Update
EEBA is now Goodbudget! Goodbudget has all the great features of EEBA (and more!) in a new and updated interface. Check out our updated article on this topic, and check out the Goodbudget Help Center for the most recent help content.
The best time to start a budget is now. Whether you’re just tracking your expenses, budgeting off your income, or using Accounts in EEBA to manage every dollar, you can get started with EEBA today. Read on to learn how.
I just want to track my expenses in EEBA.
Start by creating your Envelopes and then funding them on the Add Money / Receive Income page. You can fund your Envelopes to full, or fund them partially based on when you’re starting in the month. For example, if you’re starting half-way through the month you could fund your Envelopes to half their budgeted amount.
As you record transactions you’ll be able to track your expenses in EEBA. When the month ends, fund your Envelopes again to start the new month.
I want to budget off my income.
For budgets based off income, it’s best to start from your last paycheck.
- Start by creating your Envelopes to represent your budget.
- Then, head to the Add Money / Receive Income page and choose “Specify” to fund your Envelopes from your last paycheck.
- Finally, record the transactions that have happened since your last paycheck, and continue to record transactions as the month goes on.
When your next paycheck arrives, head back to the Add Money / Receive Income page to allocate it to your Envelopes.
If you have questions about multiple or irregular incomes, follow the guide here.
I’m using Accounts with EEBA.
If you’re starting with Accounts, it’s best to set that up first.
- Start by entering all of your Accounts. As you do, EEBA will adjust your Unallocated Money to match.
- Then, create your Envelopes to represent your budget.
- After that, head to the Distribute from Unallocated page to fund your Envelopes from your Unallocated Money.
From there you can record transactions and keep track of your spending. As you receive income, keep it in your Unallocated Money. At the beginning of the next month, head back to the Distribute from Unallocated page to fund your Envelopes again.
For more information on how to start with Accounts, follow the guide here.
12 thoughts on “FAQ: How to Start In the Middle of the Month”
What is EEBA?
Hi Sonia,
EEBA is the Easy Envelope Budgeting Aid, and it’s what we were called before we changed our name to Goodbudget. Though we’ve changed names, the envelope budgeting idea and functionality is the same with Goodbudget. Here’s a link to Goodbudget’s Help Center for more up-to-date help: http://help.goodbudget.com/ Email support@goodbudget.com if you have more questions about getting started.
I started using Goodbudget App this month. It is still not clear to me how to go about setting my budget for next month since I don’t have a fixed budget. Please assist….
Hi Doodo,
We’re happy to help you! We recommend keeping the same estimated budget and filling your Envelopes by priority has you receive your income. If you haven’t received your income yet, you can budget off of what you currently have in your bank account. Feel free to refer to our Help Center http://help.goodbudget.com/ or email support@goodbudget.com if you have more questions.
Can you set the app to automatically add set income each period?
Hi Sharyn,
That’s a great question! No, you cannot set up automatic income transactions on the app. However, you can create scheduled income transactions on the web by clicking on the “Schedule This…” box when you make an Envelope fill. Here’s a quick link: https://www.goodbudget-qa.dayspring-tech.com/envelopes/fill. You can access your Household on the web by using your same log in credentials.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Thanks,
Karisa
When you are filling envelopes, what is the difference between adding an amount & setting an amount?
Hi Ravi – Good question! The ‘Add’ option is the roll-over option, which rolls over the Envelope’s balance and adds the budgeted amount on top. ‘Set’ is the top-off option, which fills the Envelope with the exact amount of money needed to bring that Envelopes balance to 100% full. Hope this helps!
Hello, I just can’t seem to figure out how to analyze my progress. I have recorded my spending and my allocated funds in the designated envelops, but I’m not sure what to look for. I am having a difficult seeing the result orient in this. Please assist. I know this tool can be helpful to me if I use it properly.
Hi Danika,
That’s a good question. We recommend taking a look at the reports on the web to see your progress so far. You can see your Spending report (https://goodbudget-qa.dayspring-tech.com/reports/spending-by-envelope), and particularly the Spending vs. Budget Report (https://goodbudget-qa.dayspring-tech.com/reports/spending-vs-budget). As for your Envelope balances, if you’re budgeting with money that you have available in your Accounts, the balances in your Envelopes should represent how much you have left to spend. Please feel free to contact our support team directly (support@goodbudget.com) if you have more questions.
Thanks!
Can you use this program if you don’t use cash envelopes? I UAE my debit card for everything. Thanks
Hi Rene – You do not need to use cash envelopes alongside Goodbudget. In fact, Goodbudget is meant to replace real cash envelopes by allowing you to have virtual Envelopes on your phone. If you need help getting started, check out our Getting Started tutorials here.