Feature Overview
Budget Review helps you stay on track with a structured weekly or monthly check-in.
What is Budget Review?
Budget Review is your regular check-in with your finances. Whether you review weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, this feature provides a structured workflow to ensure nothing slips through the cracks. Think of it as a financial health check that takes just a few minutes but keeps you in control of your money.
The Budget Review dashboard aggregates information from across your budget into a single view: a Health Snapshot showing key metrics at a glance, an Action Queue with prioritized tasks, and detailed drawers for taking immediate action. You can quickly scan everything or use the guided wizard to work through each area step by step.
Health Snapshot Bar
The Health Snapshot bar appears at the top of the summary page, giving you an instant overview of your budget's health. It displays six key metrics:
Reconcile
Accounts needing reconciliation
Categorize
Transactions needing action
Overspent
Categories over budget (critical if > 0)
Bills Short
Upcoming bills that need funding
Unmet Targets
Savings targets that are behind
Weekly Spending
Trend indicator vs. previous week
Each metric is color-coded: green means you're on track, amber indicates items needing attention, and red signals critical issues that need immediate action.
Action Queue
Below the Health Snapshot, the Action Queue lists tasks sorted by urgency. This prioritized list ensures you address the most important items first:
- Overspent Categories (Critical) — Categories with negative available balance need immediate attention
- Savings Targets Behind (Warning) — Targets that aren't on track to meet their goal
- Bills Needing Funding (Warning) — Upcoming bills without sufficient category balance
- Accounts to Reconcile (Warning) — Accounts that haven't been verified recently
- Transactions to Categorize (Default) — Items pending approval or missing categories
Click any item in the Action Queue to open a slide-out drawer with details and quick actions.
Action Drawers
Each Action Queue item opens a dedicated drawer where you can take immediate action without leaving the review page:
Reconcile Drawer
Lists all accounts with the number of days since last reconciliation. Accounts needing attention appear at the top. Click any account to start the reconciliation process.
Categorize Drawer
Uses tabs to separate transactions needing different types of attention:
- Pending Approval: Imported transactions waiting for your review
- Uncategorized: Transactions that need a category assigned
Overspent Drawer
Shows all categories that are over budget, sorted by severity (largest overspend first). Each item shows the overspent amount and provides a quick link to move money from another category.
Bills Drawer
Displays upcoming bills grouped by funding status:
- Needs Funding: Bill amount exceeds the category's available balance
- Needs Category: Recurring item isn't linked to a budget category
- Funded: Category has enough balance to cover the bill
Savings Targets Drawer
Lists savings targets that aren't on track, with progress bars showing current vs. target amounts. Helps you identify which targets need extra contributions.
The 7 Review Steps
The guided review walks you through seven key areas of your budget. Each step helps you verify, analyze, or adjust a specific aspect of your finances.
Step 1: Reconcile (Optional)
Verify Your Account Balances
Reconciliation ensures your budget matches your actual bank balances. The review shows which accounts haven't been reconciled recently and how many days since the last reconciliation. You can reconcile manually by checking transactions one by one, or upload a bank statement (CSV, OFX, or QIF) to auto-match and clear transactions in bulk. See the Reconciliation guide for the full workflow.
Why it matters: Catching discrepancies early prevents small errors from becoming big problems. A mismatched balance might indicate a missing transaction or a duplicate entry.
Tip: You don't have to reconcile every time you review. Many people reconcile weekly for checking accounts but monthly for credit cards. The review shows you what needs attention so you can decide.
Step 2: Transactions
Categorize and Approve Pending Items
This step shows you transactions that need attention: imports waiting for approval, uncategorized transactions, and recent activity. Getting these handled keeps your budget accurate.
Metrics shown: Pending approval count, uncategorized transactions, and total transactions in the review period.
Step 3: Spending
Analyze Where Your Money Went
The spending step shows your top spending categories, compares them to last period, and highlights any overspent categories. This is where you get insights into your spending patterns.
Key insights: Total spent, percent change from last period, per-category breakdown with variance indicators.
Step 4: Cashflow Check
Check Upcoming Bills and Funding
The Cashflow Check step shows upcoming bills in your look-ahead window (typically 7 days). The review displays total due, any overdue items, and whether you have funds set aside in the linked categories.
Funding statuses: Funded (category has enough balance), Needs Funding (category balance is short), and Needs Category (bill isn't linked to a category yet).
Step 5: Debt
Review Debt Payoff Progress
If you're tracking debts, this step shows your total debt, monthly payments, and projected debt-free date. It's a quick motivation boost to see your progress.
Linked feature: This integrates with the Debt Payoff Tracker for detailed strategy comparison and projections.
Step 6: Adjust
Cover Overspending
If any categories are overspent (negative available), this step helps you address them. You can move money from other categories or decide to cover the overspending next month.
Why it matters: Overspent categories mean you've spent more than budgeted. Addressing this keeps your budget balanced and prevents debt.
Step 7: Notes
Capture Action Items and Observations
The final step lets you record notes about your review: action items to follow up on, observations about spending patterns, or reminders for next time.
Note types: Action items, observations, and reflections. Notes are saved with your review session and can be referenced later.
Summary vs Guided Mode
Budget Review offers two ways to interact with your financial data:
Summary Mode
The summary dashboard provides an at-a-glance view of your budget health. Use this when you want a quick overview without stepping through each area. The summary includes:
- Health Snapshot Bar: Key metrics across reconciliation, categorization, overspending, bills, savings, and weekly spending
- Action Queue: Prioritized tasks sorted by urgency with one-click access to drawers
- Past Reviews: Expandable rows showing your previous review sessions with notes
Guided Mode
The guided wizard walks you through each step with a progress bar and navigation. Use this when you want to be thorough or when you're establishing a review routine. The wizard:
- Tracks which steps you've completed
- Saves your progress if you need to pause
- Lets you add notes at each step
- Shows a step sidebar for quick navigation
Pro Tip: Start with guided mode to build the habit, then switch to summary mode once your routine is established. Many users do a quick summary check mid-week and a full guided review on weekends.
Tips for Effective Reviews
When to Review
The best review schedule depends on your financial activity and personal preference:
- Weekly: Ideal if you have many transactions or want tight control. Sunday evening or Monday morning works well for planning the week ahead.
- Bi-weekly: Good balance for moderate transaction volume. Often aligned with pay periods.
- Monthly: Minimum recommended frequency. Best combined with end-of-month budget planning.
Using Notes Effectively
Notes capture context that numbers alone can't show:
- Action items: "Call insurance company about rate increase"
- Observations: "Holiday shopping increased grocery spend this week"
- Reminders: "Quarterly subscription renewal next month"
Handling Restart vs Continue
If you have an in-progress review session:
- Continue: Pick up where you left off. Your completed steps and notes are preserved.
- Start Over: Abandon the current session and begin fresh. Use this if your previous session is stale or circumstances changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to complete all steps?
No. You can skip steps that don't apply to your situation. For example, if you have no debt tracked, the Debt step will show zeros and you can quickly move past it. The guided wizard tracks which steps you've explicitly marked as complete.
How often should I review?
Weekly reviews are recommended for most people, especially when starting out. As you build confidence and your budget stabilizes, you might shift to bi-weekly. Monthly is the minimum to stay on track. The key is consistency rather than frequency.
What if I skip reconciliation?
Reconciliation is optional but valuable. If you skip it, your budget might drift from reality over time. Small errors compound. At minimum, reconcile before making significant financial decisions or at month-end.
Can I review a different time period?
The review defaults to the last 7 days, but this represents your recent activity. The spending comparison looks at the equivalent prior period (previous 7 days). For month-over-month analysis, use the Reports feature instead.
What happens to my review history?
Completed review sessions are saved with their notes and summary snapshot. You can view your complete review history on the Insights page, where sessions are grouped by month with expandable rows showing your notes. Use "Load More" to see older sessions.
Where can I see all my past reviews?
The Insights page (accessible from the Budget Review navigation) shows your complete review history. Sessions are organized by month, and you can expand any session to see the notes you recorded. This helps you track patterns over time and recall context from previous reviews.
Ready to Start Your First Review?
A regular budget review keeps you in control of your finances. Start with the guided wizard to build the habit, then find the rhythm that works for you.