Assign every dollar
The budget is zero-based: income arrives, you assign it to categories until Left to assign reads zero, and the app tells you when you are over.
Last updated 23 Sep 2026
This is for the grown-up running the household’s zero-based budget each month.
Left to assign
On the Budget tab on a phone, a band shows “Left to assign”. Above zero, it shows the amount and an “Assign it” button. At exactly zero, it reads “Every dollar is assigned”. Below zero, on a danger tint, it reads “Over-assigned by” followed by the amount. On a wider screen there is no band: the same number sits in a “Left to assign” tile, and the way in is the “Assign more” button on the category detail beside the table.
Assign and move
To assign money to a category:
- Tap “Assign it” (or “Assign more” on a wide screen).
- Pick “To category”.
- Enter an “Amount”.
- Tap “Assign”.
Assigning is for expense categories only; an income category carries expected income instead.
To move money that is already assigned to a different category:
- Tap “Move”, or open a row’s menu and choose “Move money”, which fills in that category and what it has left.
- Pick “From category” and “To category”.
- Enter an “Amount”.
- Tap “Move budget”.
Moving only works between categories of the same kind, income with income, expense with expense.
Month to month
Use the arrows beside the month to move around, or tap “Copy {month}” (in September, “Copy Aug”) to carry last month’s plan forward. Copying only fills categories with no amount yet this month; anything already set stays as it is. The table lists Category, Assigned, Spent, Left, Progress, and an overspent category reads “Over budget by {amount}”.
The kids’ lines
Pocket money lands in built-in categories the app keeps for it, so the kids show up as several lines, not one. Each payday posts to Allowance and Chores as the ticket splits, Save growth posts to KidsInterest, and a Bonus category is there for anything extra you record by hand. The Home hero sums what the jars hold as “{amount} held for the kids”, and Home’s “This month’s budget” card shows the top three categories as “{spent} of {assigned}” with an “{count} over budget” line, or “Assign this month” when nothing is assigned yet.