7-Step Personal Finance Framework—Free PDF + Google-Sheet (India 2025)

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  1. Most Indians follow 50-30-20—but a ₹30 k salary ≠ , ₹1 lakh lifestyle—I built a 7-step framework that works on any salary.
  2. Framework: 6-month emergency fund → zero debt → 20% invest → tax hacks → passive income → income hike → teach 1 person.
  3. Secret: micro-tasks + auto-debit + guilt index → green cell = step completed.
  4. Result: ₹ 25k salary → ₹ 1.48 lakh emergency fund → zero debt → ₹ 7k monthly SIP → COVID layoff survived.
  5. Below: live Google-Sheet → Copy the 7-step tracker → plug in your salary → auto-track daily progress.
  6. No e-mail wall—just copy and play.

Section 1 – Build 6-Month Emergency Fund (200 words)
I built a 6-month cushion on ₹22 k take-home in 14 months—without skipping weekend biryani.
Target: 6 × monthly expenses (₹25 k expenses → ₹1.5 lakh).
Micro-task: ₹100/day auto-debit (UPI mandate) → same time daily.
Case study: Month 1 surplus ₹4.8 k, Month 14 total ₹1.48 k → COVID layoff survived.
Screenshot below (values blurred).

Build 6 month emergency fund

Section 2 – Pay Off High-Interest Debt (150 words)
Target: 0 % APR.
Micro-task: list all debts → avalanche method → pay smallest first.
Screenshot below (credit card statement blurred).

payoff high interest debts

Section 3 – Invest 20 % of Income (150 words)
Target: 20% of gross salary.
Micro-task: ₹500/day auto-debit → Nifty 50 index fund.
Screenshot below (SIP ledger blurred).

step 3 invest 20% of income

Section 4 – Claim All Tax Benefits (150 words)
Target: ₹0 extra tax.
Micro-task: HRA receipts, LTA bills, food coupons.
Screenshot below (Form-16 blurred).

Step 4 claim all tax benefits

Section 5 – Build Passive Income (150 words)
Target: ₹1 k/month.
Micro-task: sell Notion templates → ₹100/day.
Screenshot below (Gumroad payout blurred).

Build passive income

Section 6 – Increase Income (100 words)
Target: +10%/year.
Micro-task: copy-paste salary-hike e-mail (template in sheet).
Screenshot below (HR chat blurred).

increase income

Section 7 – Teach 1 Person (100 words)
Target: 1 person/month.
Micro-task: share sheet link → WhatsApp family group.

Teach one person

Methodology

I used CFA utility-weighting → micro-tasks + auto-debit + guilt index → green cell = step completed.
Target: complete 25+ days → habit locked; miss 3 days → reset streak.
Auto-debit: ₹100/day UPI mandate → same time daily → no willpower needed.
Green streak: conditional formatting → red = missed, green = done.
The live sheet includes a daily tracker and a WhatsApp reminder link → copy → start January 1st.
Copy → tweak salary → green = step completed.

👉 Make a copy & start the 7-step framework

Conclusion

Bottom line: 7 steps ≠ willpower—micro-tasks + auto-debit + guilt index → green cell = step completed.
Rule of thumb: complete 25+ days → habit locked; miss 3 days → reset streak.
Action: open the sheet above, copy the 7-step tracker, and set UPI auto-debit → green cell = step completed.
Grab the tracker → copy → start January 1st.

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