Budjeezie Help Guide

Everything you need to know about using Budjeezie, explained step by step. This guide covers every feature in simple, easy-to-follow instructions.

Getting Started

What is Budjeezie?

Budjeezie is a budgeting app that helps you track your spending across pay periods. Instead of thinking in months, you budget based on when you actually get paid. This makes it easier to see how much you can spend each day.

Setting Up Your First Budget

Before you can start tracking, you need to tell Budjeezie about your pay schedule and budget. Here's how:

1. Open Budjeezie in your browser
2. Tap the Settings button (gear icon) in the top right corner
3. Find the "Pay day" field and enter the day of the month you get paid (for example, if you get paid on the 28th, enter 28)
4. Enter your "Budget for the period" - this is how much money you have for this pay period (for example, 1400)
5. Choose your currency from the dropdown (GBP, USD, EUR, etc.)
6. Your settings are saved automatically

Understanding Your Daily Allowance

After you set your budget, Budjeezie calculates your daily allowance. This is how much you can spend each day. Here's how it works:

1. Budjeezie takes your total budget for the period
2. It subtracts any regular payments you've set up (like rent or bills)
3. It divides what's left by the number of days in your pay period
4. That's your daily allowance

Adding and Tracking Spending

Adding a Purchase

When you spend money, add it to Budjeezie so you can track it:

1. Find the day you made the purchase on the calendar
2. Tap on that day
3. A dialog will open where you can add details
4. Enter the amount you spent
5. Choose a category (like Groceries, Transport, or Eating Out)
6. Optionally add a note about what you bought
7. Tap "Add" or "Save"

Using Receipt Scanning

Instead of typing in purchases, you can scan receipts with your camera:

1. Tap the camera button at the bottom of the screen (or in the day dialog)
2. Allow Budjeezie to use your camera when asked
3. Point your camera at the receipt
4. Make sure the receipt is clear and well-lit
5. Tap the button to take a photo
6. Budjeezie will try to read the amount and details from the receipt
7. Check the information and make any corrections needed
8. Choose a category and save

Editing or Deleting a Purchase

Made a mistake? No problem. Here's how to fix it:

1. Find the day with the purchase you want to change
2. Tap on that day to open it
3. Find the purchase in the list
4. Tap on the purchase to edit it, or look for a delete button
5. Make your changes and save, or confirm deletion

Categories

What Are Categories?

Categories help you organize your spending. Instead of just seeing "I spent £50," you can see "I spent £50 on Groceries." This helps you understand where your money goes.

Using Default Categories

Budjeezie comes with some categories already set up:

• General
• Groceries
• Eating Out
• Transport
• Bills
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Health
• Travel
• Other

You can use these as they are, or customize them to match how you spend money.

Adding a New Category

Want to create your own category? Here's how:

1. Open Settings (gear icon)
2. Scroll down to "Spending Categories"
3. Type the name of your new category in the text box (for example, "Hobbies" or "Pet Care")
4. Tap the "Add" button
5. Your new category will appear in the list and be available when you add purchases

Removing a Category

If you don't need a category anymore:

1. Go to Settings
2. Find "Spending Categories"
3. Look for the category you want to remove
4. Tap the X or delete button next to it
5. Confirm that you want to remove it

Regular Payments

What Are Regular Payments?

Regular payments are bills and subscriptions that happen every month, like rent, Netflix, or your phone bill. When you set these up, Budjeezie automatically includes them in your budget calculations.

Adding a Regular Payment

Set up your recurring bills once, and Budjeezie remembers them:

1. Go to the Overview section at the top of the app
2. Tap the "Regular Payments" tab
3. Tap the "Add Payment" button
4. Enter the name of the payment (for example, "Rent" or "Netflix")
5. Enter the amount
6. Choose when it happens:
   • Monthly on a specific day (like rent on the 1st)
   • First working day of the month
   • Last working day of the month
   • Last day of the month
7. Choose which category it belongs to
8. Tap "Save"

Editing or Removing Regular Payments

If a bill changes or you cancel a subscription:

1. Go to the Regular Payments tab
2. Find the payment you want to change
3. Tap on it to edit, or look for a delete button
4. Make your changes and save, or confirm deletion

Calendar Views

Day View

The day view shows one day at a time. Swipe left or right to move between days. This is great for focusing on today's spending.

1. Look for the view buttons at the top of the calendar (D, W, M)
2. Tap "D" for day view
3. Swipe left or right to move between days

Week View

See a whole week at once. This helps you see patterns and plan ahead.

1. Tap "W" for week view
2. You'll see seven days in a row
3. Scroll horizontally to see more weeks

Month View

The month view shows your entire pay period in a calendar grid. This gives you the big picture.

1. Tap "M" for month view
2. You'll see all days in your current pay period
3. Each day shows how much you've spent and your daily allowance

Themes

Budjeezie supports multiple themes to customize the appearance of the app:

• Default Theme - Dark mode with blue accents (default)
• Dark Theme - Pure dark mode with minimal colors
• Light Theme - Light mode for daytime use

To change themes:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to the Appearance tab
3. Select your preferred theme
4. The app will update immediately

All colors, buttons, and UI elements adapt automatically to your selected theme for a consistent experience.

Category Heatmap View

The heatmap view provides a visual representation of your spending by category:

• Grid View - Traditional list view of categories (default)
• Heatmap View - Visual heatmap showing spending intensity by category

To switch views:

1. Look for the view toggle button in the category controls
2. Click to switch between Grid and Heatmap views

In treemap view:

• Each category is displayed as a rectangle sized by spending amount—larger rectangles represent higher spending
• Click a rectangle to flip it and reveal a treemap of the week (Mo → Su) where larger rectangles represent heavier spend
• Tap or click any day block to open that category filtered to the chosen weekday, or long-press/right-click to view the detailed spend stats
• Use the info button on the front of each card to generate an insight that summarises the busiest/quietest days using your configured prompt
• Tap the "+" button next to "Weekly Pattern" to expand a full treemap dialog without leaving the page
• You can customise the insight wording under Settings → Processing Defaults → Weekly pattern insight prompt

The treemap helps you quickly identify which categories and days of the week you spend the most on by showing spending proportionally through rectangle sizes.

Receipt Analytics

If you've scanned receipts with line items, Budjeezie provides detailed analytics:

• Top Items by Spending - See which items you spend the most on
• Frequently Purchased Items - Items you buy regularly
• Price Tracking - Min, max, and average prices for each item
• Store Comparison - Find the cheapest store for each item

To view receipt analytics:

1. Go to the Analytics tab
2. Scroll down to the "Receipt Insights" section
3. View your spending patterns and price comparisons

You can also drill down into receipt line items:

• In day or category dialogs, expand receipt line items
• Click on any line item price to open that day's entries
• This helps you track specific purchases across different days

When adding or editing an entry you can now tweak the receipt lines inline—change the description or the line amount and Budjeezie will recalculate the subtotal, VAT percentage, and receipt total immediately.

Transactions Tab

Viewing All Transactions

The Transactions tab shows all your transactions for the current pay period in one place. This makes it easy to review, search, and filter your spending.

1. Go to the Overview section at the top
2. Tap the "Transactions" tab
3. You'll see all transactions listed with date, category, amount, and notes

Filtering Transactions

You can filter transactions to find exactly what you're looking for. The filter icon will turn green when any filters are active.

Search

Use the search box to find transactions across all columns. The search field expands when focused to show additional options and tips.

What you can search:

• Category name
• Transaction notes
• Amount (formatted with currency)
• Date (multiple formats: "MMM D, YYYY", "YYYY-MM-DD", day name)
• Transaction type (expense/income)

Advanced Search Features:

Regular Expressions (Regex)

You can use regex patterns for powerful pattern matching. For example:

• ^coffee - Finds transactions starting with "coffee"
• \d+\.\d{2} - Finds amounts with decimal places
• groceries|shopping - Finds transactions containing either "groceries" or "shopping"

Boolean Operators (AND/OR)

Combine multiple search terms using AND and OR operators. Operators must be typed in CAPITALS (they will be automatically converted).

• coffee AND monday - Finds transactions containing both "coffee" and "monday"
• groceries OR shopping - Finds transactions containing either "groceries" or "shopping"
• coffee AND (monday OR tuesday) - Finds coffee transactions on Monday or Tuesday

Parentheses for Grouping

Use parentheses to group search terms and control the order of evaluation:

• (coffee OR tea) AND monday - Finds Monday transactions containing either coffee or tea
• groceries AND (january OR february) - Finds grocery transactions in January or February

Type Filter

Filter by transaction type:

• All Types: Show both expenses and income
• Expenses: Show only spending
• Income: Show only income transactions

Category Filter

Filter by spending categories:

1. Click the "All Categories" dropdown
2. Select one or more categories by checking the boxes
3. The button will show "All Categories" if none selected, the category name if one selected, or "{X} categories" if multiple selected
4. On mobile, selected categories appear as chips below the filter

Day of Week Filter

Filter transactions by day of the week:

1. On desktop: Click the "All Days" dropdown in the main filter row
2. On mobile: Tap the "Filters" button, then use the "All Days" dropdown in Additional Filters
3. Select one or more days by checking the boxes (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.)
4. The button will show "All Days" if none selected, the day name if one selected, or "{X} days" if multiple selected

Filter Status Indicator

When any filters are applied (search, type, category, or day), the filter icon will turn green to indicate that filters are active. This helps you quickly see when your view is filtered.

Analytics

Viewing Your Spending Analytics

Analytics help you understand your spending habits. Here's how to see them:

1. Go to the Overview section at the top
2. Tap the "Analytics" tab
3. You'll see several charts and statistics

What Analytics Show You

• Spending by Category: A chart showing which categories you spend the most money on
• Daily Spending Trend: A line graph showing how your spending changes day by day
• Weekly Comparison: Compare spending across different weeks
• Spending by Day of Week: See if you spend more on weekends or weekdays
• Average Daily Spend: How much you typically spend per day
• Total Spent: How much you've spent in the current period
• Remaining Budget: How much money you have left
• Budget Utilization: What percentage of your budget you've used

Budget Warnings

What Are Budget Warnings?

Budget warnings alert you when you're spending more than your daily allowance or going over your period budget. This helps you stay on track.

Enabling Budget Warnings

1. Open Settings
2. Find "Show budget warnings"
3. Turn on the switch or check the box
4. Warnings will now appear on days when you're over budget

What You'll See

When budget warnings are enabled, days where you've spent more than your daily allowance will show a warning. The day might be highlighted in a different color, or you might see a message telling you how much over budget you are.

Holiday Periods

What Are Holiday Periods?

Holiday periods let you track spending during trips or vacations, especially when you're using a different currency. For example, if you're from the UK but traveling in the US, you can track spending in both pounds and dollars.

Setting Up a Holiday Period

1. Open Settings
2. Find the "Holiday Periods" section
3. Tap "Add Holiday Period" or similar
4. Enter a name for your holiday (for example, "Summer Trip to Spain")
5. Choose the start date and end date
6. Select the currency you'll be using (for example, EUR for euros)
7. Enter the exchange rate (how many of your home currency equals one unit of the holiday currency)
8. Choose your budget:
   • Enter a specific amount for the holiday, or
   • Use your normal daily budget rate
9. Save your holiday period

Tracking Spending During a Holiday

When you're in a holiday period, you can add expenses in the holiday currency. Budjeezie will show you the amount in both currencies. For example, if you spend €50 and the exchange rate is 0.85, you'll see "€50 (£42.50)".

Export and Import

Why Export Your Data?

Exporting creates a backup of all your budget data. This is important because:

• You can restore your data if something goes wrong
• You can move your budget to a new device
• You can share your budget with a partner or family member
• You have a backup in case you lose your device

Exporting Your Budget

1. Open Settings
2. Look for "Export" or "Export Data"
3. Tap the export button
4. A file will be downloaded to your device
5. Save this file somewhere safe (like cloud storage or a computer)

Importing Your Budget

If you have an exported file, you can import it to restore your data or move it to a new device:

1. Open Settings
2. Look for "Import" or "Import Data"
3. Tap the import button
4. Choose the file you exported earlier
5. Confirm that you want to import
6. Your budget data will be restored

Cloud Sync

What Is Cloud Sync?

Cloud sync lets you save your budget data to cloud storage (like Azure Blob Storage, AWS S3, or Google Cloud Storage). This means you can access your budget from multiple devices, and your data is backed up automatically.

Setting Up Cloud Sync

Budjeezie offers two ways to set up cloud sync:

Budjeezie Sync (Recommended - Currently Free & Easy)

This is the easiest option and requires no technical knowledge:

1. Go to Settings → Sync tab
2. Enable "Cloud Sync" by checking the toggle
3. Select "Budjeezie Sync" as your sync type
4. Review and accept the privacy policy
5. Generate a share key (or use an existing one if sharing with someone)
6. Save your settings

Advanced Configuration (For Technical Users)

If you want to use your own cloud storage (Azure Blob, AWS S3, Google Cloud, etc.):

1. Go to Settings → Sync tab
2. Enable "Cloud Sync" by checking the toggle
3. Select "Advanced Configuration" as your sync type
4. Choose your cloud storage provider
5. Enter your storage URL template (must include {key} as a placeholder)
6. Generate or enter a share key
7. Test the connection to make sure it works
8. Save your settings

Using QR Code Sharing

Once you have cloud sync set up, you can share your budget with others using a QR code:

1. Make sure cloud sync is set up and working
2. Go to Settings and find the QR code sharing option
3. Tap to generate a QR code
4. Show the QR code to the person you want to share with
5. They scan it with their device
6. Their Budjeezie app will connect to the same cloud storage
7. You'll both see the same budget data

AI | OCR Features

What Are AI Features?

Budjeezie offers AI-powered features including:

• AI Assistant: Ask questions about your spending and get insights
• Receipt OCR: Scan receipts to automatically extract transaction details
• Spending Insights: Get personalized budget advice and predictions

AI Provider Options

You can choose from three options in Settings → AI | OCR:

• Off: Disable all AI features (default)
• Budjeezie Brain: Use our AI service for intelligent insights and receipt scanning
• Advanced Configuration: Use your own AI provider (OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, Azure OpenAI)

Using the AI Assistant

1. Look for the chat button at the bottom of the screen (it looks like a speech bubble or chat icon)
2. Tap it to open the chat
3. Type your question in the text box
4. Tap send or press enter
5. The assistant will answer based on your budget data

What You Can Ask

• "How much have I spent this period?"
• "What's my daily allowance?"
• "Which category do I spend the most on?"
• "Am I over budget today?"
• "How much do I usually spend on [category]?"
• "What's my remaining budget?"

Settings Explained

Pay Day

This is the day of the month you get paid. Enter a number from 1 to 31. Budjeezie uses this to figure out when your pay periods start and end.

Budget for the Period

This is how much money you have for the current pay period. Enter the amount in your chosen currency (no currency symbol needed, just the number).

Adjusting Your Budget Mid-Period

You can adjust your budget at any time during a pay period to account for unexpected changes like windfalls or emergency expenses:

1. Look at the "Budget" card in the overview section (the first stat card at the top)
2. You'll see a small settings/adjustment icon in the top right corner of the Budget card (looks like a gear/settings icon)
3. On desktop: Right-click on the Budget card
4. On mobile: Long-press (hold for about half a second) on the Budget card
5. A dialog will open where you can add budget adjustments
6. Enter a positive amount to increase your budget (e.g., +100 for a windfall)
7. Enter a negative amount to decrease your budget (e.g., -50 for an unexpected expense)
8. Optionally add a reason for the adjustment (e.g., "Unexpected bonus" or "Emergency car repair")
9. Click "Add Adjustment" to save

How it works: When you add an adjustment, it's added to your base budget for the current period. For example, if your base budget is £1,400 and you add a +£100 adjustment, your effective budget becomes £1,500 for that period. All adjustments are saved with timestamps and reasons, so you have a complete record of budget changes.

Currency

Choose the currency you use for your budget. Common options include GBP (British Pounds), USD (US Dollars), EUR (Euros), and more.

Anchor Mode

This controls how Budjeezie decides which pay period to show:

• Auto: Budjeezie automatically shows the pay period that contains today's date
• Manual: You choose a specific month, and Budjeezie shows the pay period that contains that month

Most people should use "Auto" - it's simpler and works automatically.

Anchor Month

This only appears if you choose "Manual" anchor mode. Select a month, and Budjeezie will show the pay period that contains that month.

Display Preferences

Customize how Budjeezie displays information to match your preferences:

Calendar Display

By default, the calendar appears at the bottom of each overview tab. You can choose to show the calendar in its own separate tab instead:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to the Theme tab
3. Scroll to Display Preferences
4. Enable "Show Calendar in its own tab" (this option appears first)
5. A new Calendar tab will appear in the overview header

Overview Tab Order

You can customize the order of tabs in the overview header by dragging and dropping the tab chips:

1. Open Settings
2. Go to the Theme tab
3. Scroll to Display Preferences
4. Find "Overview Tab Order" (below the Calendar option)
5. Drag and drop the tab chips to arrange them in your preferred order
6. The tabs will reorder immediately

Profiles

What Are Profiles?

Profiles allow you to create separate budgets and accounts within the same Budjeezie app. Each profile has completely independent transactions, settings, budgets, and archives. This is perfect for managing multiple budgets (e.g., "Personal" and "Business"), different accounts (e.g., "Bank 1" and "Bank 2"), or household members.

Simple vs. Advanced Profile Usage

For simple use cases, you can create multiple parent profiles, each representing a different account or budget. For example, you might have "Bank Account 1", "Savings Account", and "Credit Card" as separate profiles.

For advanced users, Budjeezie supports hierarchical profiles with sub-profiles. You can create a parent profile (e.g., "Household") and then add sub-profiles within it (e.g., "Bank 1", "Bank 2", "Child Account"). This allows for complex budgeting scenarios where you need to organize multiple accounts under a single household or entity.

Creating a Profile

1. Open Settings and navigate to the Profiles tab
2. Enter a name for your new profile (e.g., "Bank Account 1", "Savings", "Household")
3. Click "Create" to create the profile
4. Optionally switch to the new profile immediately

Creating a Sub-Profile

1. Open Settings and navigate to the Profiles tab
2. Find the parent profile you want to add a sub-profile to
3. Click the "+" button next to the parent profile
4. Enter a name for the sub-profile (e.g., "Bank 1", "Child Account")
5. The sub-profile will be created and linked to the parent profile

Switching Between Profiles

To switch between profiles, use the profile selector dropdown in the Profiles tab. When you switch profiles, your current data is automatically saved, and the selected profile's data is loaded. The active profile name (if not "Default") will appear in the app header next to the Budjeezie logo.

Renaming Profiles

You can rename any profile, including the "Default" profile. Click the rename button (pencil icon) next to the profile you want to rename, enter the new name, and confirm. The profile name will update throughout the app, including in the header.

Deleting Profiles

You can delete profiles (except the default profile) when they're no longer needed. Note that you cannot delete the currently active profile - switch to another profile first. Deleting a parent profile will also delete all its sub-profiles. All data associated with deleted profiles is permanently removed.

Profile Data Separation

Each profile maintains completely separate data:

• Transactions: All spending entries are separate per profile
• Settings: Budget, pay day, currency, and all other settings are independent
• Budgets: Period budgets and budget adjustments are separate
• Archives: Archived periods are stored separately for each profile
• Categories: Spending categories can be customized per profile
• Regular Payments: Recurring payments are tracked separately

Profile Best Practices

• Use descriptive names that help you identify the profile's purpose
• For households, create a parent profile and add sub-profiles for each family member or account
• Regularly review and clean up unused profiles to keep your app organized
• Export data from important profiles before deleting them
• Use the profile name in the header to quickly identify which profile you're viewing

Tips and Best Practices

Check Your Budget Daily

Make it a habit to check Budjeezie once a day, maybe in the morning or evening. This helps you stay aware of your spending and make better decisions.

Add Purchases Right Away

Don't wait until the end of the day to add your purchases. Add them as soon as you make them, or at least a few times throughout the day. This keeps your budget accurate and up to date.

Use Receipt Scanning

Receipt scanning is faster than typing. If you have receipts, use the camera feature to quickly add purchases.

Set Up Regular Payments

Take the time to set up all your regular bills and subscriptions. Once they're set up, Budjeezie automatically accounts for them, making your daily allowance more accurate.

Review Your Analytics

Check your analytics regularly to understand your spending patterns. This helps you make better decisions about where to cut back or where you're doing well.

Export Regularly

Even if you use cloud sync, export your data every few weeks as an extra backup. You never know when you might need it.

Troubleshooting

My Daily Allowance Seems Wrong

If your daily allowance doesn't look right, check:

• Is your budget amount correct in Settings?
• Are your regular payments set up correctly?
• Is your pay day set correctly?
• Try refreshing the page or restarting the app

I Can't Add a Purchase

If you're having trouble adding purchases:

• Make sure you're tapping on the day itself, not just near it
• Check that you've entered an amount
• Make sure you've selected a category
• Try refreshing the page

My Data Disappeared

If your budget data seems to be gone:

• Check if you're on the right device (data is stored on each device separately unless you use cloud sync)
• Try refreshing the page
• If you have an export file, you can import it to restore your data
• Check your browser's storage settings - make sure cookies and local storage are enabled

Cloud Sync Isn't Working

If cloud sync isn't working:

• Check that your URL and access key are correct
• Make sure your cloud storage account is active
• Test the connection in Settings
• Check your internet connection
• Make sure the URL template includes {key} where your access key should go

Receipt Scanning Isn't Working

If receipt scanning isn't working well:

• Make sure you've given Budjeezie permission to use your camera
• Take photos in good lighting
• Make sure the receipt is flat and in focus
• Try taking the photo from directly above the receipt
• If the AI can't read it, you can always type it in manually

Getting More Help

If you need more help or have questions that aren't covered here:

• Check the FAQ section on the Budjeezie website
• Contact support through the website
• Try asking the AI assistant in the app - it might be able to help!