Budgets
Budgets help control spending with category limits, pace tracking, and projected over-budget alerts.
Creating a Budget
Quick Creation (10 seconds)
- Plans → Budgets → Create budget
- Select category (e.g., "Food & Dining")
- Set amount (e.g., $500)
- Choose period (Monthly)
- Tap Create
Budget Periods
| Period | Best For |
|---|---|
| Weekly | Strict control, small amounts |
| Monthly | Most popular, works for most categories |
| Yearly | Rare expenses (insurance, taxes) |
| Custom | Your own date range (vacation, project) |
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
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
Tip: Ask AI CFO "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:
- Create a savings goal
- Open goal → Automation
- Add trigger End of month
- Select Save budget balance
- Choose which budgets