Calendar and safe to spend

The calendar puts your paydays, bills, one-time items and debt payments on the days they happen. Starting from the balance you entered, it projects the balance you'll end each day with.

Month and list views

Open Calendar in the app. Month shows a grid with each day's items and end-of-day balance. List shows the same days as a list. Use the arrows to move between months.

How far ahead you can look depends on your plan: 35 days on Free, 12 months on Plus.

Your balance

The projection starts from the balance you enter on the Overview with Enter your balance or Update balance. Items dated after that day are projected. Items dated the same day count as not yet paid, unless you tick them.

When you update your balance, the planner lists the items dated that day. Tick the ones that have already cleared your account. They're then treated as part of the balance you typed, so they aren't taken off a second time.

Update your balance about once a week, or whenever it's far off from what the calendar shows. With Plus, the weekly check-in email reminds you.

Safe to spend

Safe to spend is how much you can spend now without coming up short before the paycheck after next. It's worked out like this:

1. Take every projected end-of-day balance from today until the day before the payday after next.
2. Find the lowest one.
3. Subtract your cushion.

The result is safe to spend. It never shows less than zero. If there's no paycheck in your plan, the planner looks 30 days ahead instead.

The Overview shows the arithmetic: your balance now, the lowest point and the bills it comes after, and your cushion. It also spreads the amount over the days until your next payday, so you can see a per-day figure.

Why the payday after next?

A big bill a few days after payday can take most of the next paycheck. Say you have $900, rent of $1,800 is due right after your next $1,500 paycheck, and nothing else is due before then. Counting only the bills before payday, you'd think you could spend $900. But if you did, the $1,500 paycheck wouldn't cover rent. Looking to the payday after next catches that.

The cushion

The cushion is money you never want to dip below, for example $100 for surprises. Set it in Preferences. Safe to spend is what's left above it.

What it doesn't include

Safe to spend covers only the items in your plan. Groceries, gas and other day-to-day spending come out of it. If you add those as bills, they're set aside before the number is worked out.

Shortfall warning

If your balance is projected to go below zero on any day in the calendar, the planner shows the first date it happens. Move a bill, add a paycheck or cut spending before that date.

Debt payments

Each debt in Debt payoff is placed on the calendar on its due day with the payment from your payoff plan. Safe to spend already includes those payments.

This is math, not advice. The numbers are only as accurate as the paychecks, bills and balance you enter.