How to Use the Budget Tool

Getting Started

After logging in, navigate to your Dashboard to see your budget years. Select a budget year to view and manage your monthly budgets.

Each month uses a workbook-style monthly sheet:

• Monthly Worksheet - Enter and edit income, expenses, savings, bank balances, and credit details directly on the monthly sheet
• January Naming Rule - Rename accounts and payees in January, and those names flow through the year automatically

Monthly Worksheet

The Monthly Worksheet is the main place where you enter and edit data. It displays:

• 14 allocated income rows
• 78 allocated expense rows grouped into collapsible sections
• Savings accounts and balances
• Bank account balances
• Credit account snapshot
• Automatic totals, variances, and net cash balance

All new monthly data should be entered directly on this worksheet. The old weekly entry flow is no longer the intended input model.

Monthly Tools & Exports

On the Monthly Summary page you can manage and reuse your data quickly:

• Download Month - Export the month to Excel for offline review
• Copy From Month - Copy all items or copy only Income, Expenses, or Savings
• Reset Month - Wipe the month clean (requires typing RESET)

Note: Reset is permanent and deletes income, expenses, savings, bank accounts, and credit card data for that month.

Adding Income

On the monthly worksheet, use the Income section (green header). To add income:

1. Enter the source name (e.g., "Paycheck", "Freelance")
2. Optionally enter the due day (1-31) when you receive this income
3. Enter the Expected amount (budgeted)
4. Enter the Received amount (actual)
5. Click the add button

Tip: If you leave Expected blank, it defaults to the Received amount.

Adding Expenses

On the monthly worksheet, open the appropriate Expenses section and fill an allocated row:

1. Select a category from the dropdown (e.g., Housing & Utilities, Vehicles, Insurance)
2. Enter the payee/description name
3. Optionally enter the due day (1-31)
4. Enter the Due Amount (budgeted)
5. Enter the Paid Amount (actual)
6. Click the add button

Duplicate Detection: If you enter an expense with a similar name to an existing one, you'll see a warning to help prevent duplicate entries.

Adding Savings

On the monthly worksheet, use the Savings section (blue header). To add savings activity:

1. Create a savings account if you don't have one yet
2. Select the account and choose Deposit or Withdrawal
3. Enter the amount and click Add

Bank Accounts

On the monthly worksheet, use the Bank Accounts section. This tracks your account balances:

1. Enter the account name (e.g., "Checking", "Savings")
2. Select the account type
3. Enter the current balance
4. Click the add button

The total bank balance helps you confirm that the worksheet matches your real account balances for the month.

Editing Items

To edit an existing item on the monthly worksheet:

• Amounts: Click directly on any Expected/Received (income) or Due/Paid (expense) amount to edit it.
• Due Day: Click directly on the due day value. Type the new day (1-31) and press Enter or click away to save.

Changes are saved automatically when you finish editing.

Deleting Items

To delete an item from the monthly worksheet:

1. Find the item you want to delete
2. Click the delete button (trash icon) in the rightmost column
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted

Warning: Deletions cannot be undone.

Expected vs. Actual Tracking

Income and expenses now track budgeted vs. actual amounts:

• Income: Expected vs. Received with a variance column
• Expenses: Due Amount vs. Paid Amount with a variance column

Variance colors help you spot performance quickly: green means favorable (more income or less spending), red means unfavorable.

Annual Summary & Item Order

The Annual Summary lets you review the full year and customize how income and expense items are ordered.

• Drag and drop rows to reorder items
• Use the up/down arrows for precise moves
• Your custom order persists across all months in the year

Credit Accounts

Navigate to the Credit page from the budget year view to manage credit card accounts. The credit page shows:

• Current balance - What you currently owe
• APR (Annual Percentage Rate) - The interest rate charged
• Monthly payment - Your planned payment amount
• Interest projection - Estimated interest for the month
• Balance after interest - What you'll owe after interest is added
• Balance after payment - What you'll owe after making your payment

Interest is calculated using compound interest based on the APR divided by 12 months.

Payment Schedule

The 12-Month Payment Schedule section allows you to plan your monthly payments for the next 12 months. You can:

• Manually enter your planned payment amount for each month
• See the projected interest and balance after payment for each month
• Adjust payments to see how different payment amounts affect your payoff timeline
• All changes save automatically