Budgets

Budgets help you control spending and save for what matters. Wambai supports two types: Period Budgets for recurring spending limits and Goal Budgets for one-time savings targets.

Period Budgets

A period budget tracks spending against a limit over a recurring time frame.

Creating a Period Budget

1. Go to Budgets and tap Add Budget.
2. Choose Period Budget.
3. Fill in the details:
   • Name — e.g., "Monthly Groceries" or "Entertainment".
   • Amount — Your spending limit for the period.
   • Frequency — Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly.
   • Accounts — Select which expense accounts to track. You can link multiple accounts to one budget (e.g., "Groceries" + "Dining Out" in a single "Food" budget).
   • Alert at — A percentage threshold for notifications (default 80%).
   • Rollover — Optionally carry unused budget to the next period.
4. Tap Save.

Tracking Progress

Each budget displays:

• A progress bar showing how much you've spent vs. your limit.
• Actual spending calculated from finalized transactions in linked accounts.
• Transaction count for the current period.
• Remaining amount and projected end-of-period spending.

Color indicators:

• Green — Under 75% spent. You're on track.
• Yellow — 75-90% spent. Approaching your limit.
• Red — Over 90% spent. Nearing or exceeding the budget.

Rollover

When rollover is enabled, any unused budget from the previous period carries forward. For example, if your $500 grocery budget only used $400 last month, this month starts with a $600 effective limit.

Goal Budgets

A goal budget tracks progress toward a one-time savings target.

Creating a Goal Budget

1. Go to Budgets and tap Add Budget.
2. Choose Goal Budget.
3. Fill in the details:
   • Name — e.g., "Vacation Fund" or "Emergency Fund".
   • Target Amount — How much you want to save.
   • Target Date — Optional deadline.
   • Starting Amount — How much you've already saved.
   • Tracking Mode:
     • Manual — You log contributions yourself.
     • Account Balance — Track a savings account balance automatically.
   • Linked Account — The savings or asset account to track.
4. Tap Save.

Logging Contributions

For manual tracking, add contributions with an amount and note. Wambai tracks each contribution with a timestamp and running balance.

Budget Status

• Active — Currently tracking.
• Paused — Temporarily suspended.
• Completed — Goal reached or period ended successfully.
• Archived — No longer needed.

Plan Limits

Tips

• Start with 3-5 period budgets for your biggest spending categories.
• Review budgets monthly and adjust amounts based on reality.
• Use goal budgets for vacations, large purchases, or emergency funds.
• Enable alerts to get notified before you overspend.