Editing Categories

Your budget needs evolve over time. Whether your rent increased, you want to rename a category, or you need to delete one you no longer use, Balance makes it easy to keep your budget current.

Why Edit Categories?

You might need to edit categories when:

• Expenses change (rent increases, insurance goes up)
• Names need clarification (renaming “Food” to “Groceries”)
• Removing unused categories (canceled gym membership)
• Adjusting unrealistic budgets (you budgeted $200 for groceries but actually spend $400)
• Reorganizing (changing order or structure)

How to Edit a Category

Step 1: Navigate to Manage Budget

1. Go to the Budget tab
2. Tap Manage in the top right (shown in screenshot)
3. You’ll see all your categories with edit options

Step 2: Access Category Edit

From the Manage Budget page (shown in screenshot above), find the category you want to edit and tap on it.

Step 3: Edit Category Form

The edit category form opens (shown in screenshot above). You can:

• Edit the category name
• Change the budget amount
• Toggle carry over setting
• Change the icon
• Delete the category

Step 3: Make Your Changes

You can edit:

• Category name
• Budget amount
• Carry over setting (whether unused amounts roll to next month)
• Icon (visual representation)
• Order (position in your budget list)

Step 4: Save Changes

1. After making edits, tap Save Changes at the bottom
2. Your changes apply immediately
3. All devices sync automatically

Editing Category Names

When to Rename

• Names are too vague (“Stuff” → “Personal Care”)
• Names aren’t couple-friendly (“My Car” → “Your Car”)
• You want more clarity (“Food” → “Groceries”)
• Fixing typos (“Grocerries” → “Groceries”)

How to Rename

1. On Manage Budget page
2. Tap the category
3. Update the name field
4. Tap Save Changes

Effect on Transactions:

When you rename a category:

• All past transactions keep their categorization
• The new name appears everywhere
• Historical budget data is preserved
• Nothing breaks!

Renaming Best Practices

Be Descriptive:

• Instead of: “Bills”
• Use: “Electric & Gas”

Be Consistent:

• If you have “Your Salary,” partner’s should be “Partner’s Salary”
• Not “Partner income” or “Spouse’s Job”

Avoid Special Characters:

• Use “Dining Out” not “Dining-Out!!!”
• Keep it clean and simple

Changing Budget Amounts

When to Adjust Amounts

Increase when:

• You consistently go over budget
• Expenses have increased
• You want to allocate more to savings
• Income has increased

Decrease when:

• You consistently underspend
• Expenses have decreased
• You need to balance your budget
• Income has decreased

How to Change Amount

1. On Manage Budget page
2. Find the category
3. Tap the amount field
4. Enter new amount
5. Tap Save Changes

When Do Changes Take Effect?

• Changes apply to the current month immediately
• Future months use the new amount
• Past months remain unchanged

Mid-Month Adjustments

If you change an amount mid-month:

Example:

Original Budget:
Groceries: $500
Currently Spent: $300
Remaining: $200

You increase to $600:
Groceries: $600
Currently Spent: $300
Remaining: $300 (new!)

The Progress Bar Updates:

Before: $300 spent / $500 budgeted = 60% used
After: $300 spent / $600 budgeted = 50% used

Adjusting Multiple Categories

If you increase one category, you might need to decrease others to maintain balance:

Scenario: Groceries increased from $500 to $600

Option 1: Reduce another category

• Dining Out: $300 → $200 (save $100 to offset)

Option 2: Accept going over budget temporarily

• Fix next month when planning fresh budget

Option 3: Add income category

• Add “Bonus” income to cover increased spending

Managing Carry Over

What is Carry Over?

Carry over allows unused budget amounts to roll into next month.

Example with Carry Over Enabled:

January:
Entertainment Budget: $200
Entertainment Spent: $150
Carry Over to February: $50

February:
Entertainment Budget: $200
Carried Over: +$50
Total Available: $250

Example with Carry Over Disabled:

January:
Entertainment Budget: $200
Entertainment Spent: $150
Lost: $50 (doesn't carry forward)

February:
Entertainment Budget: $200
Total Available: $200

When to Enable Carry Over

Good for:

• Irregular expenses (car maintenance, medical)
• Savings categories (vacation fund, emergency fund)
• Variable spending (clothing, entertainment)

Not needed for:

• Fixed expenses (rent, subscriptions - you pay same each month)
• Regular essentials (groceries - adjust budget instead)

How to Change Carry Over Setting

1. Go to Manage Budget
2. Tap on category
3. Look for “Carry Over” toggle
4. Enable or disable
5. Tap Save Changes

Note: Enabling carry over mid-month will start applying from next month forward.

Deleting Categories

When to Delete

• Category no longer applies (canceled service)
• Consolidating categories (combining similar ones)
• You created by mistake
• Simplifying your budget

How to Delete

From the Manage Budget page:

1. Tap category you want to delete
2. Look for the delete option (trash icon)
3. Confirm deletion
4. Tap Save Changes

Or:

1. Remove all text from the category name
2. This effectively deletes it
3. Tap Save Changes

What Happens When You Delete

To Existing Transactions:

• Transactions categorized to this category become uncategorized
• You’ll see them in your uncategorized transaction count
• You’ll need to recategorize them to another category

To Budget Data:

• Historical budget data is preserved
• You can still see past months’ budgets
• Current month’s budget removes this category

To Your Allocation:

• If it was an income category, total income decreases
• If it was an expense category, expenses decrease
• Allocation percentage adjusts accordingly

Before Deleting: Recategorize First

Recommended Approach:

1. Before deleting the category, recategorize all its transactions:
   • Go to Transactions tab
   • Filter by the category you’re deleting
   • Recategorize each transaction to a different category
2. Then delete the category
3. No transactions become uncategorized

This saves time and keeps your budget clean.

Alternative to Deleting: Set to $0

If you might need the category again:

• Instead of deleting, set budget amount to $0
• Category stays in your budget but you’re not allocating money to it
• Easier to reactivate later

Example: Gym membership you paused for 3 months

• Set “Gym” to $0 instead of deleting
• When you resume, just change back to $50

Reordering Categories

Why Reorder?

• Group similar categories together
• Put most important categories at top
• Create your own organizational system
• Match how you think about your budget

How to Reorder

1. On Manage Budget page
2. Tap Reorder button
3. Press and hold on a category
4. Drag it up or down
5. Release when in desired position
6. Repeat for other categories
7. Tap Done
8. Tap Save Changes

Common Organization Methods

By Priority:

1. Housing (Rent)
2. Utilities
3. Transportation
4. Groceries
5. …
6. Entertainment (last)

By Type:

1. All Housing expenses
2. All Transportation expenses
3. All Food expenses
4. All Entertainment expenses

By Payment Date:

1. 1st of month: Rent
2. 5th: Car Payment
3. 15th: Credit Card
4. Variable: Groceries, Gas

Income First, Then Expenses:

1. All income categories
2. Essential expenses
3. Variable expenses
4. Savings

Choose what makes sense for how you and your partner think about money!

Bulk Editing

If you need to edit multiple categories at once:

Editing Multiple Amounts

1. Go to Manage Budget
2. Work through each category one by one
3. Make all your changes
4. Tap Save Changes once at the end
5. All changes save together

Adjusting for New Reality

Example: Income Decreased

If your income drops by $500/month:

1. Update income category (reduce by $500)
2. Review all expense categories
3. Reduce multiple categories to total $500 less:
   • Groceries: $600 → $550
   • Dining Out: $200 → $150
   • Entertainment: $150 → $100
   • Clothing: $100 → $50
   • Savings: $200 → $50
   • Total Reduced: $500 ✓
4. Save Changes

Viewing Edit History

Unfortunately, Balance doesn’t currently show a history of category edits.

Workaround:

• Keep a notes file if you want to track major changes
• Note: “March 2024: Increased Groceries from $500 to $600 after analyzing spending”

Working Together on Edits

Communication is Key

When editing categories with your partner:

Before Major Changes:

• Discuss why you want to change it
• Agree on new amounts
• Both understand the impact

For Minor Tweaks:

• Communicate that you’re adjusting
• Explain your reasoning
• Ask for feedback

Avoiding Conflicts

Problem: You both edit the same category at once

Solution:

• Last save wins (most recent change stays)
• Communicate before editing
• Have one person manage the budget during review sessions

Monthly Planning Sessions

Best practice for couples:

1. End of month: Review current month together
2. Identify what to change for next month
3. One person makes the edits while both watch
4. Both review and approve before saving

Common Editing Scenarios

Scenario 1: Rent Increased

Your rent went from $1,500 to $1,600:

1. Edit “Rent” category
2. Change $1,500 to $1,600
3. Reduce another category by $100 to compensate
4. Or add $100 to income if you got a raise
5. Save Changes

Scenario 2: Consolidating Categories

You have:

• Netflix: $15
• Hulu: $12
• Disney+: $8
• HBO Max: $15

Consolidate to:

1. Create “Streaming Services” category: $50
2. Recategorize all streaming transactions to new category
3. Delete individual categories
4. Save Changes

Scenario 3: Splitting a Category

You have:

• “Food”: $800

Split into:

1. Create “Groceries”: $500
2. Create “Dining Out”: $200
3. Create “Coffee Shops”: $100
4. Recategorize old “Food” transactions
5. Delete “Food” category
6. Save Changes

Scenario 4: Seasonal Adjustment

Summer costs more (air conditioning, activities):

May - August:

• Electric: $150 (up from $100 winter rate)
• Entertainment: $300 (up from $200 for summer fun)

September - April:

• Electric: $100
• Entertainment: $200

Adjust at the beginning of each season.

Mobile vs Web Editing

Category editing works the same on mobile and web:

• Same editing interface
• Same capabilities
• Changes sync instantly
• Use whichever is convenient

Mobile Advantage: Edit on the go
Web Advantage: Larger screen, easier to see all categories at once

Impact on Budget Progress

When you edit a category mid-month, your progress tracking adjusts:

Increasing Budget

Before Edit (January 15):
Groceries: $400 budgeted, $250 spent
Progress: 62.5% used
Remaining: $150

After Increasing to $500:
Groceries: $500 budgeted, $250 spent
Progress: 50% used
Remaining: $250

The progress bar adjusts down (looks better!).

Decreasing Budget

Before Edit (January 15):
Groceries: $400 budgeted, $250 spent
Progress: 62.5% used
Remaining: $150

After Decreasing to $300:
Groceries: $300 budgeted, $250 spent
Progress: 83% used
Remaining: $50

The progress bar adjusts up (looks worse, but realistic).

Troubleshooting

“I can’t delete a category”

Make sure:

• You have other categories to recategorize transactions to
• You’re not deleting your last income or expense category
• You’ve saved previous changes first

“My changes didn’t save”

Check that:

• You tapped Save Changes at the bottom
• You have internet connection
• Category name isn’t empty
• Amount is greater than 0

“My partner sees old amounts”

• Changes sync automatically
• Wait a few seconds
• Pull to refresh
• Or close and reopen app

“I deleted the wrong category!”

Unfortunately, you can’t undo:

• Recreate the category with same name
• Recategorize transactions back to it
• Historical budget data is preserved

Next Steps

Now that you know how to edit categories:

1. Setting Category Budgets - Master budget amounts
2. Managing Your Budget - Advanced budget management
3. Monthly Budget Reset - Understand monthly cycles
4. Budget Progress Tracking - Monitor your progress

Need help? Contact our support team - we’re here to assist!