A hypothetical account contains 600 units, with 400 already assigned to a coming bill. The account balance is still 600; the amount not assigned to that bill is 200. The labels answer different questions.
Make the commitment visible
Write the balance, the planned allocation and the unassigned remainder on separate lines. This is a planning example, not a claim that allocating money changes the bank’s records. Pending payments and other obligations need their own reconciliation.
Compare the plan with actual spending
The CFPB’s spending assessment guidance encourages checking whether budget expectations match observed finances. If the remainder in your plan repeatedly differs from reality, investigate missing or differently timed transactions rather than treating the plan as proof.
When reading a budgeting book, ask what its word “available” means. It may refer to a bank figure, an allocation balance or a forecast. Keeping that definition explicit makes a worked example easier to evaluate without assuming it describes your own circumstances.