Flex vs category budgets
Flex vs category budgets
Last verified 2026-05-12 by technical-writer-agent.
Flex vs category budgets
MoneyVue offers two ways to organize your monthly budget: Category Budget and Flex Budget. You switch between them in Budget Settings.
Category Budget mode
In Category Budget mode, you set a target for each expense category individually. The Budgets page groups your categories by type and shows each one as its own row with a budget amount, actual spending, remaining balance, and a progress bar.
Every category you tag as Fixed, Flexible, or Non-monthly appears in its own section. You can collapse or expand each section and show or hide categories that don't have a budget set. Within a group of categories, you can optionally budget at the group level instead of per-category — that is a group setting separate from the page-level mode.
When to use Category Budget:
- You want granular control. You track separate targets for groceries, restaurants, gas, clothing, and other categories you care about individually.
- You are building a budget for the first time and want to see where your money goes at a detailed level.
- Example: You allocate $600 for groceries and $200 for restaurants, and you want to know exactly which category is over before you make tradeoffs.
Rollover in Category Budget mode
Rollover is a per-category toggle. When rollover is on for a category, any unspent balance at the end of the month carries into the next month and adds to that category's target. See How budget rollover works for the formula.
Reporting in Category Budget mode
The page shows totals per category and per section (Fixed, Flexible, Non-monthly). The year view also shows monthly income and expense totals. Each category's budget vs. actual is visible at a glance.
Flex Budget mode
In Flex Budget mode, the page splits expenses into three sections: Fixed Expenses, Flexible Expenses, and Non-monthly. Fixed and non-monthly categories keep individual targets. Flexible categories are pooled together — the section header shows one combined target and one combined actual for all your flexible spending.
You still see every flexible category as an individual row. You can still set or adjust per-category amounts. The difference is that the section-level metric — the progress bar and budget total — rolls up all flexible categories into a single number, so you track one flexible spending pool instead of dozens of individual lines.
When to use Flex Budget:
- Your fixed and non-monthly expenses are predictable and already handled. What varies month to month is your "fun money" — restaurants, hobbies, entertainment, shopping. You want one number to watch.
- You find it mentally easier to ask "do I have any flex budget left?" rather than checking ten category lines.
- Example: Your rent, utilities, and insurance are locked in. You set your combined flexible target at $900 for the month and watch it as a single number. You don't care whether the $900 went to dining or shopping — you just care whether you stayed under it.
Rollover in Flex Budget mode
Per-category rollover behaves the same in Flex mode as in Category mode — it is a toggle on each category row. Categories that are pooled in the Flexible section can still carry individual rollovers. The section total reflects the combined rollover for all flexible categories.
Reporting in Flex Budget mode
The page shows one combined progress bar for all flexible categories. Fixed and non-monthly categories still show individually. The year view is identical to Category mode.
Switching between modes
Switching modes is a display-only change. Your budget amounts, spending, and rollover settings are not affected. You can switch back and forth at any time.
To switch: open Budget Settings → select the mode → click Save Settings.
See Budget settings for full details.
Summary comparison
| Category Budget | Flex Budget | |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed categories | Individual rows | Individual rows |
| Flexible categories | Individual rows | Pooled into one section total |
| Non-monthly | Individual rows | Individual rows |
| Per-category rollover | Available | Available |
| Best for | Granular tracking | One-number flexible spending |
FAQ
Does switching modes delete or change my budgets? No. The mode is a display preference stored server-side. All budget amounts, rollover settings, and spending history are unchanged.
Can I use rollover on flexible categories in Flex mode? Yes. Rollover is a per-category setting and works the same regardless of mode.
What if I have no flexible categories? Does Flex mode still make sense? Probably not — if all your spending is fixed or non-monthly, both modes look essentially the same. Category mode is the better default in that case.
Can I budget a group by group total in Category mode? Yes. Open the settings popover on any expense group header and switch the group's budget mode to By group. This is independent of the page-level Flex vs Category setting.