Made-up figures · Practice without pressure
Will the money be there
before payday?
A monthly plan and money available on a bill date can tell different stories. Your own finances do not need to be shared.
One fictional household. December 2026.
- Expected pay
- $750 on December 4, 11, 18 and 24: $3,000.
- Listed costs
- Rent $1,800 + groceries $400: $2,200.
- Before first pay
- Rent of $1,800 is due December 1. Only $100 is available for that bill then.
The monthly plan
$3,000 - $2,200 = $800
Left to plan for the month.
Before first pay
$1,800 - $100 = $1,700
Gap for the rent due December 1.
Talk it through
- Why does $800 left to plan not settle the December 1 bill?
- Which pay dates, balances and bills would you check?
- What one question would you write as your next step?
Later pay does not become available earlier. The $1,700 is a gap in this fictional exercise, not a prediction of an actual overdraft.
Using the tool
This rent gap is worked out here for the example. The budget tool does not calculate what cash will be available on each date. Other household costs may be missing.
If you opened this from your budget, switch back to that tab to keep working. This practice page does not copy or change your budget.
Ask Ed or a class leader to use the fictional example with you. This is optional practice.