Using Wealtie: Budget streaks in Wealtie: how both streaks work, and the nine badges

How do Wealtie budget streaks work?

A streak counts how many periods in a row you've kept a promise to yourself. Wealtie has two, and each one counts on its own:

Both are included on the Free plan, along with their badges. You don't have to switch anything on: set a budget or an income goal, and the streak starts counting with the first period you complete.

What counts as a period?

Whatever your budget or income goal uses. On the Free plan, budgets and income goals are monthly, so each month counts once. On Pro, they can also be daily, weekly, quarterly or yearly, and the streak counts in those periods instead.

A weekly budget gives you a new chance every week, and a streak that grows four or five times a month. A monthly one moves more slowly but asks for a whole month kept. Neither is better; pick the period that matches how you manage money. Weekly vs monthly budget compares the two.

What happens when a streak resets?

It goes back to zero and starts again with the next period. That's the whole penalty.

Your best streak is kept, so a reset never erases the record of what you managed before: the app shows it as your previous best, the number to beat. Your budget history stays as it was. The app says it plainly when it happens: a reset isn't a loss, it's a fresh start.

That matters more than it sounds. A budget that punishes a bad month makes it tempting to stop looking at the numbers altogether. A streak that simply starts again keeps you checking, which is the habit that counts. If you've just gone over, what to do when you go over budget has a ten-day plan for getting the next period back on track.

What are the nine badges?

Badges mark the streak at nine points, counted in periods in a row:

The names were written with daily periods in mind, so on a monthly budget the higher badges take a long time: 30 months for Monthly Champion. That's fine. The early badges, three and seven periods in a row, are the ones that turn keeping a budget into a habit, and they arrive within the first year on a monthly budget.

Should you chase the badges?

Only as far as they help. A streak is a nudge, not the goal. The goal is a budget that leaves money for what matters to you.

If keeping the streak alive tempts you to set an easier budget, or to leave a purchase off the app so the month still counts, the streak has stopped doing its job. Log everything, set a budget that's honest, and let the streak reflect reality. A reset after an honest month tells you more than a streak kept by fudging the numbers. The point of the count is the habit underneath it: checking, adjusting and keeping your word to yourself one period at a time.

Why have an income goal streak?

Because income needs a plan too, especially when it varies.

If you're freelance, on commission or doing side work, an income goal gives each month a target, and the income goal streak counts the months you reach it. It's a simple way to see whether your income is becoming steadier over time. How to measure income stability puts a number on it, and the income tracker page covers income goals in more detail.

How do you keep a budget streak going?

Set a budget you can keep, check it mid-month, and fix the month while there's still time.

• Start from real numbers. A budget built from your last three months is one you can keep; a wishful one resets every month.
• Check mid-month. Budget Health warns you if your spending pace will take you over, early enough to slow down.
• Plan for irregular costs. Birthdays, repairs and yearly bills are where most resets come from. A sinking fund takes them out of the month they land in.
• Log as you go, cash included, so the streak reflects what you actually spent.

More on how streaks fit with the rest of the app is on the budget streaks page.