Home: understanding Money available

Every time Margaret opens VIVA she sees the same Home screen. This chapter explains what each number means, so none of them is a surprise.

Read your Home screen

What you’ll do: find the four main figures and know what each one counts.

1. Open Home. It is the first button in the bottom bar (computer: the top of the left-hand menu).

2. Look at the first card, Money available. This is VIVA’s best picture of the money you have right now.

3. Look at the second card, Safe to spend. More on this below.

4. Scroll down to see the Income and Expenses cards.

   12

   1. 1 Money available
   2. 2 Safe to spend

   12

   1. 1 Money available
   2. 2 Safe to spend

   12

   1. 1 Money available
   2. 2 Safe to spend

What “Money available” means

Money available = your starting balance + the income you’ve recorded − the expenses you’ve recorded.

• VIVA counts an entry when you save it, not on the day the money really moves at your bank.
• Spending on a credit card lowers Money available right away. VIVA records the purchase when you enter it. It does not wait for your card bill.
• The figure is only as complete as what you enter. If you forget to record a payment, VIVA can’t know about it.

VIVA records, it doesn’t move money

VIVA doesn’t connect to your bank, and it can’t send or receive money. Think of it as a careful notebook.

What “Safe to spend” means

• If you have set a budget, it shows what is left of your plan for the month, such as “left in your November plan”. Underneath, VIVA says about how much that is per day for the days remaining.
• If you haven’t, it shows your income minus your expenses so far this month, labelled “this month”.

It is a guide to how your month is going. It is not a promise or a recommendation.

See where it comes from

What you’ll do: open the breakdown behind Money available.

1. Tap the Money available card.

2. Read the three parts. The first is the total across all accounts. Below it, Bank and Cash are shown separately, each with the income and expenses counted.

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   1. 1 Bank

   1

   1. 1 Bank

   1

   1. 1 Bank

3. Close it with the Close button (or the X). On a computer you can also press Esc.

A helpful tip

Most things VIVA records count as Bank, even when the way you paid was a card or a transfer. Only entries paid in cash count as Cash.

The rest of Home

Scroll down for more.

• Budget shows how much of this month’s plan you’ve used.
• Where your money goes lists the categories you spent the most in.
• Recent activity shows your latest entries (further down on a phone or tablet). Choose See all to open the full list.

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1. 1 Where your money goes

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1. 1 Where your money goes

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1. 1 Where your money goes

Helping someone else

If you’re helping someone, ask them to read out Money available and then check it against their latest bank balance together. Small differences are normal, because VIVA only knows what has been entered.