Daily Spending Calculator

The heart of CshFlow: know exactly how much you can safely spend today without running out of money.

The Core Question

"How much can I spend today without overdrafting or missing bills?"

Traditional budgeting apps make you categorize every purchase and stick to monthly limits. CshFlow answers a simpler, more useful question: what's safe to spend right now?

How It Works

The daily spending calculator analyzes your financial situation in real-time:

1. Current Balance - Your actual bank balance right now
2. Committed Expenses - Upcoming bills and recurring charges
3. Expected Income - Next paycheck or income deposit
4. Safety Buffer - Conservative cushion for unexpected expenses
5. Time Remaining - Days until month-end or next income

Result: A safe daily spending limit you can trust.

Calculation Modes

Mode 1: Until Month-End

Question: "How much can I spend daily until the end of this month?"

Best For:

• Salaried employees paid monthly
• Budgeting by calendar month
• Predictable month-end expenses

Calculation:

Available = Current Balance - Expected Expenses - Safety Buffer
Daily Limit = Available ÷ Days Remaining in Month

Example:

Current Balance:      $1,247.00
Days Until Month End: 12 days
Expected Expenses:    $450.00
Safety Buffer:        $100.00

Available: $1,247 - $450 - $100 = $697
Daily Limit: $697 ÷ 12 = $58/day

Mode 2: Until Next Income

Question: "How much can I spend daily until my next paycheck?"

Best For:

• Bi-weekly or weekly pay schedules
• Variable income
• Living paycheck to paycheck
• Tight cash flow situations

Calculation:

Available = Current Balance - Expected Expenses - Safety Buffer
Daily Limit = Available ÷ Days Until Next Income

Example:

Current Balance:      $847.00
Days Until Paycheck:  5 days
Expected Expenses:    $220.00
Safety Buffer:        $100.00

Available: $847 - $220 - $100 = $527
Daily Limit: $527 ÷ 5 = $105/day

Switching Modes

Toggle between modes using the dropdown in the Daily Spending widget. Your selection is saved and applied to all future calculations.

Expected Expenses

CshFlow automatically accounts for upcoming bills and recurring charges:

Automatically Detected

Based on transaction history, CshFlow identifies:

• Subscriptions - Netflix, Spotify, gym memberships
• Recurring Bills - Phone, internet, utilities
• Regular Payments - Insurance, loan payments
• Predictable Spending - Weekly grocery trips

Each recurring expense is projected to the next billing date.

Manually Added

Add expenses that don't appear in your CSV:

• Rent or Mortgage - Often paid by check or auto-withdraw
• Annual Subscriptions - Yearly renewals
• Irregular Bills - Quarterly insurance, semi-annual fees
• Upcoming One-Time Expenses - Car repair, dentist appointment

See Settings to add manual expenses.

Income Detection

CshFlow analyzes your transaction history to identify income patterns:

Automatic Detection

Looks for:

• Payroll Deposits - "PAYROLL", "SALARY", "DIRECT DEP"
• Employment Insurance - "EI PAYMENT", "EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE"
• Government Benefits - "IPG DXTRA", "CANADA CHILD"
• Tax Refunds - "CRA", "REFUND"

Frequency Detection

CshFlow determines your pay schedule:

• Bi-weekly - Every 2 weeks (most common)
• Semi-monthly - Twice per month (e.g., 15th and last day)
• Monthly - Once per month
• Weekly - Every 7 days

Next Income Date

Using detected frequency, CshFlow calculates:

• Your next expected pay date
• Amount you'll receive (based on average)
• Days until income arrives

Manual Income Patterns

If automatic detection doesn't work:

1. Go to Settings
2. Add income pattern manually
3. Specify frequency and amount
4. Set next expected date

See Income Detection for details.

Conservative Rounding

All calculations use conservative rounding for safety:

• Available spending: Rounded DOWN (Math.floor)
• Expected expenses: Rounded UP (Math.ceil)
• Daily limit: Rounded DOWN (Math.floor)

Why? Creates a built-in safety buffer.

Example:

Actual Calculation:   $58.73 per day
Conservative Display: $58.00 per day
Hidden Buffer:        $0.73 per day

Over a month, this adds up to an extra ~$20 safety cushion.

Learn more: Conservative Rounding

Safety Buffer

The default safety buffer is $100. This cushion protects against:

• Unexpected expenses
• Price increases on subscriptions
• Miscalculated recurring charges
• Banking fees
• Rounding errors accumulating

Adjusting the Buffer

In Settings, you can:

• Increase for more conservative calculations
• Decrease if you prefer tighter budgets
• Set to $0 to disable (not recommended)

Recommended: Keep at least $50-100 as emergency cushion.

Real-Time Updates

Your daily spending limit updates automatically when you:

• Upload new transactions
• Add or remove manual expenses
• Add or modify income patterns
• Change your safety buffer
• Toggle conservative rounding
• Update your current balance

No need to refresh—the calculation happens instantly.

Understanding the Analysis

The Daily Spending widget shows:

Money Status Hero

Large display of your daily limit:

$58
Safe to spend today

Breakdown

Detailed analysis:

• Current Balance - Your actual bank balance
• Days Remaining - Until month-end or next income
• Next Income Date - When you'll get paid next
• Expected Income - Amount you'll receive
• Committed Expenses - Total upcoming bills
• Safety Buffer - Your conservative cushion
• Available for Spending - After expenses and buffer

Confidence Indicators

Color coding:

• Green - Healthy cash flow, safe to spend
• Yellow - Tight budget, be careful
• Red - Cash flow warning, reduce spending

Tips for Accuracy

Keep Balance Updated

Update your current balance regularly:

• After large purchases
• When you get paid
• Weekly check-ins
• Before making big decisions

Where: Settings → Current Balance

Review Recurring Expenses

Check the Vendor Analysis page to ensure:

• All subscriptions are detected
• Cancelled services are marked as cancelled
• Amounts match your actual bills

Configure Income Correctly

If your daily limit seems off:

1. Verify your pay schedule is correct
2. Check next expected income date
3. Confirm income amount is accurate

Add Manual Expenses

Don't forget expenses that don't appear in your CSV:

• Rent/mortgage
• Insurance premiums
• Annual subscriptions
• Upcoming one-time expenses

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Just Got Paid

Current Balance:      $2,847.00  (after paycheck)
Days Until Month End: 15 days
Expected Expenses:    $1,200.00  (rent, bills, etc.)
Safety Buffer:        $100.00

Daily Limit: ($2,847 - $1,200 - $100) / 15 = $103/day

Action: You can comfortably spend ~$100/day for the next two weeks.

Scenario 2: Mid-Month Crunch

Current Balance:      $427.00
Days Until Paycheck:  8 days
Expected Expenses:    $180.00
Safety Buffer:        $100.00

Daily Limit: ($427 - $180 - $100) / 8 = $18/day

Action: Tighten spending to ~$18/day until next paycheck.

Scenario 3: Weekend Before Payday

Current Balance:      $143.00
Days Until Paycheck:  2 days
Expected Expenses:    $0.00  (all bills paid)
Safety Buffer:        $100.00

Daily Limit: ($143 - $0 - $100) / 2 = $21/day

Action: You have ~$21/day for the weekend. Almost there!

Troubleshooting

Daily Limit Seems Too Low

Check:

• Is your current balance correct?
• Are there phantom recurring expenses? (cancelled subscriptions still showing)
• Is your safety buffer too high?
• Did you add manual expenses twice?

Solution:

• Review Vendor Analysis
• Mark cancelled subscriptions
• Adjust safety buffer in Settings

Daily Limit Seems Too High

Check:

• Did you forget to add manual expenses (rent, etc.)?
• Are your recurring expenses being detected?
• Is your income pattern correct?

Solution:

• Add missing manual expenses
• Check Vendor Analysis for low-confidence subscriptions
• Verify income settings

Limit Doesn't Update

Check:

• Did you update your current balance?
• Have you uploaded recent transactions?
• Are income patterns configured?

Solution:

• Refresh the page
• Check Settings → Income Patterns
• Re-upload latest CSV if needed

Advanced Tips

Use with Actual Spending

Track your actual daily spending:

• If you stay under the limit, you're safe
• Going over occasionally is okay (that's what the buffer is for)
• Consistently over? Time to reduce expenses or increase income

Combine with Vendor Analysis

Use both features together:

• Daily limit tells you how much to spend
• Vendor Analysis shows where you're spending it
• Target Optimizer suggests what to cut

Plan Around Income

If using "Until Next Income" mode:

• Spend less early in the pay period
• Save some limit for unexpected needs
• Don't max out your daily limit every day

Related Features

• Vendor Analysis - See where your money goes
• Target Optimizer - Find ways to increase your limit
• Settings - Configure income and expenses
• Conservative Rounding - Understand the safety buffer

---

The daily spending calculator is CshFlow's core feature. Master it, trust it, and never worry about overdrafting again.