Forecasted Total Spend + Overlimit Projection in Budget View
A
Anton
Add an optional Projected Total Spend column to the Budget view that estimates the full expected spend for the current budget period by assuming:
All budgeted amounts will be fully spent, and
Any actual over-limit spending to date will be included as an add-on, so users can see the true projected outflow for the period.
This makes the Budget view more forward-looking rather than only reflective of actuals so far and static budget targets.
## Background / Motivation
Lunch Money’s Budget view currently shows key metrics such as:
Budgeted - amount allocated per category for the period,
Actual spending so far, and
Net totals available / Left to Budget for the period.
This works perfectly for retrospective tracking and keeping spending within planned limits - but it doesn’t help with forecasting what the final spend outcome will look like once the period ends.
In real-world budgeting (especially for households with irregular spend patterns), users regularly want to know:
“Based on what I’ve budgeted and what I’ve already overshot, how much will my total spend be by the end of this budget period?”
Currently, Lunch Money does not provide this insight automatically in the Budget UI - users have to export data or manually estimate by combining actuals with expected future spend. Showing only actuals so far alongside static budget targets makes it hard to answer the above question without external tooling.
## Proposed Behavior
Add optional Forecasting columns in the Budget view:
### Projected Total Spend
For each category:
Projected Total Spend = Budgeted + Max(Actual to Date - Budgeted, 0)
Meaning:
If the category has not been overspent yet → projection equals the full budgeted amount,
If the category has already exceeded the budget → the projection includes that overage.
### Total Budget Gap (Forecasted)
Below the category list or in a summary row:
Total Projected Spend = ∑(Projected Total Spend)
Forecast Gap = Net Total Available - Total Projected Spend
This gives users:
A single number representing what’s realistically going to be spent this period,
A true view of the cash gap between planned inflows and expected outflows,
A clearer basis for adjusting plans mid-period.
## Why This Matters
- Better financial planning: Users won’t have to export data to Google Sheets or manually calculate projections.
- Forward-looking forecasting: Instead of only showing what has happened and what was planned, the Budget view would answer what will likely happen based on existing behavior and assumptions.
- Increased clarity when budgets are exceeded: Overspending already recorded in actuals is automatically reflected in the total projection instead of just flagging red cells.
Log In