Open Save money (opens in a new tab). Under the two cards, a banner says how many of your wants aren't rated yet. Only bills you marked as wants are ranked; needs never are. Rate each want with a tap. Bills that do little for you and cost the most end up first in line to cut.
Steps
- Go to Save money (opens in a new tab) and choose Rate wants on the banner under the cards. On the Bills page, Which bills are worth it? Rate them on Save money opens the same popup. The first time, Which bills are worth it? explains the idea; choose Start rating. The ⓘ next to the popup's title shows it again.
- To do lists wants you haven't rated. Done lists rated ones, and All lists every want. A bill you finish on To do stays in place, marked ✓ Done, until you switch tabs or search.
- Each bill shows one reason you might keep it: Brings in money now, Will bring money soon, Saves you from a big bill or Makes daily life better. Choose Change to pick a different one.
- Next to it, tap how much the bill is worth to you: Not at all, A little, A lot or Must have. The tap saves right away and sets the bill's value.
- A dashed reason and a green-outlined answer are our guess. They aren't saved until you tap, or choose Looks right, save N guesses to save the guesses for the bills shown.
- Biggest bills come first. A line shows where the biggest ones make up most of what you spend on wants, so you can stop there. The total at the top shows how much sits in Cut first or Question it. Type in Find a bill to find one. On a keyboard, ↑ and ↓ move between bills, 0 to 3 sets the answer, and Enter goes to the next bill.
- Choose Done when you're finished. Once every want is rated, the banner turns green; Review ratings opens the popup to change any answer.
- On a phone, the popup opens from the bottom.
- For a business, open it in the sidebar and choose Save money, or use Which costs are worth it? Rate them on Save money on its Expenses page. It lists the same costs as the Expenses page, amounts there are the business's share, and each cost's reason starts as Brings in money now. On your own Save money, a bill split with a business shows only your personal share.
How it works
- Only wants: a need can't be stopped, so it's never rated or ranked. A need's review on Save money links to mark it as a want. Answers stay saved if a bill switches to a need, but are ignored while it is one.
- Value: how much the bill is worth to you. Not at all is Cut first, A little Question it, A lot Worth it and Must have Keep. Saving in the popup keeps only the one reason shown.
- Answers from Beth: Beth can save answers for more than one reason. Then the value is the highest answer, plus 1 when two or more are A lot or higher, up to Keep. The popup shows that value.
- Cut order: lowest value first, then the most expensive. Could you cut these? uses this order.
- Guesses come from the bill's category, whether it's a Need or a Want, and any business share. They are worked out on the fly and never saved.
- SHTF plan: a new plan lists each step's bills in cut order. Bills you rated Cut first start ticked at every level, Question it from Temporary loss of income, and Worth it only at The world is ending. Guesses never tick anything. A plan you already saved keeps its own cuts.
- What-if planner: bills to remove are listed in cut order.
Good to know
- Scores are set only on Save money. The Bills page and the bill form don't show them.
- Opening Save money needs its own permission, plus read access to bills; the Which bills are worth it? Rate them on Save money link on the Bills page is hidden without it. Saving an answer also needs permission to edit bills. Household members who can see bills but not edit them can view existing scores but not rate.
- The demo (opens in a new tab) works the same with sample bills; answers reset when you leave.
FAQ
Do I have to rate every bill? No. Rating is optional. Unrated bills use our guess based on their category, Need or Want, and any business share, and nothing is saved until you tap.
Why is a bill that earns nothing marked Keep? A bill only has to be great at one thing. A gym you use every day that makes daily life better at Must have is a Keep, even if it earns nothing.
Do I rate a bill split with my business twice? No. Each bill has one score, shared by Save money and the business's Save money page.
Where else are the scores used? A new, unsaved SHTF plan lists each step's bills in cut order and ticks the ones you rated low. A plan you already saved keeps its own cuts. The What-if planner lists bills to remove in the same order.
FAQ
Do I have to rate every bill?
No. Rating is optional. Unrated bills use our guess based on their category, Need or Want, and any business share, and nothing is saved until you tap.
Why is a bill that earns nothing marked Keep?
A bill only has to be great at one thing. A gym you use every day that makes daily life better at Must have is a Keep, even if it earns nothing.
Do I rate a bill split with my business twice?
No. Each bill has one score, shared by Save money and the business's Save money page.
Where else are the scores used?
A new, unsaved SHTF plan lists each step's bills in cut order and ticks the ones you rated low. A plan you already saved keeps its own cuts. The What-if planner lists bills to remove in the same order.