Your first budget

Your first goal is a plan you can recognize: accurate accounts, envelopes for your main spending needs, and a view of what's coming next. You can add detail later.

Before you begin

If you're new, create your account and verify your email. Then sign in with the email address and password for your line-budget.com account. On your first sign-in, the app creates an empty My Budget. Open Checklist in the top bar for setup prompts, or follow the steps below. You can restore a hidden checklist under My Account, Settings, Budget view by enabling Show checklist and selecting Save settings. These guides begin with an available budget in the browser app. If the screen says No budget yet, a budget hasn't been set up for that account. There is no budget-creation form on that screen; contact support@line-budget.com.

Have these details ready:

• Balances for the bank accounts, cash, and credit cards you will track.
• A clear date and cutoff for those balances, including whether they include pending transactions.
• Your next few bills, with expected amounts and dates.
• An estimate of everyday spending for the next few weeks.

Choose a starting point you can verify. You do not need to enter years of transactions before you can make a useful plan.

1. Establish your account balances

Add your accounts. Accounts tell the app what cash you have and what you owe. For example, you might begin with a Chequing account holding $1,000 and a credit card with nothing owed.

Include the accounts whose money and spending belong in this budget. Money in an account you add contributes to the budget's cash calculation, even if you call that account Savings.

2. Give your money a purpose

Create your envelopes. Start with names that mean something to you: Rent, Groceries, Phone, and Transport are enough to get going.

An envelope is a purpose within your budget. You can use one Groceries envelope for purchases made from several accounts.

3. Add amounts and dates

Plan expenses and targets. Use a planned expense for an identifiable payment, such as a $65 phone bill. Use a target for a remaining spending allowance, such as $300 for groceries through month-end.

Begin with the next few weeks, then extend the plan as it becomes familiar. The projection uses cash already recorded; an expected payday does not supply cash until the income is recorded.

4. Review what your money can cover

Review your first plan. Check the timeline, Left to plan, and any point where funding runs short. If you use a credit card, also check the cash ready to pay it.

A useful first review can reveal a shortfall. Keep the amounts realistic so you can see what needs attention.

Keep it current

After setup, follow Your regular review: record new activity, check balances, resolve planned expenses, and look ahead. That's the routine that keeps the plan useful.