Budget per category

In Spendle a budget can be set per category. A budget specifies what is expected to be spent or received for that category in a given period.

A category has a Budget tab where the position and the position method are visible. Inside that tab are one or more budget lines — each line has its own amount and frequency.

Setting a budget

Open the category (click a category in the Budget sheet or in a transaction).
Open the Budget tab within the category screen.
Add a budget line with an amount and the frequency: Once, Per week, Per month, Per year or Monthpattern (a separate amount per month).
Save. A budget bar appears next to the category in the Budget sheet and the Insight screen immediately.

A category can have multiple budget lines — for example a current line through the end of this year and an adjusted line starting January 1 next year.

Using a pattern from the past

The Pattern tab shows the actual amounts of the category in a chart. Below the heading Use history pattern is a list of suggestions: Last month, Monthaverage this year, Monthaverage last year, Total this year, Total last year, Monthpattern this year and Monthpattern last year.

Click a line in the list. The heading itself is not a button.
Spendle returns to the Budget tab and fills in the frequency and amount(s) based on the selected line.
Check the period and the amounts and click Save.

Monthpattern last year copies the actual amounts of all twelve months of last year. Monthpattern this year asks whether to apply the pattern to Past months only or to All months. Months that have not yet passed do not have an actual amount yet.

Quarterly or half-yearly amounts

There is no separate option for a quarter or half year. Use Monthpattern instead: each month then has its own amount.

Manually — choose Monthpattern as frequency, enter the amount in the months in which the payment falls (for example January, April, July and October) and leave the other months at 0.
From the past — on the Pattern tab, choose the line Monthpattern last year. Last year’s amounts are then placed in the corresponding months.

When saving a Monthpattern for a category with yearly positioning, Spendle asks whether the positioning should be changed to monthly.

Position

At the top of the Budget tab of a category is the position: the difference between actual spending and the budget.

Positive position — less spent than budgeted, room remaining.
Negative position — more spent than budgeted.

Position method

In the Budget tab of a category, choose the position method (in the app: Positioning):

Daily — position per day. For categories with a daily pattern such as Groceries or Miscellaneous.
Monthly — position at the end of the month. For monthly recurring categories such as Rent, Salary, Mortgage, Subscriptions, Clothing.
Yearly — position at the end of the year. For categories that occur at irregular intervals during the year such as Holiday, Hairdresser or Tax refund. The budget is rolling: if nothing is spent in January, that amount is distributed over the remaining months. Any overspend counts towards the position immediately.

The position method can be changed at any time. The effect is visible in the Budget sheet.

Remaining budget (to go)

The to go amount shows what remains according to the budget:

Remaining = budget − expenses − position

Forecast

A forecast is an expectation of income or expenses based on the budget:

Forecast = budget + position

The forecast is only meaningful when all categories have a budget assigned. The forecast is hidden by default and can be enabled in settings, or in the overview via the » button.

Per account

To set a budget specifically for one account, see Budget per account.