The Great Millennial Pause™ Budget Calculator
$20
A Google Sheet that tells you, down to the month, how long your savings would actually last if you took the break. So you stop guessing.
You've run this math in your head a dozen times. Savings, minus rent, minus everything else, divided by something. The number's different every time, which is how you know it was never really math.
A career break isn't one number. It's your savings, how long you'd be out, your regular bills, the one-time costs you forget until they hit your card, health insurance, a cushion, and however long the job search takes on the other side. All of it moving at once. Do that in your head and you'll either talk yourself out of a break you can afford, or walk into one you can't.
This sheet runs it for you. Change one number and everything updates. Your total cost, your runway, your risk level, and the exact month you'd hit $0 if nothing changed.
What this actually is...
No bank account to link. No generic "save 3-6 months of expenses" rule that has nothing to do with your rent. No formulas for you to write.
The Great Millennial Pause™ Budget + Runway Calculator is a Google Sheet that walks you through four questions in the order that works.
What do you need?
What happens month by month?
What if it goes sideways?
What are you forgetting?
You start with your real numbers. You watch them play out over time. Then you stress-test them. That order matters, because a plan that feels safe and a plan that is safe are two very different things.
This is for you if:
You're seriously looking at a sabbatical, career break, or gap between jobs, and "I think I have enough saved" is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now.
You tried to run these numbers yourself and gave up somewhere around "wait, did I forget insurance again?"
You want your actual runway, not a rule of thumb that was written for somebody else's life.
You feel calmer with a real plan than with vibes, even when the plan is a little scary.
What's inside
Inputs and Summary. One dashboard. Enter your numbers once and see your total cost, your surplus or shortfall, and a color-coded risk level. Green, yellow, red. No interpretation required.
Month-by-Month Burn-Down. A table and a chart showing your savings draining month by month, so you can see the exact month you'd hit $0. If you ever would.
Scenario Comparison. Three editable columns, Conservative, Expected, and Optimistic, so you can put the harder version of your plan next to the easier one and look at both.
Expense Category Checklist. The 10 costs people often forget when they budget a break. Health insurance, the subscriptions that don't pause, the job search that comes after. Pre-filled, so none of it sneaks up on you in month 4.
What you get
A fully built Google Sheet you can copy and use tonight. No setup, no formulas to write.
Every number connected, so one input changes your total, your runway, and your risk level everywhere at once.
Formula-protected tabs, so a stray click or a bad paste can't break your math. Every input cell stays fully editable.
Lifetime access to the file, plus any updates I make to it.
Where this fits
This is the math you'd otherwise do badly, in a notes app, at 11pm.
It won't tell you whether to take the break. That's a bigger conversation, and it's the one I have with coaching clients. What it will tell you, in dollars and months, is whether the break you're picturing is one your savings can actually cover.
By the end, you'll have...
Your exact total cost for the break you're picturing, instead of a guess.
A month-by-month view of your savings and the month you'd run out if nothing changed.
A plan that's been tested against a harder version and an easier version of your own numbers.
A running list of the sneaky costs that catch people off guard.
FAQs
Do I need to know Excel or Google Sheets to use this?
No. You'll only ever type numbers into the yellow cells. Everything else calculates itself. And you can't even mess up the formulas.
Will this work in Excel, or only Google Sheets?
It's built and delivered as a Google Sheet, so it works there with zero setup. If you'd rather use Excel, download a copy and it'll work there too.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's a planning tool, and I'm not a licensed financial advisor. It's built to help you see your own numbers clearly. For the bigger financial decisions, loop in a professional.
What's your refund policy?
You get immediate access to digital content, so all sales are final and there are no refunds. If you have questions before you buy, email me at hello@tarakermiet.com.
Can I share this with someone else?
Access is for one person and can't be shared. If someone else needs it, send them to this page.
What if I have more questions?
Email me at hello@tarakermiet.com and I'll tell you straight whether this is the right fit.
Who this is for
Anyone seriously weighing a sabbatical, career break, or gap between jobs. Anyone who wants real numbers instead of a rule of thumb. Anyone who's tried to budget this in their head and given up.
Who this is not for
Anyone looking for financial or investment advice, because this is a planning tool and nothing more. Anyone who wants a fully custom spreadsheet built around unusual income streams or categories, because that's a coaching conversation, not a template.
About Tara
👋 I'm Tara a burnout and career coach for high performers who are done functioning inside their burnout and ready to actually get out of it.
I built this because "I think I have enough saved" kept showing up in sessions as the thing standing between somebody and a break they clearly needed. Almost every time, the fear was bigger than the math. So I built the math.
It's the same runway thinking I use with 1:1 clients planning a pause, in a format you can run yourself tonight without waiting for a session.
Whatever the number turns out to be, it's going to either relieve you or scare you. Either way, that's data we can work with.
Note: When you purchase, you'll be added to my email list, where I share practical insights on burnout, leadership, and career pivots. You can unsubscribe at any time.