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Monthly Planner
Every spending category at its monthly average, ready to edit. Change a number and the summary strip updates immediately.
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Category | Click the name to open it in Explore Spending. |
| N-mo avg | Average per month over the data window (usually 12 months). |
| Low – high month | The cheapest and most expensive month. |
| Planned / mo | Your number. Starts at the average; type to change it. |
| Change | Planned minus average. Green = less, red = more. |
Categories are grouped under headings (e.g. Essentials, Flexible) set by each category's group
(Categories). Within a group they're sorted by size. Total regular spending is at
the bottom.
Only regular categories appear here. One-time costs, credits and ignored categories are handled below or not at all (Categories).
Money coming in that offsets spending (work reimbursements, refunds) is a credit category. Each has a checkbox: ticked means "subtract it from spending".
- A credit that offsets a spending category (e.g. reimbursements for Shopping & Household) appears as an indented line under that category, followed by a net line.
- A credit with no
offsetsappears below the total, followed by Net spending. - A credit that offsets a one-time category (e.g. a federal refund against income tax) appears under that toggle instead (see below).
Credits are amounts you can edit too. Whether each one is on by default comes from default_on.
One row per partner (with the note you gave, e.g. "pay stub") plus Other income. Starts at the take-home pay in Settings › Household.
One row per:
- child's 529 contribution (also editable on that child's 529 card),
- savings account (Settings › Savings & income),
- investment account (feeds the investment's balance in Retirement).
Irregular costs (property tax, income tax payments, a big purchase) are kept out of the averages so they don't distort the regular budget. Each one-time category gets a toggle showing its monthly equivalent (total over the window ÷ months).
- Tick it to set that amount aside each month.
- Tax one-time categories count in the strip's Tax set-aside; the others count in Spending.
- A credit nested under a one-time cost (e.g. "Subtract the federal refund") reduces it; the line shows the Net result. It's disabled while its parent is off.
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reset to averages | Planner amounts, income, savings and toggles back to their starting values. |
| Try 10% less on flexible spending | Sets every category marked flexible to 90% of its average. |
- Planned amounts drive the long-range projections too: Spending Over Time and the retirement comparison start from them.
- Want to keep a version? Save it as a scenario.