Getting started

From a fresh browser to your first month of envelope budgeting.

Project Budget runs entirely in your browser. There is no account to create, no server to point at, and no bank credential to hand over. Open the app, and you are ready to go.

What lives where

  • Dashboard — current Ready-to-Assign, net worth, and headline counts.
  • Budget — the monthly envelope view. Assign every dollar.
  • Register — every transaction across every account.
  • Accounts — your accounts and account groups.
  • Categories — the categories that hold your budgeted dollars.
  • Reports — net worth, spending, debt, cashflow projection.

A typical first session

  1. Create a profile from the Profiles page (or accept the sample profile that loads on first visit).
  2. On Accounts, add a checking account with its current balance, a savings account, and any credit card.
  3. On Categories, make groups (for example Immediate Obligations, True Expenses, Quality of Life) and the categories under each.
  4. Enter your most recent paycheck on the Register — leave it uncategorized to make it Ready to Assign.
  5. On Budget, assign that money to categories until Ready to Assign reaches zero.