Getting Started with BreadBudget

Written Guide

---

Hello, and welcome to BreadBudget!

If your account looks a little empty at first, that is completely normal. BreadBudget becomes more useful as you add income, expenses, categories, budgets, and other financial information. As you use the program, your tables, charts, reports, and dashboard cards will begin to fill in.

This guide walks through the basic steps shown in the introduction video. You can follow along now, or come back to this page any time from the Resources section.

1. Create your categories

Start by going to the Categories page. Categories are used to group your income and expenses so BreadBudget can organize your transactions and build useful reports.

Examples of simple starter categories include:

• Work for paychecks or other job income
• Bills for rent, utilities, phone payments, and subscriptions
• Food & Drink for restaurants and groceries
• Shopping for general purchases

Your categories do not have to be perfect at first. You can adjust them later as you learn how you want to organize your money.

2. Add income and expenses

After you create categories, you can start adding transactions. These can be income entries, like a paycheck, or expense entries, like rent, groceries, dining out, or shopping.

For example:

• A paycheck can be entered as income under the Work category.
• Rent can be entered as an expense under the Bills category.
• Groceries or restaurant purchases can be entered under Food & Drink.
• Clothes, household items, or other purchases can be entered under Shopping.

You can enter transactions manually, import a bank statement, or use optional Plaid Sync to automatically import income and expenses from connected accounts.

3. Review your monthly breakdown

Once you have added income and expenses, visit the Monthly Breakdown page. This page helps you see how much money came in, how much went out, and where your money was spent.

The monthly breakdown groups spending by category. This can make patterns easier to notice. For example, you may discover that food, shopping, subscriptions, or other categories are costing more than expected.

4. Set up your budget

The Budget page helps you compare your planned spending against your actual spending. Before the page can show a budget, you need to create a budget template.

A budget template is your plan for the month. For example, you might plan:

• $2,000 for bills
• $400 for food
• $150 for shopping

After your template is created, BreadBudget can compare your real spending against your plan. This helps you see which categories are on track and which ones may need attention.

5. Explore more tools

After you understand the basics, you can explore more BreadBudget features. These tools are optional, but they can help you get a clearer picture of your money.

• Dashboard: Choose the cards and charts you want to see when you log in.
• Goals: Track progress toward savings goals or other financial targets.
• Stocks: Track stock purchases, sales, and current value.
• Crypto: Track cryptocurrency holdings and activity.
• Calculators: Estimate loan payments, debt payoff time, emergency fund goals, and more.

6. Download the app

BreadBudget is available on the web, iOS, and Android. The mobile app can make it easier to check your budget, review spending, and keep up with your money while you are away from your computer.

Your financial journey

Budgeting is not about being perfect. It is about understanding your money, making adjustments, and building better habits over time. BreadBudget is here to help you organize the information, review your progress, and make more informed decisions.

The tools, reports, and calculators in BreadBudget are for educational and organizational purposes only. They are not personal financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.