Welcome to your step-by-step companion for recording, reviewing, and importing transactions in Budget Buddy.
Follow each section to mirror the full experience and keep confident control of your money—even if you have
never used a finance app before.
Hint
Pair this guide with current product screenshots or prototype videos. Each heading maps directly to an in-app
flow so you can drop visuals in without rewriting the copy.
Warning
Before publishing live documentation, confirm that sample accounts use anonymised data and that any import
screenshots hide personal information and timestamps that could identify real customers.
How to use this walkthrough
The guide is organised into ten stages that match the transaction lifecycle: from opening the ledger to
clearing cached imports. Each stage includes concise checklists, rich descriptions, and callouts for
common pitfalls.
Skim the overview to understand the structure.
Jump to a section using the sidebar navigation.
Embed up-to-date screenshots or videos alongside the copy.
Convert callouts into in-app tooltips when components are ready.
Bookmark this page for onboarding sessions. It doubles as a rehearsal script when you need to demonstrate
Budget Buddy to stakeholders or new teammates.
1. Opening the transactions area
Start from the Home view, then move into the ledger where your most recent activity is grouped by day. The
floating blue plus button (a round button with a plus on some devices) is always ready when you need to add
something new.
1
Launch Budget Buddy
Open the app and arrive at the Home view to see your current balances at a glance.
2
Switch to Transactions
Select the Transactions tab to view the running list of activity organised into daily cards.
3
Add from anywhere
Tap the floating plus button whenever you want to record a new income, expense, or transfer.
2. Understanding what you see
Each layer of the Transactions screen is designed to keep context clear—from the daily summary down to the
tiniest memo. Expand cards as needed to inspect individual entries.
Daily cards
Every day receives its own header that summarises activity at a glance.
The calendar date and day of the week anchor the card.
Colour-coded totals show money that came in (green) and went out (red).
Multi-currency days separate amounts so conversions stay transparent.
Tap anywhere on a card to expand or collapse that day's transactions.
Individual transactions
Entries balance clarity with detail so you can audit quickly.
Account movements highlight the sending and receiving accounts with colour-coded context.
Tags display as small coloured labels showing the categories you selected earlier.
Descriptions appear in bold, with memos tucked underneath in standard weight.
Linked purchases can display thumbnail photos for quick recognition.
Savings and cash accounts reveal the updated balance after that transaction.
Tap any transaction to view or edit it. On the bank import screen a long press starts multi-selection
for merging or deleting.
Summary card
The quick overview beneath the filters tells you what the current view includes.
See counts of income and expense transactions that match your filters.
Totals appear in your base currency (for example, USD: $1,234.00 / $567.00).
Tap the card to jump into a statistics view with charts, trends, and deeper analysis.
3. Finding the right transaction
Navigate weeks of activity without friction. Combine the date controls, search box, and filters to focus on
the exact records you need.
Date range controls
The ledger defaults to the current month so you always start with recent history.
Use the left and right arrows to jump forward or backward one month at a time.
Tap the date label to choose custom start and end dates for precision filtering.
The form includes a Now button (covered in Section 4) to stamp new entries with the
current time.
Quick search
The search bar scans descriptions and memos. Results refresh instantly, and if no matches appear you'll
see a friendly empty state to confirm the search completed.
Filters panel
Tap the slider icon to reveal granular controls.
Filter by one or many accounts and optionally limit to money sent or received.
Switch between all transactions, incomes, expenses, or transfers.
Focus the view on a single tag or currency direction.
Specify minimum and maximum amounts to isolate larger or smaller entries.
Use Reset filters to clear everything and return to the current month.
4. Adding or editing a transaction
Tap the plus button—or any existing entry—to open the transaction form. Every field guides you toward a
balanced record.
Top toolbar
Tap the microphone to dictate details and fill fields automatically.
While editing, use the star to save the layout as a reusable template.
Duplicate the current transaction to jump-start similar records.
Remove an entry with the trash icon after confirming the deletion.
Smart fields
Select the date and time or tap Now for the current moment.
Enter a description; previous entries appear as suggestions you can tap to auto-fill.
Add memo details for extra context. Use the red cross to clear the text quickly.
“From” accounts
Start with at least one sender row when money leaves an account.
Tap Add to split a payment across multiple sources.
Choose the account path, then enter the amount and currency for each row.
The total leaving the account appears above the list, and the minus button removes any extra row.
“To” accounts
Tap Add to distribute the incoming funds across destinations.
Auto-split evens out the total automatically—type over any share to lock in a custom amount.
The form flags you if the outgoing and incoming totals drift out of balance.
Different currencies
When sender and receiver currencies differ, an exchange-rate banner appears with the implied rate so you
can double-check accuracy before saving.
Voice-assisted entry
Tap the microphone and grant access when prompted.
Speak naturally: “Lunch at Café Roma, 18 euro from personal card” is a perfect example.
Tap the icon again to stop recording, then review the populated form and adjust anything the assistant missed.
Working with products (optional)
Switch on Sell Product for supported accounts to log inventory leaving your shelves.
Choose the product, mark whether it is a full or partial sale, and inventory updates automatically.
Use Add Product on purchase entries to link or create items with names, condition, links, and photos.
Mark a purchase as a partial transaction when this entry only covers part of the overall cost.
Tags saving
Select one or more tags so the transaction shows up in category filters and reports.
Tap Add Transaction (or Update Transaction) to save. Budget Buddy checks that every row has an account, amount, and currency.
If anything is missing, a gentle alert points to the fix and the list refreshes once you return.
Hint
Save frequently used layouts as templates so recurring bills take just a few taps to log.
Warning
Totals must balance before you can save. Watch the banner above the account lists for any remaining difference.
5. Managing existing transactions
Keep historical data tidy with the quick actions available on each record.
Edit
Tap any transaction to reopen the form, adjust details, and resave.
Duplicate
Use the duplicate icon while editing to spin up a new entry pre-filled with the current details.
Delete
Choose the trash icon to remove an entry once you confirm the action.
Save as template
Tap the star to preserve the setup for future use—perfect for monthly bills and routine transfers.
6. Templates for frequent transactions
Templates speed up repetitive entries. Access them directly from the Transactions list using the star icon in
the top bar.
Review summaries of each template in the library.
Tap a template to open a new transaction with all the saved details.
Refresh the library with a pull-to-refresh gesture or the refresh icon.
Remove outdated templates with the trash icon beside each entry.
7. Importing bank statements and matching transactions
Download a bank statement—usually a CSV file—and let Budget Buddy compare it with your ledger. The wizard
guides you through each decision point.
Step 1 – Choose the account
Pick the account that received the statement. Navigate through sub-accounts if needed to reach the right spot.
Optional Step 1b lets you select a specific currency; the summary shows cached transactions and their date range.
Step 2 – Choose a file
Select the CSV you downloaded. Budget Buddy tries to recognise the bank automatically and highlights the matching badge.
If detection fails, an orange message explains what happened so you can select the bank manually.
Step 3 – Set the bank’s time zone
Match the offset shown on the statement (for example, +02:00) so imported transactions align perfectly with your records.
Step 4 – Limit by date (optional)
Specify start and end dates when you only want to import a portion of the statement.
Step 5 – Time matching (optional)
Enable time matching to compare exact timestamps instead of just the transaction dates.
Step 6 – Import Match
The button label changes to reflect your inputs: Match from Cache when using stored data, or Import from File Match after selecting a file.
Tap the button to begin; a progress indicator tracks the comparison. If the statement mentions an unfamiliar currency, a dialog lists it so you can add it later.
Warning
Double-check the time zone and currency selections before importing—they keep balances aligned with the bank’s official records.
8. Reviewing the match results
Once matching finishes, review the grouped list (newest days first) to see what synced and what still needs
attention.
Labels at a glance
Bank (purple) highlights transactions present in the statement but missing from your ledger.
App (orange) marks ledger entries that did not match anything in the statement.
Time mismatch (grey) signals identical amounts with different timestamps and offers a Fix Time shortcut.
Working with bank entries
Tap any bank-labelled item to open a new transaction pre-filled with the statement details and correct account selection.
Saving the entry moves it from the bank list into your permanent records, and the matcher reruns automatically.
Working with unmatched app entries
Edit items directly or long-press to select multiple transactions.
A toolbar slides up with options to cancel, delete, or merge the selected entries.
Confirm deletions to remove noise, or merge to consolidate related transactions before saving.
Time fixes and navigation
Use Fix Time to sync the ledger timestamp with the bank statement instantly.
Days load automatically as you scroll, with the newest at the top.
When you return from editing, Budget Buddy attempts to keep the list focused on the relevant day.
Import summary
A running summary tracks matched items, unmatched items on each side, and remaining time differences.
Watch for orange or red text calling out any issues that still need attention.
Hint
Use multi-selection to tidy batches faster—merge duplicates, clear stray test entries, or remove outdated sample data in one sweep.
9. Clearing stored bank data
Need a clean slate? Choose the account, currency, and bank, then tap Delete Cached for Selected Bank.
Confirm the action to wipe the cache; a short message verifies that the data is gone.
10. Tips for smooth tracking
Keep these habits in rotation to maintain clean books:
Double-check totals when the form flags an imbalance between “From” and “To” entries.
Apply tags consistently so filters and statistics tell the right story.
Watch for grey banners warning about remaining amounts or other validation checks.
Review exchange-rate banners whenever currencies differ and adjust if the implied rate looks off.
Enable microphone access ahead of time if you plan to use voice entry.
Clean up templates periodically so the library stays relevant.
Import statements regularly—smaller batches are easier to reconcile.
Pull down on lists (transactions or templates) to refresh whenever something seems out of sync.
With these steps, you’ll always know where your money goes, how it’s categorised, and how it compares with
your bank statements. Enjoy the clarity Budget Buddy brings to your personal finances!