Can I Afford It Before Payday?
A bank balance alone cannot tell you whether a purchase is safe. The useful number is what remains after the bills due before your next paycheck and the cushion you refuse to spend.
If you have $850 available, $420 in bills due, and want to preserve $150, your safer spending ceiling is $280. A $68 purchase leaves $362 after bills, so the cushion stays intact.
Use money that is truly available
Start with spendable cash—not an unused credit limit or money already assigned to rent, utilities, food, transportation, or debt payments.
Protect a cash cushion
Choose the minimum amount you want left after the purchase. The calculator calls a purchase tight when it fits your balance but breaks that cushion.
Treat the result as a checkpoint
An affordable result means the numbers you entered fit. It does not know about bills you omitted, emergencies, or a change in income.
Run your own numbers
The free calculator works in your browser and requires no bank connection or account.
Open the calculator with this example →