A planned expense often exists before the bill does. You know the gas will need to be paid early April, but the bill itself arrives mid-March. At that moment you know the due date but not the amount.
Other apps force you to type €0 to "save". FamSpend doesn't: it lets you
save the expense with amount to be determined, and update it once
the exact number is in.
How to set it
When adding an expense, leave the Amount field empty. The expense is saved and shown as "to be determined" in views and totals.
Nothing special: empty = to be determined.
Estimate vs. to be determined
These are two different cases:
| Case | What you enter | Display |
|---|---|---|
| Exact amount | 142.00 | €142.00 |
| Estimate | 120.00 + estimate flag on | ~€120 (with tilde) |
| To be determined | empty field | "to be determined" |
You use estimate when you have an idea but not certainty — rent is always €850 but sometimes there's a €30 adjustment. Estimate €850, then correct.
You use to be determined when you really have no baseline. A medical visit with tests you don't know yet — only that it'll happen in May.
What happens to totals
To-be-determined expenses aren't hidden — they show up in lists, calendar, and Home. But in totals:
- Cost Center total — sums only known amounts (exact + estimates). Shows a counter next to it like "+3 to be determined" to tell you that figure is incomplete
- Home — Today & Upcoming — the expense appears in the list with "to be determined" instead of the number
- Calendar — the dot for the due date is shown but dimmer until the amount is in
No false totals. When you complete the amount, totals update in real time.
When the bill arrives
Open the expense, enter the final amount, save. Everything recalculates.
You don't redo the expense from scratch, you don't recreate the calendar. History is preserved (creation date, original due date) — only the amount changes.
Why not a fake €0
Showing €0 instead of "to be determined" is dishonest to anyone reading the numbers. If your dashboard says "this month you'll spend €1,234" and there are 3 expenses at €0 that will become €500 each, your budget isn't €1,234 — it's €2,734 and you don't know it. Decisions based on that number are wrong.
To be determined is honest: it says "you'll know this part later" instead of lying to you.
Bold estimate or to-be-determined?
If you're unsure whether to put an estimate or leave it TBD, the rule is: if the estimate is likely to be off by more than 30%, choose to-be-determined.
- Same rent for 3 years → exact estimate, basically a known amount
- Winter gas bill (varies €80 to €250) → better TBD
- Dentist visit (between €50 and €600 depending on what's needed) → TBD
- Friend's birthday gift (your call) → estimate
AI Helper: the fastest path
The AI Helper in ChatGPT can add TBD expenses with a voice command: "add an expense for the gas bill due early April". Helper creates the expense with inferred due date and empty amount. Then when you get the bill, attach the PDF to Helper and the amount fills in with explicit confirmation.