Can I Afford It? Flowchart
Can I Afford It? Calculator
What this calculator does
This calculator runs a hard affordability check. It flags whether you have an emergency fund, free cash flow, and whether you have waited 48 hours before buying.
The math, with a worked example
Affordability depends on whether the price fits your income after expenses, whether you have an emergency fund, and whether high-interest debt is paid off. A $300 purchase with $3,000 income, $2,000 expenses, 3 months of emergency fund, and 12% debt APR is approved if you have waited 48 hours.
Why this matters
'Can I afford it' has 3 gates, not 1: does it fit this month's surplus, is the emergency fund intact, and is high-interest debt already handled. A purchase that passes price but fails the other 2 is affordable only until the first surprise.
Methodology and transparency
The verdict combines monthly surplus (income − expenses vs price), emergency-fund months, and whether high-APR debt exists — a decision tree, not a score. The debt gate is the strictest and rightly so: buying wants while carrying 20%+ APR debt means the purchase effectively finances at that rate. Everything runs in your browser; no data is sent or stored.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-08
Common questions
What is the 48-hour rule?
Waiting 48 hours before a non-essential purchase reduces impulse spending. If you still want it, it is more likely a real need.
Does it consider my credit score?
No. It only looks at cash flow, emergency fund, and debt cost.
What if I have high-interest debt?
The calculator flags high-interest debt as a reason to delay the purchase and put the money toward the debt instead.