Budgets and Envelopes
This recipe walks through setting up an envelope budgeting system that preserves every adjustment.
Ledger structure
- Create a parent balance ledger named Household Budget.
- Add child ledgers for Housing, Groceries, Utilities, Savings, and Leisure.
- Tag child ledgers with
#monthlyor#quarterlyto group reviews.
Opening balances
Import your latest spending data using CSV with the following columns:
| column | description |
|---|---|
ledger_id |
The target ledger (parent or child) |
direction |
credit or debit |
amount |
Positive numeric value |
occurred_at |
ISO 8601 timestamp |
note |
Optional description |
You can export a blank template from Workspace settings → Imports.
Recurring funding
- Create a scheduled entry that credits each child ledger at the start of the month.
- Use webhook automations to sync funding from payroll systems or accounting tools.
Reviewing history
Filter the ledger by tag or amount range to identify outliers. Because entries are append-only, you can replay the ledger state at any date to see available balances.
Exports
Run a monthly NDJSON export for archival. The file contains stable IDs so you can compare changes between months using diff tools.