You should create budget categories for each major recurring expense.
A typical set of budget categories are included with your original copy of this program. (You may reload these by using the Default menu pull down menu.)
Do not attempt to break this down in too much detail. Most people may have 10 to 20 budget categories. If you have more, then you will probably quickly get discouraged with the budgeting process.
Remember the guiding rules for budgeting:
- Budgets are for your use only.
- Their only purpose is to help you understand how you may wish to spend your money.
- It's always better to know where you stand, even if you don't stick with any specific plan.
- "Budgets are made to be Broken". Use it as a guide, and adjust it as you need. Better to know where you are than to be driving blind.
In addition, you should decide whether or not all of your money will be budgeted.
If you do budget all of your income, as is normally recommended, you may wish to have a "miscellaneous" category so as to not have too many small categories.
You may also prefer to keep out some cash rather than deposit all of your income in your bank account(s) each time you are paid. If so, you should create a budget category for this (such as CASH) so that each deposit can properly reflect both the deposit of the full amount and the expense of the CASH withheld.
PROCEDURES
A typical set of categories is provided with your program.
You will likely wish to change these to match your needs.
You may Add, Delete, Rename or Move any category. To do so:
1. Highlight the category where you would like to add a new category, or which you would like to rename or delete.
2. Press the appropriate category change button in the upper right hand corner of the screen.
3. If you press Add you will be presented with an input dialogue box with a request that you enter a new category name. When done it will automatically have a zero balance, a zero budget, and a period of Weekly.
You will need to add Data to this new category, and will need to rebalance your budget if this is a budget change.
4. If you press the Delete button, the category will be immediately deleted, along with its Balance, Budget and Period data.
5. If you press the Rename button you will be presented with an input dialogue box requesting a new category name. When changed, the only thing that is changed is the name. The Balance, Budget and Period for that category stays the same.
6. If you press the Move Up or Move Down button the category, and its data, will be moved up or down one row on the screen. It will retain it's existing Balance, Budget and Period data.
NOTES:
a. You may reload the initial default budget cagegories if you wish to start over on the development of your budget.
b. You should always review your balances and budgets, including their totals after any change to your budget categories (other than a simple category rename or move).
