Budget Basics
A budget turns your categories into a plan. This guide covers zero-based budgeting and how to check your progress throughout the month.
Zero-Based Budgeting
Every dollar gets a job. Your budgeted income minus your budgeted expenses should equal zero - nothing left unassigned, nothing overcommitted.
To create your budget:
- Click Budget in the navigation
- Select the month you're budgeting for
- For each category, enter the amount you plan to spend or earn
- Watch the "To Be Budgeted" total as you go
🎯 The Goal
Get "To Be Budgeted" to exactly $0, right there on the Budget page.
How Rollover Works
Some categories carry unused budget forward into the next month instead of resetting to zero - and the same works against you if you overspend. It's a great fit for irregular categories like car maintenance or gifts. See Understanding Budget Rollover for how it works and how to turn it on for a category.
Category Groups and Your Budget
Category groups help you see your budget at a glance - housing, food, transportation, and so on, each with a subtotal. Assign categories to a group any time from the category's edit page, and your budget view will organize itself accordingly.
⚠️ Category Group vs. Budget Group
These are two separate fields on a category, easy to mix up. Category Group is what this section covers - general organization, shown on your Categories page. Budget Group is a different field, set separately, specifically for how this budget page groups things - it's the one that actually matters for the view you're looking at here.
Adjusting Your Budget
Your first budget won't be perfect, and that's fine. Revisit your numbers regularly and adjust categories that are consistently over or under what you planned.
✅ Best Practice
Review your budget weekly for the first month or two, then monthly once your categories settle into realistic numbers.
Quick Tips
- 🎯 Zero doesn't mean zero spending: It means every dollar is assigned somewhere, including savings
- 🔄 Use rollover wisely: Good for irregular categories like car maintenance or gifts
- 📊 Check the Budget page: It's where you'll see your Zero Sum status
- 🗓️ Budget a few days ahead: Set up next month's budget before the month starts
Next Steps
- Understanding Budget Rollover - The full picture of how rollover works
- Adding Transactions - Keep your budget accurate
- Using Reports - See how your budget compares to reality
- Getting Started Guide - Full overview of HOB
Still have questions? Contact support