Frequently Asked Questions
Clear answers about projected balance, shared budgets, and manual planning
What is projected balance?
Projected balance is an estimate of what your balance will be after planned income and upcoming expenses are applied. It helps you see where your money is heading, not only what has already posted. This is useful when you need to decide before bills or card charges officially clear.
How is this different from other budgeting apps?
Simply Family Budget focuses on shared household visibility and manual clarity instead of depending on bank sync. It is built around upcoming bills, recurring entries, and projected balance so families can plan ahead together. The goal is to make day-to-day decisions easier to understand, not just categorize past transactions.
Does this work for Canadian users?
Yes. It is especially useful for Canadian households dealing with delayed credit card transaction posting. You can record spending when it happens so your projected balance reflects reality sooner, instead of waiting for the bank or card statement to catch up.
Can couples share one budget?
Yes. Couples can use one shared family space to see the same budgets, transactions, and account balances. This helps both people plan from the same information and reduces the need to reconcile separate apps or spreadsheets later.
How does it handle upcoming bills?
You can add recurring entries for bills, subscriptions, and paychecks so future obligations are visible before they happen. Those planned entries feed into your projected balance and help you spot tighter weeks in advance. It supports planning, not only after-the-fact tracking.
Do I need to connect my bank?
No. The app is designed to work without bank connections. You can start by entering current balances manually and then track transactions yourself for a clearer, intentional view of your household finances.
Is this good for families with multiple accounts?
Yes. It supports multiple account types such as checking, savings, cash, and credit cards in one place. That shared view makes it easier to plan across the whole household instead of checking accounts one at a time and guessing what is still available.
How does this help me decide if I can afford something?
Instead of relying only on today’s posted balance, you can look at your projected balance after upcoming bills and planned spending. That gives a more realistic answer to whether a purchase fits your plan. It is especially helpful when account balances temporarily look higher than what is actually available.
Why is delayed credit card posting a problem for budgeting?
When credit card transactions post days later, your balance can look better than your real spending position. That delay makes it easier to overspend by accident, especially in busy family routines. Manual entry plus projected balance planning helps close that gap.
Can one family budget include both shared and personal accounts?
Yes. Families can track multiple wallets and accounts in the same budget while keeping a shared overview for planning. This works well when money is spread across joint and individual accounts but decisions still need to be coordinated together.
Can I show my budget in Home Assistant?
Yes. The read-only public API is designed for Home Assistant and personal dashboards. Create a family-bound token in Settings after a fresh security check, store it in Home Assistant secrets, and use it to display balances, monthly spending, budget progress, projections, wallets, or recent transactions. Public API tokens cannot add or edit budget data.