Pen and Paper to App

I used to do all my budgeting with pen and paper. Then Goodbudget started growing on me. The way my old pen-and-paper system worked: At the beginning of each month I wrote down the amount I received from my paycheck Subtracted my recurring expenses Deducted expenses from my total every time I made a purchase … Read more

Import Transactions to Get Back on Track

EEBA is now Goodbudget! You can find the most up-to-date information about using Goodbudget on our Help Center. I had a rough time last month. Personal illness and a rash of family emergencies had left my regular schedule in disarray. Among the organizational casualties in my life was my transaction history in EEBA. By the end … Read more

EEBA for iPhone, better than ever!

EEBA is now Goodbudget! You can find the most up-to-date information about using Goodbudget on our Help Center. We’ve seen tremendous growth with EEBA for iPhone this past year and it’s all thanks to you, our users, so… Thank You! Building off that momentum, we’re bringing more features and more functionality to the iPhone app, … Read more

FAQ: How to Start In the Middle of the Month

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.

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FAQ: How Can I Keep an Account Off My Budget?

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.

Q: I have a Checking and a Savings Account in EEBA, but I only want to spend from my Checking. How can I keep funds from my Savings Account off my budget?

Accounts with EEBA (Available on the Plus and Premium Plans) lets you base your budget off your actual bank account balances. As you create your Accounts, EEBA will add funds to your Unallocated Money to match. This lets you budget with all the funds you have available.

Keep an Account “off” your budget

Say you have a Checking Account with $1500, and a Savings Account with $800. You see $2300 in your Unallocated Money, but you only want to budget with the $1500 from your Checking.

To do this in EEBA:

  • Go to the Edit Budgets page and create an Annual / Irregular Envelope called “Savings” with a budget of “0.”
  • Then, go to the Distribute from Unallocated page to distribute $800 to the Envelope.

That’s it! Now you’ll have just $1500 left to work with in your Budget.

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FAQ: How to Import CSV Files Into Goodbudget

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.

Q: How can I import my banking activity as a “CSV” file?
Q: I’m trying to import a “CSV” file into Goodbudget, but it’s not working properly, what’s wrong and how can I fix it? see below.

CSV Import (For Advanced Users)

We recommend users import their banking activity with Quicken (QFX) or MS Money (OFX) files. You can learn more about importing via these file formats here. However, if your bank does not offer QFX or OFX downloads, Goodbudget supports “CSV” formatted files as well.

  1. From the Transactions window on the home page, click on “Import Bank Transactions.”
  2. Click on “Choose File” and select the CSV file you want to upload.
  3. Then click on “Upload Transactions.”

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FAQ: How to Import Bank Activity

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.

EEBA supports importing bank activity for checking, savings and credit card accounts. You can import QFX (Quicken) and OFX (MS Money) files, as well as CSV files as an alternative for advanced users.

Step 1. Get Ready to Import

Head to your bank’s website and download your “recent activity.” Note that this is often not the same as downloading your statement. When asked, choose one of the following file formats:

  • QFX, a.k.a. Quicken, Web Connect, or;
  • OFX, a.k.a. MS Money, Open Financial Exchange.

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FAQ: How Can I Handle Multiple or Variable Incomes in EEBA?

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.

Q: I have multiple or variable incomes with expenses that are due throughout the month. How can I keep track of everything in EEBA?

Q: I have a monthly budgeting period, but I get paid bi-weekly, how can I manage my budget in EEBA?

Keeping track of a single, stable income can be hard enough. For those with more than one income, or an income that varies month to month, things can quickly get more complicated. You aren’t certain how much money you really have to spend, or which paycheck you should use to spend on which expenses. Thankfully, EEBA can help.

Working Towards a One Month Cushion

The ideal solution is to pool your income into Unallocated Money as a one month cushion for your budget. Then, use it fund your Envelopes all at once at the beginning of the month.

If that’s not an option for you yet, don’t worry! You can still use EEBA to manage your incomes and build up that one month cushion. Here’s how you can do it in 3 simple steps.

1. Make sure your budget makes sense

For many, building up a one month cushion is simply an issue of cash flow. For others a more serious change is needed. Check out our guide on creating a budget based off your income to know you’re starting off on the right foot.

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