Personal Finance Tracker
Personal FinanceDocumentation
  • Guides
Overview
  • Introduction
Getting Started
  • Getting Started
  • Creating Your Account
  • Understanding the Dashboard
  • Setting Up Your Profile
Bank Accounts
  • Bank Accounts
  • Adding a New Account
  • Viewing Account Details
  • Editing Account Information
  • Managing Multiple Accounts
Transactions
  • Transactions
  • Filtering & Searching
  • Adding an Expense
  • Adding Income
  • Viewing Transaction Details
  • Editing Transactions
  • Bulk Editing
  • Deleting Transactions
Smart Input Features
  • Smart Input
  • Voice Input for Transactions
  • Receipt Scanning
Budgets
  • Budgets
  • Creating a Budget
  • Setting Budget Categories
  • Tracking Budget Progress
  • Editing Budgets
  • Budget Alerts
Goals
  • Goals
  • Creating a Financial Goal
  • Contributing to Goals
  • Tracking Goal Progress
  • Editing Goals
  • Completing Goals
Reports & Analytics
  • Reports
  • Viewing Financial Reports
  • Understanding Charts
  • Pie Charts & Breakdowns
  • Exporting Reports
  • Monthly/Yearly Summaries
Preferences & Settings
  • Preferences
  • Customizing Preferences
  • Notification Settings
  • Currency & Format
  • Account Settings
Tips & Best Practices
  • Tips
  • Budgeting Best Practices
  • Goal Setting Strategies
  • Organizing Transactions
  • Using Categories Effectively

Creating a Budget

Step-by-step guide to setting up your first budget

1

Open the Budget Page

Click on Budgets in the main navigation menu. This will take you to your budgets overview where you can see all your existing budgets and create new ones.

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2

Click Create New Budget

Click the Create New Budget button. This opens a dialog where you'll enter your budget details. If this is your first budget, you'll see this button prominently displayed on the page.

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3

Select a Category

Click the Category dropdown and select the expense category you want to budget for. Common categories include:

  • Food and Dining - for food shopping, restaurants and takeout
  • Transportation - for gas, public transit, and parking
  • Entertainment - for movies, concerts, and hobbies
  • Shopping - for clothing and general purchases
  • Bills & Utilities - for recurring expenses

You can only create one budget per category. If a category already has a budget, it will display as (Added).

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4

Enter Your Budget Amount

In the Budget Amount field, enter how much you want to spend in this category during the selected period. For example:

  • $150 for monthly Food and Dining
  • $150 for monthly Transportation
  • $100 for monthly Entertainment

Choose an amount that's realistic based on your past spending. You can always adjust it later if needed.

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5

Choose a Budget Period

Click the Period dropdown and choose how long this budget should last:

  • Monthly - Budget runs from the 1st to the last day of each month (most common)
  • Weekly - Budget runs from Sunday to Saturday
  • Yearly - Budget runs from January 1st to December 31st

Most people use monthly budgets as they align with pay periods and regular bills. The date range is automatically calculated based on your selection.

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6

Review and Save

Review your budget details to make sure everything is correct. When ready, click the Create Budget button. Your new budget will appear in your budget list and start tracking automatically as you add transactions in that category.

Pro Tip

Start by creating budgets for your top 3-5 spending categories. This gives you the most impact without overwhelming yourself with too many budgets to track. You can always add more budgets as you become more comfortable with the system.