Understanding Your Dashboard
Navigate and understand your financial overview
Dashboard Overview
Your BudgetPro dashboard is your financial command center—everything you need to know about your money at a glance. Let's walk through each section so you know exactly what you're looking at.
The dashboard is organized into several key areas:
- Header — Shows your current balance and pay period navigation
- Stats Cards — Quick metrics about your financial health
- Bills Panel — List of upcoming expenses
- Income Panel — Expected money coming in
- Calendar — Visual timeline of your pay period
The Header Section
At the very top of your dashboard, you'll find important information and controls:
Current Balance Display
The large number in the header shows your current account balance. This is the actual money you have right now, before any upcoming bills or income.
If your header shows $3,247.50, that means you currently have three thousand two hundred forty-seven dollars and fifty cents in your account.
Pay Period Display
Next to your balance, you'll see the current pay period dates. For example: Nov 15 - Nov 28, 2025. This shows you exactly which time period you're viewing.
Navigation Arrows
Use the ◀ Previous and Next ▶ buttons to move between pay periods. This lets you:
- Look ahead to see what bills are coming up
- Look back to review past pay periods
- Plan for future expenses
Settings Button ⚙️
Click the gear icon to open Settings, where you can adjust your pay period type, change your current balance, set your minimum balance reserve, and more.
Understanding Stats Cards
The colorful cards at the top of your dashboard give you quick insights into your financial health. Let's understand each one:
Safe Daily Budget (Featured Card)
This is the most important number on your dashboard. It tells you how much you can safely spend each day while still having enough for:
- All your upcoming bills
- Your safety net reserve
- Next pay period's obligations
If your Safe Daily Budget shows $127.50 and there are 8 days left in your pay period, you have about $1,020 total to spend freely. But spreading it as $127/day helps prevent overspending early and running short later.
Period Overview Card
This card shows you the big picture for your current pay period:
- Bills Total — Sum of all unpaid bills due this period
- Income Expected — Sum of all pending income this period
- Net Change — Income minus bills (positive is good!)
- Reserves — Money set aside for protection
Additional Stats
- End of Period Balance — Projected balance at end of pay period
- Days Remaining — Days left in current pay period
Bills Panel
The "Upcoming Bills" panel shows all expenses due within your current pay period. Here's what each column means:
When you toggle a bill from Pending to Paid:
- The bill is removed from your "unpaid bills" total
- Your Safe to Spend increases by the bill amount
- For recurring bills, the next due date is automatically set
- The payment is recorded in your payment history
Income Panel
The "Expected Income" panel shows money you're expecting to receive during this pay period. It works just like the Bills panel:
Sarah gets paid every other Friday. She adds an income entry:
- Source: Paycheck - ABC Company
- Amount: $2,100
- Schedule: Recurring - Bi-weekly
- Expected Date: Nov 22
When November 22 arrives and she sees the deposit, she marks it as Received. The next expected date automatically moves to December 6.
Calendar Panel
The calendar gives you a visual timeline of your pay period. At a glance, you can see:
- Pay Period Highlight — Days in your current pay period have a subtle highlight
- Today — The current date is marked distinctly
- Bills — Shown in orange/red on their due dates
- Income — Shown in green on their expected dates
- Daily Balance — Projected balance at end of each day
The calendar shows your projected balance at the end of each day. Watch for:
- Green numbers — You have money after that day's transactions
- Red numbers — Your balance would go negative (warning!)
- Clustered bills — Multiple bills on the same day need attention