The Scenario Tester lets you play out a "what if" — a new job, a move, or paying off a debt — without touching your real data. You subtract the income, bills, assets, or debts you'd lose and add the hypothetical ones you'd gain. PiggySize then shows your net worth, monthly bills, and discretionary income side by side: today versus the scenario.
Discretionary income is the money left over each month after all your bills (needs and wants) are paid.
Before you start
- The Scenario Tester is free, but only the account owner and their spouse can open it. Child and other members won't see it in the menu.
- It compares against your real numbers, so it helps to have your income, bills, assets, and debts entered first.
- Nothing you do here changes your real data — a scenario is its own saved set of "what if" changes.
Steps
- Open Scenario Tester (opens in a new tab) from the menu — it's the item shown with a What if subtitle underneath.
- Click New Scenario, type a name like "New job" or "Move to Texas", and click Create.
- In the left panel, Subtract from Current, click Search income, bills, assets, debts… and pick each real item you would no longer have.
- In the right panel, Add to Scenario, click Add Item.
- In the Add Scenario Item box, choose a Type (Income, Bill, Asset, or Debt), give it a Name, and enter the amount. The amount field is labeled Gross Salary, Amount, Current Value, or Outstanding Balance depending on the type.
- For a bill, set its Frequency and the Essential (Need) toggle. For income, you can add estimated deductions and an Estimated Tax Rate to see take-home pay. Click Add Item.
- Read the three cards at the top — Net Worth, Bills, and Discretionary — to see the change. Use the frequency selector to view bills and discretionary income daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly.
Your changes save automatically as you work. There is no separate Save button.
How the comparison works
- Net Worth shows your assets minus debts for the scenario, in whole dollars. This card always shows absolute values — the frequency selector does not change it.
- Bills shows your monthly bills split into Needs and Wants. Because a bigger bill is worse, an increase here shows in red and a decrease shows in green — the opposite of the other cards.
- Discretionary shows what's left after bills, plus the change from your current amount.
- The change on each card is a small colored arrow with a dollar amount — green for an improvement, red for a worsening. A change under about 50 cents shows no arrow.
- Subtracting an asset also subtracts its linked debt and that debt's monthly bill automatically. Subtracting a debt also subtracts its linked bill. This keeps the comparison consistent — you won't be left paying a mortgage on a house you removed.
Good to know
- Point-in-time only. The Scenario Tester compares today against the same day with your changes applied. It does not project years forward, and it does not model compounding, inflation, or taxes over time. For long-term questions like retirement, use the retirement projection instead.
- One scenario at a time. Whichever scenario you select is compared against your real current numbers. You can't compare two scenarios directly against each other.
- You can save many scenarios. Each one keeps its own subtractions and additions, so you can build "New job", "Move to Texas", and "Pay off the car" and switch between them. Rename or delete a scenario from the menu next to its name.
- Removing a subtraction doesn't undo the cascade. If the app auto-removed a linked debt or bill, deleting the asset's subtraction won't bring them back — remove each item you no longer want subtracted.
FAQ
Does the Scenario Tester change my real data?
No. A scenario only stores the items you subtract and add. Your real income, bills, assets, and debts are never touched — the results are a side-by-side comparison, not an edit.
Does it account for taxes, inflation, or compounding over time?
No. The Scenario Tester is point-in-time only. It compares your money today against the same day with your changes applied — no multi-year timeline, no compounding, no inflation, and no taxes. For long-term modeling, use the retirement projection.
Who can use the Scenario Tester?
The account owner and their spouse. Child and other members don't see it. It's free — no Pro plan needed.
Can I compare two scenarios against each other?
No. One scenario is active at a time, and it's always compared against your current real numbers — not against another scenario.
What happens when I subtract a house I have a mortgage on?
Subtracting an asset also subtracts its linked debt and that debt's monthly bill automatically, so the comparison stays consistent.

