Fill a month quickly

Budget a whole month in one move by copying the last one, using a three-month average, or clearing it.

Most months look like the last one. Quick budget fills every envelope in a single move, so you adjust the handful that changed instead of typing the ones that did not.

It works on a whole month from the header, or on a single envelope from its row.

Steps

To fill a whole month, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Budget tab and move to the month you want to fill.

  2. Tap Quick budget in the header.

  3. Choose one of the three options:

    • Copy last month gives every envelope its previous-month assignment.
    • Set to 3-month average uses the average of what you actually spent over the last three months.
    • Set all to zero empties every assignment for the month.

The whole month is rewritten at once, so check To Budget afterwards. Copying a month in which you had more money can leave you Overbudgeted.

Filling a single envelope

The same three options are on each row, under Quick. Use them when one category needs resetting and the rest of the month is fine.

Which one to use

OptionGood for
Copy last monthBills and any category whose amount you set deliberately
Set to 3-month averageVariable spending, where the last three months are better evidence than your opinion
Set all to zeroStarting a month from scratch, or undoing a copy you did not mean
Caution

Quick budget replaces this month’s plan. It overwrites amounts you have already entered rather than adding to them, so use it before you fine-tune a month, not after.

Next steps