Budgets

Budgets help control spending with category limits, pace tracking, and projected over-budget alerts.

Creating a Budget

Quick Creation (10 seconds)

  1. Plans → Budgets → Create budget
  2. Select category (e.g., "Food & Dining")
  3. Set amount (e.g., $500)
  4. Choose period (Monthly)
  5. Tap Create

Budget Periods

PeriodBest For
WeeklyStrict control, small amounts
MonthlyMost popular, works for most categories
YearlyRare expenses (insurance, taxes)
CustomYour own date range (vacation, project)

Start a Monthly Budget on Payday

A monthly budget doesn’t have to run from the 1st. Set it to start on your payday instead, so the month you budget matches the month your money actually arrives. The start day lives together with rollover in one Budget settings screen.

Rollover (Carry Over Balance)

Unused budget can carry over to the next period:

Example:

  • Budget: $500/month
  • Spent: $400
  • Remaining: $100
  • With rollover: Next month = $600 ($500 + $100)
  • Without rollover: Next month = $500 (starts fresh)

Budget Types

Category Budget

Controls spending in one category (e.g., Food: $500/month)

Multi-Category Budget

Combines similar expenses (e.g., "Home" = Rent + Utilities + Repairs)

Overall Budget

Limits total spending across all categories

Account Budget

Limits spending from specific account (e.g., credit card limit)

Color Indicators

Green (0–79%) — On track, continue spending normally
Orange (80–99%) — Approaching limit, slow down
Red (100%+) — Budget exceeded

Budget Notifications

⚠️

Threshold Warning

When you reach 80% (customizable)

🚨

Budget Exceeded

When you go over 100%

🔄

New Period

When budget resets

📊

Projected Over Budget

When your current pace points above 100% by period end

Setting the Right Amount

50/30/20 Rule

50% — Necessities Housing, food, transport
30% — Wants Entertainment, hobbies
20% — Savings & Debt Goals, loan payments

Tip: Ask thrust "What budget should I set for food?" or "If I keep spending like this, where will I land by month end?" for personalized guidance.

Common Mistakes

✗ Too strict budget

Impossible to stick to, demotivating. Solution: Increase by 20%

✗ Not accounting for irregular expenses

Forgot birthdays, repairs. Solution: Add 10% "Unexpected" category

✗ Too many categories

Hard to track. Solution: Start with 5-7 main categories

Save Budget Balance to Goals

Automatically move end-of-month surplus to your goals and turn under-spend into progress:

  1. Create a savings goal
  2. Open goal → Automation
  3. Add trigger End of month
  4. Select Save budget balance
  5. Choose which budgets
Motivation: The less you spend → the more you save automatically!