Welcome

Simply Budget & Save was built for people who want to take control of their money without needing a finance degree to do it. Whether you are just starting out or finally ready to get organized, this guide will walk you through everything the app has to offer in plain, simple terms.

If you ever get stuck or want a real conversation about your finances, I am here. Book a free 15 to 20 minute consultation for quick questions or a paid 45 to 60 minute financial mapping session to build your full financial picture together.

Book a consultation here: https://app.nicolettemanagement.com/widget/groups/generalconsults

Section 1 — Getting Started

What is Simply Budget & Save?
Simply Budget & Save is a personal and business budgeting app built by Nicolette Management LLC. It helps you track your income, manage your expenses, build savings goals, and understand where your money is going each month. Think of it as your financial command center.

How do I create an account?
Go to simplybudget.nicolettemanagement.com and click Get Started. You will enter your name, email address, phone number, and birth year. You must be 18 or older to use the app. Once you agree to the Terms and Conditions you are in.

Is the app free?
Yes. Simply Budget & Save has a free tier that gives you access to the full budget builder, up to three savings goals, the account flow and transfer plan, weekly financial tips, and The Simplicity Circle community. A Premium tier is available for $14.99 per month or $119.99 per year and unlocks automatic bank sync, unlimited goals, and more.

What is the difference between Free and Premium?
Free members enter their financial data manually. Premium members can connect their bank accounts through Plaid so transactions sync automatically. Premium also unlocks the debt payoff tracker, net worth tracker, advanced reports, PDF export, bill due date reminders, and an exclusive Premium community channel.

How do I upgrade to Premium?
Go to the More tab inside the app and look for the upgrade option, or visit simplybudget.nicolettemanagement.com and select your plan.

Section 2 — Setting Up Your Budget

Where do I start after signing up?
The app walks you through a guided setup when you first log in. It will ask you to enter your income sources, monthly expenses, annual expenses, and savings goals. You can skip any step and come back to it later.

What is an income source?
An income source is any regular money coming in. That could be a salary, freelance income, child support, commission, or anything else you receive on a consistent basis. You can add as many income sources as you need.

What is the difference between a monthly expense and an annual expense?
A monthly expense is something you pay every month or certain months of the year, like rent, utilities, or a phone bill. An annual expense is something you pay once a year or a few times a year, like car registration, insurance premiums, or holiday spending. The app handles both separately so your budget is always accurate.

What are active months on an expense?
Some expenses only apply certain months of the year. For example a pool service might only run from May through September. Active months let you mark exactly which months that expense applies so it only counts against your budget during those months.

What is the Personal/Business toggle?
If you run a business you can separate your personal and business finances inside the same app. The toggle at the top of the Budget, Transactions, and Accounts tabs lets you view Personal only, Business only, or both at the same time.

What is an estimate expense?
Some bills like electricity and water vary month to month. You can flag these as estimates and enter a minimum and maximum expected amount. When you reconcile the actual transaction you confirm the real amount. An Est. badge appears on the tile so you always know which expenses are variable.

Section 3 — Savings Goals

How do savings goals work?
A savings goal is a target you are working toward. You give it a name, set a target amount, choose a target date, and assign it to a savings account. The app calculates how much you need to save each month to hit your goal on time and shows you a progress indicator in green, yellow, or red based on whether you are on track.

What do the goal colors mean?
Green means you are on track. Yellow means you are slightly behind. Red means you need to pick up the pace.

What is Planning Mode on a goal?
Planning Mode lets you add a goal to your list without it affecting your monthly budget or transfer plan. It is perfect for future goals you are thinking about but are not ready to fund yet. Toggle it off when you are ready to start saving.

Can my goals sync with my bank account?
Yes, for Premium members. When you connect your bank account through Plaid and link a savings goal to that account, the goal automatically updates with your real bank balance. You can choose how the balance is distributed if multiple goals share the same account.

What happens when I reach my goal?
The app celebrates with you. Once a goal is fully funded you can archive it to your completed goals section and start a new one.

Section 4 — Accounts and Cash Flow

What is the Accounts tab for?
The Accounts tab is where you manage the actual accounts your money lives in. You can create accounts for checking, savings, credit cards, and cash. Each account shows a ledger of income in, deposits in, transfers in, expenses out, withdrawals out, transfers out, and net cash flow so you always know what is happening with each account.

What is the difference between a Deposit account and a Distribution account?
A Deposit account is where your money comes in, like a primary checking account where your paycheck lands. A Distribution account is where money goes out to cover specific purposes, like a bill pay account or a savings account. This designation helps the app build your Transfer Plan automatically.

What is the Transfer Plan?
The Transfer Plan is automatically generated based on your income, expenses, and account designations. It tells you how much to move from each deposit account to cover your bills and savings goals for the month. Think of it as your monthly money movement map.

What is the Monthly Checklist?
The Monthly Checklist turns your Transfer Plan into a simple to-do list. As you move money each month you check off each transfer. It resets automatically at the start of every new month.

How do I connect my bank account?
Premium members can connect their bank through the Banks tab inside the Accounts section. Click Connect a Bank Account and follow the secure Plaid connection process. Your login credentials are never shared with or stored by Nicolette Management LLC. You authenticate directly with your bank.

Section 5 — Transactions and Reconciliation

What is reconciliation?
Reconciliation is the process of confirming that a transaction that hit your bank account matches what you budgeted for. For example when your Cricket bill clears your bank you reconcile it by confirming it is an expense in the Utilities category paid from your Bills Account. Once confirmed it counts toward your budget and marks that expense as paid for the month.

How do I reconcile a transaction?
Tap any pending transaction in the Transactions tab. A form opens where you select the transaction type, assign a category, choose which account it came from, and optionally link it to a specific budget expense or savings goal. Tap Save and it is reconciled.

What transaction types are available?
Expense covers money spent on a purchase or bill. Income covers money received such as a paycheck or commission. Transfer covers money moving between your own accounts. Deposit covers money coming into an account from an outside source. Withdrawal covers money leaving an account. Payment covers a bill or debt payment. Investment covers money going to an investment account. Goal covers money contributed directly toward a savings goal.

What is the difference between Main and Other transactions?
Main transactions are expenses and income that affect your budget. Other transactions are transfers, deposits, withdrawals, and movements between your own accounts that do not count as spending. You can view Main, Other, or Both using the toggle in the Transactions tab.

What if a transaction is categorized wrong?
Tap the transaction to open it and change the type, category, or any other field. Everything is editable after the fact.

What is the Pending tab?
When your bank syncs through Plaid, new transactions land in Pending first. This gives you the chance to review and categorize each one before it affects your budget. You can reconcile them one at a time or use the Review All option to handle them in bulk.

Can I dismiss old transactions I do not want to reconcile?
Yes. Tap the Dismiss Old button at the top of the Pending tab, select a date, and all pending transactions before that date are cleared out. A shortcut lets you dismiss everything before the current month in one tap.

Section 6 — Premium Features

What is the Debt Payoff Tracker?
The Debt Payoff Tracker helps you create a plan to eliminate debt. You can use the avalanche method (highest interest first) or the snowball method (smallest balance first) and compare both side by side. Credit card balances sync automatically from Plaid so your tracker always reflects your real balance.

What is the Net Worth Tracker?
Net worth is everything you own minus everything you owe. The Net Worth Tracker lets you add your assets and liabilities and tracks how your net worth changes over time. Bank balances sync automatically from Plaid for connected accounts.

What are Advanced Reports?
Advanced Reports give you a detailed breakdown of your spending and income by month, quarter, or year. You can filter by Personal or Business, choose a custom date range, and compare this month to last month or this year to last year.

What is PDF Export?
PDF Export lets you generate a branded financial summary you can save, print, or share. You choose which sections to include.

What are Bill Due Date Reminders?
When you set a due day on a monthly or annual expense the app sends you a reminder 7 days before and 1 day before the bill is due. Reminders come as in-app notifications and email.

Section 7 — The Simplicity Circle

What is The Simplicity Circle?
The Simplicity Circle is a free financial education community hosted by Nikki Charette. It offers weekly live sessions, Q&A opportunities, and ongoing resources to help you build financial confidence. Simply Budget & Save members are automatically invited.

How do I join?
Visit simplicitycircle.nicolettemanagement.com or check your welcome email for the invite link.

Is there a Premium community?
Yes. Premium members get access to an exclusive channel inside The Simplicity Circle with additional content, early access to new features, and direct access to Nikki.

Section 8 — Security and Privacy

Is my financial data safe?
Yes. Simply Budget & Save is built on Lovable Cloud which is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Bank connections are handled through Plaid, a trusted financial data company used by thousands of apps. Your bank credentials are never shared with or stored by Nicolette Management LLC.

Can I delete my account?
You can deactivate your account at any time from Settings. Signing back in reactivates it. Your data is retained for up to 7 years in accordance with our Data Retention Policy.

Where can I read the Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions?
Privacy Policy: nicolettemanagement.com/privacypolicy
Terms and Conditions: nicolettemanagement.com/termsconditions

Section 9 — Getting Help

I am new to budgeting. Where do I start?
Start with the guided setup inside the app. Enter your income, your monthly bills, and one savings goal. Do not worry about getting it perfect. The goal is to see your full financial picture in one place. Once you can see it you can start making decisions about it.

I need help or have questions. Who do I contact?
Book a consultation with Nikki. A free 15 to 20 minute session is great for quick questions and getting started. A paid 45 to 60 minute financial mapping session covers your income, expenses, debt, savings, insurance gaps, and goals in one focused conversation. You will leave with clarity and a plan.

Book here: https://app.nicolettemanagement.com/widget/groups/generalconsults

How do I report a bug or share feedback?
Use the Share Your Thoughts form inside the app under Settings. Nikki reads every submission.

How do I reach Nikki directly?
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 407.800.1797
Website: nicolettemanagement.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my budget showing the wrong total?
Check that your expenses have the correct active months selected. An expense set to only certain months will not appear in months it is not active. Also check the Personal/Business toggle to make sure you are viewing the right scope.

Why is my bank balance not updating?
Go to the Banks tab in Accounts and click Refresh Balances on your connected institution. If your connection shows Needs Attention click Reconnect to restore the sync.

Why does my savings goal show a different amount than my bank?
The app uses your available balance from Plaid rather than your current balance. This means pending transactions that have not cleared yet are excluded from the goal total so your numbers are always accurate.

Why are some transactions still in Pending?
Pending transactions need to be reconciled before they affect your budget. Tap each one to assign a type, category, and account. Use Review All for bulk processing or Dismiss Old to clear out transactions from previous months you do not want to categorize.

Can I use the app for both personal and business finances?
Yes. Set up both a Personal and a Business budget profile during guided setup. Use the toggle to switch between views or see both at once.

What happens if I cancel my Premium subscription?
Your data stays intact. You will lose access to Premium features like bank sync, unlimited goals, and advanced reports but your budget, expenses, and history remain available on the free tier.

Is Simply Budget & Save a replacement for my bank?
No. Simply Budget & Save is a financial organization and education tool. It does not hold your money, process payments, or replace your bank. It helps you understand and manage the money that lives in your real accounts.

I have a question that is not answered here. What do I do?
Book a consultation or reach out directly.

Book here: https://app.nicolettemanagement.com/widget/groups/generalconsults
Email: [email protected]