What it does
The Projected Budget is a 6-month forward view of your budget. It takes your current category targets and projects how the next 6 months will look if your habits stay the same, including what you'll assign each month, what you'll have available, and where gaps may open.
It does not change your real budget. Think of it as a sandbox: you can play with it freely, and your live envelopes stay untouched.
The template: your baseline
The template is the snapshot Projected Budget uses for “normal.” It includes your category list, targets, and average behavior. It rolls forward month by month so you can scroll through the next half-year and see when something breaks.
What-if scratch categories
Want to know if you can afford a $3,000 vacation in August? Add a scratch category in the Projected Budget. It only exists in the projection. Your real budget never sees it. Scroll forward and you'll see exactly how that vacation interacts with your other targets month over month.
Same idea for “what if I bumped Groceries by $200” or “what if a $1,200 car repair hit in October.” Stress-test the budget without risking real numbers.