"I have to save" can't be done; "I'm $180,000 short for July" can. A goal in Kesef is just that: a name, an amount and, if you like, a date. Each time you set money aside you log it as a contribution, and the app tells you how much is left, what pace you're at and how much per month it would take to get there. What you set aside doesn't count as spending: it's money that changed place, not money that left.
A goal: name, amount and optional date
Goals live in Budgets → Goals. You can start from a template (Savings, Trip, Emergency fund, Home, Car, Laptop or phone) or create your own with any name. The amount is required; the date is optional: without a date, the goal tells you how much is left and what pace you're at; with a date, it also tells you how much to set aside per month to get there on time.
Each goal has its own currency. A trip can be in dollars and the emergency fund in pesos, in the same app. The currency can't be changed once the goal has contributions: otherwise the earlier numbers would stop meaning what they meant.
Contributions and withdrawals, and what doesn't count as spending
You set aside $40,000 for the trip: tap Contribute, enter the amount and, if you like, a note. You had to use $15,000: tap Withdraw. The goal keeps a list of movements, like an account. And neither goes into your month's spending: contributing to a goal isn't spending, and the budget doesn't count it as such.
When you close a period, if money is left over, Kesef offers to send that leftover to a goal in one tap. It's the easiest way for savings to come out of what wasn't spent, without deciding anything on payday.
The goal records; it doesn't move money. Where you physically keep what you set aside (another account, a wallet, under the mattress) is your decision, and Kesef doesn't recommend where.
How you're doing: pace, remaining and estimated date
The goal's detail answers the three questions that matter: how much is left, what pace you're setting aside at (this much per month, based on your contributions) and when you'll get there at that pace. If you set a date, it also says how much per month it would take to make that date, and the goal marks itself as "On track for…" or "For …: this much per month". If the date has passed and there's still a gap, it says so: "… left · the date was …".
Completed, and the ones that didn't get there
When you reach the amount, the goal lets you know. If you've already used the money or won't keep adding, you mark it completed: it moves to Completed, stays saved with what you gathered and frees up a slot. You can also mark it completed without reaching it (the trip happened with less, the laptop was cheaper) and reopen it whenever you want.
Free and Pro
Free gives you 2 active goals at a time; completed ones don't count, so closing one frees the slot for the next. With Kesef Pro there's no cap. Everything else (templates, date, contributions and withdrawals, pace, currency per goal) is the same on both plans.
Frequently asked questions
How many savings goals can I have?
Free, 2 active at a time; completed ones don't count. With Kesef Pro, no cap.
Does what I contribute to a goal count as spending?
No. A contribution is money you set aside, not money you spend: it isn't added to your month's spending or to the budget. A withdrawal isn't income either.
Does a goal need a date?
No. Without a date, the goal tells you how much is left and what pace you're at. With a date, it also tells you how much to set aside per month to make it on time and whether you're on track or behind.
Can I have one goal in dollars and another in pesos?
Yes: each goal has its own currency. It can't be changed once the goal has contributions.
Does Kesef move the money anywhere?
No. The goal records what you set aside; where you keep it is your decision. Kesef doesn't pay, transfer or invest, and doesn't recommend where to put savings.
Are there shared goals with my partner or my group?
No. Goals are personal. For shared money there are groups, with a common fund and everything in common.