Part 1 · Left
What is left on your everyday envelopes
Your plan has an envelope for food, one for transport, one for fun, and so on. Left is what those envelopes still hold, after what you have spent this period. Income that no envelope has claimed counts too, because nothing is waiting for it.
Bills and savings are not in it. They were set aside when you made the plan, so they cannot be spent twice.
Food, transport, fun500.00
Spent so far−214.00
Left286.00
Part 2 · Still to come
Repeats that land before payday
Rules you set once, like rent or a bus fare, post themselves on their day. Until they do, they still change what you can spend. How much depends on where they land.
- A bill or a saving. Already set aside, so it costs nothing extra. Only the part above what you planned comes off.
- Something from an everyday envelope. A bus fare every work day comes out of the same money the daily number divides, so it is taken off in full.
- Income. Never counted before it lands. A salary that arrives late should not turn into an overdraft.
Bus fare, 8 more work days8 × 2.40
Still to come−19.20
Part 3 · Days remaining
The days left until payday, counting today
Your period is whatever you live in: a month, a fortnight, or payday to payday. The count includes today and never drops below 1, so the last day gets whatever is left. That is also why it works with an irregular income: a longer gap means more days to divide by.
Part 4 · Rounded down
Down to the smallest unit of your currency
A cent for euros and dollars. One franc for FCFA. A number that rounds up tells you to overspend by a little, every single day.
Part 5 · Never below zero
Overspending shows up as a smaller number
Spend more than today's number and tomorrow's goes down. If you have spent past the plan, it shows 0 until there is something to divide. It does not go negative, and it does not turn red. There is no red in the app.
A common mistake
Why not divide your bank balance by the days left?
Because your balance still holds everything that has not gone out yet. Say it is 1,061.00, and rent, the phone bill and a transfer to savings are still to go.
