Usual places
Lake identifies places with repeated settled purchases. Each transaction counts as one check. The confidence signal describes the amount of usable history and how consistently those checks support the usual amount. It is a summary of that history.
Usual check
Lake uses up to 12 recent settled checks from the last 180 days. It looks for an amount whose comparison range contains the most checks. That range runs from 60% to 130% of the amount: $6–$13 for a $10 usual. A robust middle chooses among equally supported amounts. Evidence of a price change can move the estimate to the newer checks. Larger and smaller checks still count when measuring consistency.
The displayed range uses the 20th and 80th percentiles of the sampled amounts. A narrow range or a high confidence signal does not guarantee the next check will match. When dates cannot establish the order of checks, Lake keeps whole days together and avoids inferring a price change within a day.
Limit left
When a place matches a spending limit, limit left is what remains of that limit. A limit may be Lake-generated or user-edited. Transfers between your own accounts never count against it, and they are never counted as income either.
Visits left
Visits left is the number of whole checks that fit the remaining limit at the usual amount. For example, $56 left at $14 per check fits four checks. Spending at other places sharing that limit also reduces the room available. A range shows how the count changes at recent check sizes. This is budget capacity; your next visits may happen sooner or later than your past rhythm suggests.
On pace
A fifth reading sits alongside these four. On pace reads your visit rhythm and what you have spent so far, and states where the month lands if visits continue at the estimated rate and usual amount. Its range shows spending scenarios. Late in a month, it can show “so far this month” and report what has already happened. Lake can withhold this reading when the history is insufficient or inconsistent.
Worked example
Starbucks
- Usual check
- $14
- Left in Dining
- $56
- Visits left
- 4
Those figures are an example of how the reveal looks, not a claim about what any specific person spends. Your own numbers come from your own transaction history once you connect an account.
Starbucks is a trademark of Starbucks Corporation. Lake is not affiliated with or endorsed by Starbucks Corporation; it is referenced here only as an example of a common recurring purchase.
Curious how these numbers reach your dashboard in the first place? Connect a bank or card through Plaid, and Lake reads your existing transactions rather than asking you to enter anything by hand: no manual entry before your first reveal. See how the automatic spending tracker works or check current plans on pricing. Weighing Lake against another tool? See how it compares to Monarch and Copilot.