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 has two views:

• Monthly View - A read-only summary of all your income, expenses, and savings
• Weekly View - Where you add, edit, and delete all budget items

Monthly View (Summary)

The Monthly View shows a rollup of all your weekly data. This is a read-only summary that displays:

• Total monthly income from all sources
• Total monthly expenses grouped by category
• Savings contributions
• Bank account balances
• Net cash flow (income minus expenses)

To make changes, click the "Edit Weekly Budget" button to go to the Weekly View.

Weekly View (Edit Data)

The Weekly View is where you manage all your budget items. At the top, you'll see:

• Weekly Breakdown - Shows calendar-based weeks (Monday through Sunday) with income and expenses for each week
• Week tabs - Click on a week tab to see the breakdown for that specific week

Important: Scroll down below the Weekly Breakdown section to find the forms for adding and editing data.

Adding Income

In the Weekly View, scroll down to the Income section (green header). To add income:

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

Tip: If you leave the due day empty, the income will be prorated across all weeks for planning purposes.

Adding Expenses

In the Weekly View, scroll down to the Expenses section (red header). To add an expense:

1. Select a category from the dropdown (e.g., Housing & Utilities, Vehicles, Insurance)
2. Enter the payee/description name
3. Enter the amount
4. Optionally enter the due day (1-31)
5. 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

In the Weekly View, scroll down to the Savings section (blue header). To add a savings contribution:

1. Enter the account name (e.g., "Emergency Fund", "Vacation")
2. Enter the contribution amount for the month
3. Click the add button

Bank Accounts

In the Weekly View, scroll down to the Bank Accounts section (purple header). 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 is used as the starting balance for weekly cash flow calculations.

Editing Items

To edit an existing item in the Weekly View:

• Amount: Click directly on any amount value. It will become editable. Type the new amount and press Enter or click away to save.
• 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 in the Weekly View:

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.

Understanding the Weekly Breakdown

The Weekly Breakdown at the top of the Weekly View shows how your income and expenses are distributed across calendar weeks:

• Week labels show actual calendar dates (e.g., "Week 1: Thu 1 Jan - Sun 4 Jan")
• Weeks run Monday through Sunday, with partial weeks at the start and end of each month
• Items with due days appear in the week containing that day
• Items without due days are prorated across all weeks for continuity
• Running balance shows your projected balance after each week

Click on any week tab to see the detailed breakdown for that week.

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.