Budget basics
A calm overview of the four core numbers: To be budgeted, Assigned, Activity, and Available.
The three budget columns
Your budget table is a simple story: what you planned, what happened, and what is left.
Money you set aside for the month.
Think: a plan.
Spending and inflows posted this month.
Think: real life.
Assigned + Activity + any rollover from prior months.
Think: how safe you are to spend.
To be budgeted (TBB)
TBB is the cash you can still assign to categories this month. It is the heartbeat of zero-based budgeting.
If TBB is negative, you assigned more than you have. Cover overspending or reduce assignments.
Example
Checking + Savings = $6,000. Assigned this month = $4,400.
TBB = $1,600
Rollover and overspending
- Rollover on: unused Available carries to next month.
- Rollover off: unused Available does not carry forward.
- Overspending shows as a negative Available and should be covered.
- Cover overspending by moving money from another category.
Tags in the budget table
You may see tags like Obligation or Goal beside category names. These tags reflect the category purpose and help explain how Safe to spend is calculated.
Step-by-step workflow
- Add your income so cash appears in TBB.
- Assign TBB into categories in the budget table.
- Record transactions so Activity stays accurate.
- Cover overspending before the month ends.
Use cases
- Paycheck budgeting: assign each paycheck as it lands.
- Sinking funds: create categories for annual expenses and roll over.
- Shared budgets: use categories to keep expectations clear.
Troubleshooting
- TBB is lower than expected: check on-budget account balances.
- Available is negative: cover the category with another assignment.
- Numbers do not add up: open the Explain popovers for a breakdown.