Your first 90 days with BudgetMe Pro™

Setup takes a few minutes. Getting good at it takes about three months. Here’s why, and what to do in each month.

Steps marked Full app need the full app. Everything else works in the free version.

Before you start (10 minutes)

Have today’s balance from your banking app, your next payday and how often you’re paid, and the last 3 months of bank and card statements. Statements are where the yearly bills, quarterly bills and forgotten subscriptions hide.

Day one

  1. Add BudgetMe Pro to your Home Screen first.
  2. Enter today’s balance.
  3. Add your paychecks.
  4. Add the big bills (rent, car, utilities), then the rest. Anything you miss, add later with +.
  5. Find your Safe to spend, your lowest point, and any day your balance goes below zero.
  6. Save a copy and turn on calendar reminders. Full app

Every payday (5 minutes)

Update your balance, tick what you paid, check Before your next paycheck.

Every week Full app

Log your spending. It takes a few seconds each time.

Why the first three months matter

BudgetMe Pro is only as accurate as what you put in, and some of your money only shows itself over time. In three months:

  • Every monthly bill comes around three times, so you can confirm its amount and date.
  • Every quarterly bill shows up once.
  • If you’re paid every two weeks, you see six or seven paychecks.
  • Spending builds enough history for its suggestions (they read your last 8 weeks, and the last 4 months item by item).
  • A University College London study found a new daily habit took a median of 66 days to become automatic, and anywhere from 18 to 254.1
  1. Month 1

    Map it

    Expect it to be messy: bills you forgot will turn up. That’s the system working. When one does, add it; don’t start over. After every payday, compare your real balance to what BudgetMe Pro expected. If they’re off, something’s missing.

  2. Month 2

    Tune it Full app

    Use your Spending patterns to fix amounts that were guesses. Open Forecast: find your tightest month and what you could pause. If a paycheck comes up short, try Rebalance. Set a first goal and start small; one month of bills is a solid first emergency fund.

  3. Month 3

    Trust it Full app

    By now your payday balance should land close to what the app projected. That’s when Safe to spend becomes a number you can act on. Lock in a Rebalance plan, grow your goals if your tightest paycheck allows it, and refresh your calendar reminders if anything changed.

Need help? Email [email protected].

1 Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010.