Your First Money Goal

One goal. Do the math once, find the money, then watch it move. Everything saves on this device.

Name one goal

One. Not three. Three has its own rules, and they come later.

The goal, in plain words

The exact amountJust the number.

The date you want it by

Why this one, and not something else

Savvy: "A goal without a number is a wish with better manners."

Sense: "And a number without a date is just a number. You need both."

If you can't fill in the amount and the date, the goal isn't ready yet — it's still an idea. Go smaller until both fit.

Find the money

It has to come from somewhere specific. "I'll be careful" is not somewhere.

Places people actually find it: a subscription you forgot, one takeaway a week, a bill you haven't renegotiated in two years, an extra hour, a refund you never redirected, the round-up on every purchase.

Where it comes from	Per month
Total found each month	—

Add a line or two above and this compares itself to what you need.

Watch it move

Fill in what you actually put away. The running total adds itself up.

——

Month	Planned	Actual	Running total

Log your first month and this starts projecting your finish date.

When the running total hits your number, spend it on the thing.

Skipping that is how people quietly stop believing the next goal is real.

Juggling more than one goal at a time is a different problem, with different rules. Saving For Different Financial Goals ($19) is about exactly that — see the systems.