How budgets work

A budget in MoneyVue is a per-category target for one month. The Budgets page shows your targets and actual spending side by side, so you know where you stand.

The monthly cycle

Each calendar month is its own budget period. At the start of the month, MoneyVue shows your targets vs. zero spending. As transactions come in, actuals tick up. At the end of the month, the period closes — actuals are locked in for reporting and any rollover-enabled categories carry their remaining balance forward.

You can switch between months from the date selector at the top of the page. Past months are read-only for tracking; future months can be pre-budgeted.

What you choose to budget

You don't have to budget every category. A reasonable starting point is the three or four categories where you spend the most. Add more as you go.

How spending is counted

A transaction counts against a budget when:

• Its category matches the budgeted category (or, if you budget by group, any category in that group).
• Its post date falls in the budget month.

Income, transfers, and reimbursements are excluded from spending totals.

Three budget styles

MoneyVue groups categories into three styles on the Budgets page:

• Fixed — predictable monthly bills (rent, utilities). Set a flat target.
• Flexible — variable monthly spending (groceries, restaurants). Set a target you adjust as you learn.
• Non-monthly — periodic expenses (annual insurance, quarterly tax). Use a sinking fund so a slice of each month covers the bigger bill.

Color coding

Progress bars and percentages change color as spending rises:

• Green — under 75% of budget.
• Yellow — between 75% and 100% of budget, or projected to overspend by month-end.
• Red — over 100% of budget.

These thresholds are fixed and cannot be adjusted.

Related

• Creating your first budget
• How rollover works
• Sinking funds
• Reimbursements
• Show or hide unbudgeted
• Budget settings
• Flex vs category budgets

FAQ

Do I have to budget every category? No. Budgets are optional per-category. Unbudgeted categories still show their spending; they just don't have a target.

What if I set the budget mid-month? The current month picks up the new budget immediately. Spending earlier in the month already counts against it.

Can I budget at the group level instead of per-category? Yes — open the group's menu in Settings → Categories and switch the budget mode to By group. The group's child categories pool their spending against one shared target.