Start with your money.
Then see the time behind it.
Money is Time - Simple Finance Tracker gives you a simple way to track money while beginning to see every expense as a slice of the time it represents.
Time Receipt
A different way to look at $20
The Money is Time lens
Money tells you the price. Time tells you what it really cost.
Start noticing the time behind the number
Money is more than a number.
A dollar isn't just a dollar. It's a piece of the time you spent earning it. The Money is Time system was built around a simple idea: when you understand the time behind your money, you can make more intentional decisions with it. This free tracker is where that idea begins.
An illustrative example
$60
a dinner out
divided by your hourly value
2h 15m
Time spent
Example based on a $27/hour wage. Money is Time calculates this automatically from the wage you set.
Most trackers tell you what you spent.
Money is Time asks what that spending represents.
01
Know what your time is worth.
Set your hourly value once, it's the foundation everything else in the system is built on.
02
Know what goes out.
A manual expense log with basic category tags, so you can see where your money is going at a glance.
03
Stay inside a simple plan.
A monthly budget board gives you a plain, honest read on whether this month is on track.
04
See the time behind it.
Every expense you log is automatically converted into the hours it cost you, the core Money is Time idea, free.
The System
The core of Money is Time, focused.
Money is
Time
Subscriptions and Savings, shown faded, are only in the complete Money is Time system.
Inside the Tracker
Your money. One place.
Expense tracker
These are real screenshots taken straight from the template. I'll be polishing them up over time.
This Is Where It Starts
Start here. Go deeper when you're ready.
Start here
Money is Time - Simple Finance Tracker
- Core hourly-wage expense converter
- Simple monthly budget board
- Manual expense log
- Basic category tags
Go deeper
Money is Time
- Everything in Money is Time - Simple Finance Tracker
- Automatic hourly-wage expense converter
- Monthly budget boards with rollover tracking
- Subscription audit table
- Visual spending-by-category breakdown
- Savings goal tracker with progress bars
- Works on Notion Free, no paid plan required
How It Works
Four steps to start
- 01
Set up your income
Tell the system what your time is worth.
- 02
Track your money
Record your income and expenses as they happen.
- 03
See money differently
Watch spending convert into the hours it actually cost you.
Who it's for
See yourself in this?
Anyone who's new to tracking their finances.
Anyone who wants a simple, focused financial system inside Notion.
Anyone curious about the Money is Time idea who wants to experience it before going all in.
Students, freelancers, or anyone just starting to manage their own money.
Anyone who isn't ready for a full financial dashboard yet.
Ready For More?
Ready for the whole system?
You may want the full Money is Time system if you want:
Rollover budgeting instead of a simple monthly board
A subscription audit table
A visual category breakdown
A savings goal tracker with progress bars
Broader financial organization, all in one connected system
Made by Gerald
Money is Time started with a simple question: what if we stopped thinking of money as our most valuable resource? Money can be earned again. Time cannot. This free tracker is a way to start seeing that difference.
Start seeing your money differently.
Money is Time - Simple Finance Tracker
Free. Simple. Built around your time.
What makes Cheese different
You only get one life. Build it well.
I don't think your money, school, habits, health, and goals are separate problems. They're all pieces of the same life.
That's why I build Cheese differently. Instead of giving you another app to manage, I make Notion systems that help you organize the things that matter, make progress on them and actually enjoy the process a little more.
Because you only get one life. It deserves a system built around it.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it's free and yours forever, not a time-limited trial or demo.
Testimonials
What customers say
Nothing worked at all
Nothing connected the way it was supposed to. I would put in my income, and in another place that was supposed to reference it there would be nothing
December 2025
Creator's Note
This issue has since been fixed. The original version relied on buttons to create some of the database relationships, which could leave connections missing if they weren't used during setup. I've updated Money is Time Simple Finance Tracker so the necessary relations are now built directly into the template pages, making the system work correctly from the moment you duplicate it.
LOVE this concept
I loove the idea behind Money is Time. Really helped with my view on spending The free version is simple but still really useful for keeping track of spending and seeing where your money is going. I also really like the creator's approach to building Notion systems and their features. I've messaged them praising them and their customer service is amazing. Definitely one of the most unique finance templates I've come across and one I actually use as I buy/get MANY templates.
August 2026
What's new
Product updates
Relations now built straight into the template
The fix for connections that could end up missing when creatomg new pages
- Removed the reliance on buttons to create database relationships during setup.
- The necessary relations are now built directly into the template pages.
- Income and the values that reference it connect correctly from the moment you duplicate it.
Have an idea?
Help shape the next version. I read everything myself.
Stay connected
Want to see what I'm building next? Occasional updates, new systems, and ideas.
