Start Here! The transaction screen is the only screen you really need. Just start entering transactions and their associated budgets. The accounts, payto's, and budgets will be created as you go. This screen is where you enter transactions to start tracking your money.

This system is developed as an envelope system. Regardless of how you spend money (check, credit, cash), enter transactions here to simulate putting money into or taking money out of envelopes.

1. Enter the account (Checking, Savings, Etc)
2. Enter the check number if applicable or zero if not
3. Enter the transaction date
4. Enter the pay to/from (who the check or charge was written to)
5. Enter the amount (negative if an expense, and positive if income)
6. If you have setup "autobudget" for this pay to/from (maintenance in menu above), you can click on the "AutoBudget" button. If you have not setup "autobudget", just click the "Insert" button and then enter budgeting information for this transaction.
7. To enter budgeting information for this transaction: Type the budget name this transaction is for, enter the amount for that budget, and click the "Add" button. You can enter as many budget amounts for this transaction as you like. If you are like me, and are entering a transaction for a shopping trip to Target, you probably bought things that are in several different budgets.

Note: "Insert" will insert a new record. "Update" will update the current transaction.
Note: Enter postive values for income and negative values for expenses. Just like you would on your checkbook register, to keep an accurate balance.
Consider "income" on a credit card account to be when you write a check to pay your credit card bill. It is expense to you, but income to that account. So, in your checking account it will be negative, and on the credit card it will be positive...

Autobudget is particularly useful for dividing up a regular paycheck into all of your budget categories.