How Budgeting Earns XP

🎯The 100 XP Budget Pool

• Zero-Based Budgeting → up to 20 XP
• Budget Variance → 20 XP
• Categories on track → 15 XP
• Savings Rate → up to 15 XP
• Set your budget → 10 XP
• Essentials paid → up to 10 XP
• Plan Next Month (Plus and Pro) → up to 10 XP

1️⃣Zero-Based Budgeting (up to 20 XP)

• Watch: the Zero-Based Budgeting card.
• Give every peso of your projected income a job. Your total budget should match your projected income.
• Within 2%, a little under or a little over → 20 XP. Projected income is only a guess, so we give you room.
• 2% to 5% left without a job → 10 XP
• More than 5% left → no XP
• Over-budgeted by more than 2% → no XP

📅When Zero-Based Is Checked

We check at the end of each day from the 7th to the 29th (28th in February). Fixing it the same day counts. Your month's XP is based on your lowest day. A bill paid from a future expense goal (like a Birthday Fund) is left out, because that money was saved in earlier months, not taken from this month's income.

2️⃣Budget Variance (20 XP)

Watch: the Budget Variance card. At month-end, did you spend less than or equal to the budget you made? Then you get 20 XP. We use your budget as of the 7th, so raising it later to "stay under" doesn't count. A bill paid from a future expense goal (like a Birthday Fund) is left out of both your budget and your spending here.

3️⃣Categories on Track (15 XP)

Watch: your category budgets. At month-end, 8 out of 10 of your budgeted categories (80%) didn't go over → 15 XP.

4️⃣Savings Rate (up to 15 XP)

Watch: the Savings Rate card. It uses the items you budgeted under Savings and Investments, but only the ones marked Paid count. At month-end we add up those paid items and divide by the income you logged this month. 20% or more → the full 15 XP. Less than 20% still earns its share: 12% is 60% of the goal → 9 XP. You need both: income logged and paid savings. Example: you logged ₱40,000 income and paid ₱8,000 → 20% → 15 XP. Paid ₱4,800 → 12% → 9 XP. The big number on the card is what you planned; the XP uses what you paid. Savings Goals set aside for a future expense (like a Birthday Fund) are left out of both: that money is for spending later, not for keeping.

5️⃣Set Your Budget (10 XP)

By the 7th, give at least 8 categories a budget (any 8) → 10 XP. Fewer than 8 → no XP. Start small: 8 categories is enough to build the habit.

6️⃣Essentials Paid (up to 10 XP)

Watch: your Essentials in the Spending tab. Every essential bill you pay earns its share: pay all of them → 10 XP. Pay 1 of 10 → 1 XP. Pay none → no XP.

7️⃣Plan Next Month (up to 10 XP, Plus and Pro)

• A real plan (you made changes) → 10 XP
• A copy of this month with no changes → 5 XP