Illustrative example. The dates and amounts below are provided for practice.
A gift list contains a book, a puzzle, and a meal voucher, but the budget should include only the option actually being bought. Treating all ideas as purchases would inflate the total.
Create a September 12, 2027 plan with a GBP 50 budget. Enter the three alternatives under Gift Ideas, one per line. The shopping total is still zero because no costed items exist.
Commit one choice
Add “Book” to the Shopping List with a cost of GBP 18. Add wrapping at GBP 2. The shopping total becomes GBP 20 and the balance GBP 30.
Keep the unused ideas for another occasion or remove them. They remain text entries and do not affect the amount spent.
Preserve the meaning of a completed task
If “Buy book” is checked, it records a task state. It does not alter the book's cost or mark the budget as paid. Update the cost if the receipt differs from the estimate, then save.
No duration count is needed for this decision. The event date, the purchase task, and the cost each serve a different purpose.