How to create a budget for a spending category
After this guide, you'll be able to: Set a monthly spending limit for any category and track your progress through the month.
Published 21 April 2026
- 1
Go to Budgets
Open Budgets from the navigation (or from the dashboard shortcut). You'll see any existing budgets and the option to add more.
- 2
Tap "+ Add budget"
Tap the add button to open the budget creation modal. You'll choose a category and set a monthly limit.
- 3
Choose the category
Select the spending category you want to budget for — Groceries, Dining Out, Petrol, Entertainment, etc. Each budget is linked to one category.
- 4
Set the monthly limit
Enter the maximum amount you want to spend in this category per month. If you're not sure, look at your last 2–3 months of spending in that category to get a realistic baseline.
Start slightly above your actual spending rather than aspirationally low. A budget you can hit builds confidence; one you always miss is demoralising.
- 5
Optionally enable rollover
If you want unused budget to carry forward to next month, toggle on "Rollover". This is useful for irregular expenses like clothing or car maintenance that you don't spend on every month.
- 6
Save the budget
Tap Save. The budget appears in your list and starts tracking spending from today.
What happens next
With your first budget live, head to Safe-to-Spend to see how it affects your available spending money. Add budgets for your top 3–5 spending categories for the most useful picture.
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