BudgetIF · Plan Ahead
Plan Ahead
See how childcare and other commitments shape the timing of a renovation, holiday or major purchase. Set priorities and find out when each goal could be funded.
Step 1 · What could fund it?
Your monthly starting point
Start with the sample allocations or explicitly import your edited budget. Adjust the monthly income and category reductions to explore the impact.
Existing budget headroom
£700
After the currently selected monthly allocations
Potential monthly reallocation
£340
Reduced allocations; requires real trade-offs
Next month after commitments
£190
Available for extra goals before unforeseen costs
Reducing existing savings or flexible spending reallocates those contributions; it doesn't create free income. Move a slider left to retain more of a category's original allocation.
Step 2 · What must happen?
Ongoing commitments
These payments reduce the money available to fund your one-off goals from their start month.
Modelled as an ongoing monthly payment through the planning horizon. It is not a one-off cost.
Step 3 · What can wait?
Bigger goals
Enter a total cost and any money already saved. Keep the date flexible if you don't know when the goal will be possible. Use the up/down arrows to decide which goal gets funded first.
Estimated fully funded
Aug 2028
Still to set aside within this view
£0
Estimated fully funded
Sept 2029
Still to set aside within this view
£0
Step 4 · The bigger picture
Your financial timeline
Surplus money is allocated to the first unfinished goal each month, then to the next. Goals are assumed to be paid from their saved pot once funded; no future spending beyond that is modelled.
When could each goal be funded?
Each bar represents estimated time to full funding—not the amount of money saved. Changes above update this view.
Home renovation
Priority 1
Aug 2028
Big family holiday
Priority 2
Sept 2029
Goal 1 · Flexible timing
Home renovation
Aug 2028
£12,000 of £12,000 modelled as funded by end of view
Goal 2 · Flexible timing
Big family holiday
Sept 2029
£4,000 of £4,000 modelled as funded by end of view
Month-by-month breakdown
Each month's estimated room after all active commitments
| Month | Added commitments | Available | Allocated to goals | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Dec 2026 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Jan 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Feb 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Mar 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Apr 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| May 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Jun 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Jul 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Aug 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Sept 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
| Oct 2027 | £850 | £190 | £190 | — |
Estimates use constant monthly allocations, existing sample commitments, and user-entered savings pots. They don't reserve cash, transfer money, schedule real purchases or automatically update YNAB. A goal becoming funded is not the same as the purchase being affordable after all real-world risks.