You've set a little money aside and recorded it in your savings challenge. Then you look at the grid. Nothing has filled in.
That can feel as though the contribution didn't count. In StashGrid, though, completing a block and recording a contribution aren't quite the same thing. A contribution can be saved in the record without being large enough to complete another block yet.
Where the smaller amount goes
StashGrid keeps the unallocated part as a rolling balance. It joins the next recorded contribution when the app works out which blocks can be completed.
Here's a fictional example. Suppose the only pending block is $20. You record $8, with no earlier rolling balance. That isn't enough to complete the block, so the contribution remains in the balance.
Later, you record another $12. Together, the two contributions cover the $20 block. The grid can now show it as complete.
These amounts illustrate the calculation, not how much anyone should save. And “balance” here means a tracking record: StashGrid hasn't moved or received any money.
Why a different block might fill first
With several pending blocks, automatic matching looks for an exact match first, then uses the largest blocks the available amount can cover. That means the next completed block isn't necessarily the next one in calendar order.
The allocation preview shows how the contribution and any rolling balance fit the pending blocks. Check it before confirming, especially if you expected a particular square to fill.
If you want to choose the blocks yourself, manual allocation lets you select them. Either way, the amount you record should reflect what you've actually set aside, not the amount needed to make the grid look tidy.
Check the record as well as the grid
A row of completed blocks is an easy way to see progress, but it doesn't tell the whole story. The contribution history records the amounts you've entered; the rolling balance explains money that hasn't completed a block yet.
If the display doesn't match your expectation, check those two places before recording the same contribution again. Re-entering it as a new contribution can make the goal appear further along than it is.
If a save hasn't confirmed, don't assume the money is recorded just because you've pressed the button. Check the result or any error shown before continuing.
Let the record follow what happened
Some weeks you may set aside more, and some weeks less. The rolling balance means a smaller contribution doesn't need to wait until it reaches the size of a block before you record it.
Keep the actual money somewhere you have chosen separately. Then use StashGrid to record that decision. A square filling in is a useful marker, but the underlying contribution matters even on a day when the grid barely changes.