Credit cards
Credit card budgeting without the mental gymnastics.
Swipe the card and the category goes down, the same as cash. The money to pay the card is set aside for you. There's no payment category to fund, reconcile, or wonder about.
Card handling is part of the free plan.
Try it
A pretend budget
- Groceries$420.00
- Eating out$150.00
- Gas$120.00
- Checking$3,240.00
- Visa Set aside to pay it $0.00 $0.00
Put groceries on a credit card and the Groceries category goes down, the same as cash. The money to pay the card is set aside for you.
Why card budgets get confusing
Most envelope budgets move money into a card payment category every time you swipe, and pile last year's balance into the same place. Then they color it yellow and leave you to work out which dollars are which.
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This month's spending and old debt get mixed together.
So "how much should I pay?" never has a straight answer.
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Money moves around behind your back.
Swipe for dinner and two categories change. Only one of them is dinner.
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Overspending on a card turns into debt quietly.
And you find out when the payment category comes up short.
How Tare does it
Three separate spaces. Zero mental gymnastics.
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01New spending sets itself aside
Buy $50 of groceries on the Visa and Groceries drops by $50. Behind the scenes, $50 in checking is marked for the Visa. You never see a payment category, because there isn't one.
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02Old balances get their own envelope
Carrying debt from before you started? It lives in a Debt payoff category for that card. Assign to it like any other goal, and it never gets mixed up with this week's groceries.
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03Paying is just a transfer
Move money from checking to the card. The Payment helper shows the statement balance and minimum due next to what you've set aside, and tells you exactly where this payment's money comes from. Pick an amount on the right to see.
Payment helper
Visa, owes $1,450.00- Statement balance
- 1,210.00
- Minimum due
- 35.00
Card purchases since your last payment. Already taken out of your categories.
What you've assigned toward past debt.
Fully covered. Your budget stays balanced.
Paying down a balance? See the finish line.
Set a monthly target on the card's Debt payoff envelope and the forecast shows the month the balance hits zero. Try paying $100 more and watch the date move.
Statement and minimum, pulled in for you.
With Autopilot, Tare reads the statement balance, minimum due, and due date from your bank when it provides them. On the free plan, type them in once a month.
Questions
Cards in Tare
What happens to my credit card payment category?
You won't need one. Card purchases come out of the category you spent from, and Tare keeps track of what's set aside for each card. If you carry an older balance, it goes in that card's Debt payoff category.
What if I spend more on the card than I budgeted?
The category goes negative, the same as it would with cash, and you cover it from a category with room. Anything you don't cover comes out of next month's Ready to assign, and both months say so.
Does it work with more than one card?
Yes. Each card keeps its own set-aside amount and its own Debt payoff envelope, and the Payment helper works card by card.
Do I need bank sync for this?
No. Card handling works the same on the free Manual plan. Autopilot just brings the transactions and statement details in for you.
Start with the money you have today.
Budget by hand for free, no card needed. Or try Autopilot free for 35 days: $12/month after that, dropping to $8 the longer you stay.