year until the replacement year.
Monthly savings: what to set aside each month so the money is there by the replacement year. Items past their expected life use a 12 month window. With a 0% savings interest rate it is a simple division. With a rate above 0% it uses the PMT function, so interest does part of the work.
Recommended monthly home reserve: your estimated yearly maintenance divided by 12, plus the monthly savings for every big replacement.
How To Clear The Examples And Reuse It
The easiest way: open the Blank file. It is the same planner with the example dates, log entries, ages and savings cleared.
Or clear them yourself: select the yellow cells and press Delete. Never delete the gray columns. To remove a task, clear its yellow cells in that row.
Every table has room to grow: 200 schedule tasks, 500 log entries and 40 replacement items, all pre-formatted.
Good To Know
Expected life vs. actual life: lifespans are typical ranges, not promises. A well kept furnace can last longer; a roof in a harsh climate can fail early.
Estimated cost vs. quote: every cost here is an estimate. Prices vary a lot by region and home. Replace them with real quotes when you get them.
Maintenance vs. replacement: maintenance is the small regular work (filters, gutters). Replacement is buying a new roof, furnace or appliance.
Already saved: money you've set aside for that one item. It lowers the monthly savings for that item.
Home reserve: one savings pot for all of it. Type what you have saved on the Dashboard to see your progress.
The replacement chart shows the next replacement of each item in the next 20 years. Items already past their expected life are counted in this year.
Want it to use a specific date instead of today (for planning ahead)? Type it in 'Today's date' on Settings.
Share box: the "Share with other EasyWorkTools Home tools" box on the Dashboard lists the numbers this file gives to and gets from the other Home tools. Copy them by hand. The labels match exactly, so it's clear where each one goes.
Getting Updates
Every update is free. When a new version is ready we email you, and you can download it any time.
Moving to a new version: copy the yellow cells from each sheet into the same sheets of the new file.
Using Google Sheets? Upload this file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets (or File, then Import, then Upload). The math works the same.
Your License
This file is licensed to one household. Please don't share, resell or post it online.
© 2026 EasyWorkTools. All rights reserved. easyworktools.com
Every tab
This file has 7 tabs, in this order:
- Start Here
- Dashboard
- Schedule
- Log
- Replacements
- Lists
- Settings