Money waiting for a job
Cash you have that isn't in a category yet. Your goal is to bring it to $0.00 — not by spending it, but by planning it.
You have $2,400 and assign $1,885. Ready to Assign: $515.
Budgeting
A budget is just a plan for money you already have.
SpendWise uses envelope budgeting: split what you have into categories, spend from them, and adjust when life happens. Here's every idea you need, in plain language.
The words you'll see
Six ideas, zero jargon
These are the same labels you'll find in the app.
What you planned
The amount you've set aside for a category this month — your intention for that money.
Groceries: $320.00 assigned.
What actually happened
The total of transactions you've recorded in that category this month.
Groceries: $86.40 spent at the corner market.
What's left to spend
Assigned minus spent. This is the number to check before you buy something.
Groceries: $233.60 available Healthy
A category that needs attention
You spent more than you assigned. Cover it from another category, or it comes out of next month's Ready to Assign.
Dining out: -$12.00 Overspent
Change the plan, not the total
Shift money between categories whenever priorities change. You're re-planning, not creating money.
Move $40 from Fun money to Groceries.
Planning
Categories that fit your life
Group categories the way you think — Essentials, Lifestyle, Savings — and give each one a monthly amount during setup.
- Each group shows what's left across its categories
- Status labels, not just colours: Healthy, Warning, Overspent, Unfunded
- Filter to only the categories that need attention
- Step back to past months to see how a plan played out
Transactions
Every dollar in and out, in one list
Record income and expenses as they happen, against checking, savings or cash accounts.
- Money in and money out for the month at a glance
- Search by payee and filter the list
- Category suggestions based on payees you've used before
- Fix a mistake by editing or deleting a transaction
Decisions
“Can I afford this?” gets a real answer
Because every dollar is planned, the answer is right there in the category.
- Check the category. If Dining out has $60 available, a $40 dinner fits.
- Not enough? Decide what matters more and move money from another category.
- Safe to spend today on Home spreads what's available over the days left in the month.
- Insights show your top spending categories and pace, so next month's plan is better.
SpendWise shows you your own numbers. It doesn't give financial advice or promise savings — you make the calls.
Goals
Plan for what's next
Set a goal from the Goals card on Home and SpendWise tracks your progress and shows how much to set aside each month.
Save toward something
An emergency fund, a trip, a new laptop. Set a target and watch the progress bar fill.
Be ready for big bills
Car insurance in June? Add the amount and the date, and see how much to put aside each month.
Pay off a debt
Track what's left on a card or loan and how far you've come.
The free plan includes one savings or planned-expense goal and one debt goal at a time.
Want to feel it before you sign up? The paycheque demo on the home page lets you assign a sample $1,600 and cover a surprise overspend, exactly like the app.
Make your first plan today
Free to start. Set up takes a few minutes, and you can change everything later.