Pay yourself first: saving comes before spending
The idea is old and it works: as soon as you get paid, set your savings aside and live on the rest. It's the “pay yourself first” of The Richest Man in Babylon.
Oslo reminds you at the right moment. When you log income, Luca celebrates and tells you: “Before you spend it, set your saving aside.” Logging that saving into your goal takes seconds.
Heads-up: Oslo doesn't move your money. You transfer it in your bank or your app, and you log it in Oslo so your numbers know.
Marranita keeps the score
Marranita, Oslo's piggy bank, looks after your goals. Under each one she tells you how much you've saved and how much is left, and when you pass the halfway mark, she points it out.
Her advice for getting started is simple: “Start with one you love. I'll keep the score.” And when you complete it, she celebrates in her own way: “I'm full.”
Savings that don't mix with spending
A goal can live in your savings account, your bank or a wallet, but not in cash. What goes into it counts as saving and what you take out as a withdrawal: never as spending.
Got savings you don't want to touch that aren't a goal? Turn on “This money is not to spend” on that account, and Oslo keeps showing it on Money but doesn't count it as available.
Frequently asked questions
How does an app help me save?
By making visible what you can't see. In Oslo each goal has its amount and its date, you see how much you've saved and how much is left, and that money comes out of what you can spend. That way your savings don't compete with the afternoon coffee: they're already set aside.
How many goals can I have on the Free plan?
Up to 3 goals, plus your emergency fund, which comes with your account and takes no slot. With a plan, as many goals as you like.
Does Oslo hold my money?
No. Oslo doesn't receive, hold or move money: your savings stay in your bank, your wallet or your piggy bank. In the app you log what you set aside, and Oslo takes it out of what you can spend so you don't use it by accident.
How much should I have in my emergency fund?
Oslo suggests a target with your own numbers: one month of what your life really costs, meaning what you pay every month and what the essentials take. It tells you once you've been logging for about two months, so the figure comes from your life and not from an average.
What does “what you really have left” mean?
It's the number on Today: what you can spend without touching money that's already spoken for. It leaves out your goals and your emergency fund, what's due before your next payday, and what you decided to spend in your budgets and haven't spent yet. To see the math, tap “Why do I have this available?”.
