⚙ī¸ Chapter 8

Customizing Settings

Personalize BudgetPro to fit your needs

📋 On This Page

Accessing Settings

To open the Settings panel:

  1. Find the Settings Icon
    Look for the gear icon ⚙ī¸ in the top-right corner of your BudgetPro dashboard.
  2. Click to Open
    Click the gear icon to open the Settings modal panel.
  3. Make Your Changes
    Adjust any settings as needed. Changes aren't saved until you click "Save Settings".
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Quick Access

Press Escape at any time to close the Settings panel without saving changes.

Account Settings

The Account section contains your core financial information:

Current Balance

This is the actual amount of money in your bank account right now. It's the starting point for all BudgetPro calculations.

When to update your Current Balance:

  • When you receive a paycheck or other income
  • After making large purchases not tracked as bills
  • When reconciling with your bank statement
  • Whenever you notice the displayed balance doesn't match your bank
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Example: Updating After Payday

Your paycheck of $2,100 just hit your account. Your bank shows $5,350.

  1. Open Settings
  2. Change Current Balance to $5,350
  3. Save Settings
  4. Also mark the income as "Received" in Expected Income

Now all your projections are based on your actual current balance.

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Keep It Accurate

An inaccurate Current Balance makes all Safe to Spend calculations wrong. Take a moment to verify with your actual bank balance periodically.

Pay Period Settings

These settings control how BudgetPro organizes your budget timeline.

Interval Type

Choose how often you get paid. Options include:

Weekly
7 days per period. Select if you're paid every week.
Bi-weekly
14 days per period. Most common for salaried employees.
Semi-monthly
Twice per month (e.g., 1st and 15th). Period length varies.
Monthly
Full calendar month. Common for some salaries and benefits.
Quarterly
Every 3 months. Useful for quarterly income or benefits.
Custom
Set your own number of days for irregular schedules.

Click on an interval type to select it. The currently selected option is highlighted.

Start Date

This is the anchor date BudgetPro uses to calculate all pay periods. Set this to a recent payday.

How it works:

  • BudgetPro calculates periods forward and backward from this date
  • For bi-weekly: Every 14 days from this date defines a new period
  • For monthly: Same day each month
  • For semi-monthly: Calculates the 1st-15th and 16th-end cycles
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Choosing Your Start Date

Pick your most recent payday. If you get paid on Fridays bi-weekly, choose the last Friday you were paid. BudgetPro will automatically calculate that the next period starts 14 days later.

Custom Days

Only appears when "Custom" interval is selected. Enter the number of days in your pay cycle (1-365).

Budget Protection Settings

These settings help protect you from overspending:

Minimum Balance Reserve

The amount you want to always keep as a safety cushion. This money is excluded from your Safe to Spend calculation.

Purpose:

  • Provides a buffer for unexpected expenses
  • Prevents overdrafts and fees
  • Gives peace of mind

How to choose an amount:

  • $0 — Living paycheck to paycheck (not recommended)
  • $100-300 — Minimal buffer for small emergencies
  • $500-1000 — Good buffer for most situations
  • $1000+ — Comfortable cushion for larger emergencies
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Why Minimum Reserve Matters
Real-world protection

Marcus sets his minimum reserve to $500. He has $3,000 in the bank.

Without the reserve, his Safe to Spend might be $2,500.

With the $500 reserve, his Safe to Spend is $2,000.

One day his car needs a $400 repair. Because he had the buffer, he can cover it without going negative or missing bills!

Look-Ahead Periods

Controls how many future pay periods BudgetPro considers when calculating reserves.

Options: 0 to 6 periods

0 periods
No look-ahead. Only considers current period.
1 period (recommended)
Reserves money if next period's bills exceed income.
2+ periods
More conservative. Looks further ahead for protection.

How it works:

If you set Look-Ahead to 1, BudgetPro checks the next pay period. If that period has $2,000 in bills but only $1,500 in income, you'll be $500 short. BudgetPro reserves that $500 from your current Safe to Spend so you don't accidentally spend it now.

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Understanding Look-Ahead

This prevents the "feast and famine" problem where you spend freely this period only to be caught short next period.

Learn more about how this affects Safe to Spend →

Saving Your Settings

Save Settings Button

After making changes, click "Save Settings" at the bottom of the panel. This:

  • Saves all your changes to the database
  • Recalculates all budget numbers
  • Updates the dashboard immediately

Cancel Button

Click "Cancel" or press Escape to discard changes and close the panel.

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Changes Take Effect Immediately

After saving, you'll see your dashboard update with the new calculations. Pay period dates may shift, Safe to Spend will recalculate, and calendar highlighting will adjust.

Common Configurations

Bi-Weekly Salaried Employee

  • Interval: Bi-weekly
  • Start Date: Most recent Friday (or your payday)
  • Minimum Reserve: $500-1000
  • Look-Ahead: 1 period

Weekly Hourly Worker

  • Interval: Weekly
  • Start Date: Most recent payday
  • Minimum Reserve: $200-500
  • Look-Ahead: 1-2 periods

Monthly Social Security Recipient

  • Interval: Monthly
  • Start Date: Date you receive benefits
  • Minimum Reserve: $500+ (fixed income needs buffer)
  • Look-Ahead: 1 period

Freelancer with Variable Income

  • Interval: Monthly or Custom (based on typical project cycles)
  • Start Date: 1st of the month
  • Minimum Reserve: $1000+ (higher buffer for variable income)
  • Look-Ahead: 2+ periods
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Related Topics