Budget
Overview
The Budget feature lets you set monthly budgets by category and monitor spending in real time. A progress bar visualizes actual spending against your budget at a glance. When spending exceeds 80% of a category budget, you receive a warning to prevent overspending.
Budgets are automatically linked to your expense records. Ask Nion “How much food budget do I have left this month?”
Setting a Budget
On the Web
- Click Budget in the sidebar.
- Click the + Add Budget button.
- Enter the following:
- Category (required): Food, Transport, Shopping, Leisure, Medical, Education, etc.
- Monthly Amount (required): Budget for the category
- Click Save.
The total budget is automatically calculated as the sum of all category budgets.
Via Chat
You can set budgets by telling the AI in natural language.
Example:
User: “Set my food budget to $500 this month”
AI: “I’ve set your food budget to $500! Current food spending is $215, which is 43% of the budget.”
Viewing Budget Status
Dashboard
The Budget page shows the following for each category:
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Category | Budget category name |
| Progress bar | Visual ratio of spending vs. budget |
| Spent / Budget | Current spending / set budget (e.g., $215 / $500) |
| Usage (%) | Percentage of budget spent |
| Status icon | Safe (green), Caution (orange), Warning (red) |
Progress Bar Colors
| Usage | Color | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0–60% | Green | Safe zone |
| 60–80% | Orange | Caution zone |
| 80–100% | Red | Warning zone |
| 100%+ | Dark red | Over budget |
Over-Budget Warnings
You are automatically warned when spending exceeds 80% of a category budget.
Warning Methods
- Web dashboard: Progress bar turns red
- Chat notification: AI alerts you when recording an expense that pushes close to the limit
- Weekly report: Budget status included in the weekly summary
Warning Example
User: “Spent $45 on dinner tonight”
AI: “Recorded $45 for dinner under Food. Heads up — you’ve used 87% of your food budget ($500). You have $65 left. You might want to pace yourself!”
Editing and Deleting Budgets
Edit on Web
- Click a budget entry to open the edit screen.
- Change the amount and click Save.
Edit via Chat
User: “Raise my food budget to $600”
AI: “Updated your food budget to $600. Usage is now at 36%.”
Delete
User: “Delete the transport budget”
AI: “Deleted the transport budget. Your total budget is now $500.”
FAQ
Q. Is the budget automatically reset every month?
Yes, budgets reset on the 1st of each month. Only spending amounts are reset; your budget settings are preserved.
Q. Can I set a total budget without per-category budgets?
Currently only per-category budgets are supported. You can use a “Miscellaneous” category as a catch-all.
Q. Does exceeding the budget block expense recording?
No, expenses are always recorded regardless of budget status. You will only see a warning — recording is never restricted.
Q. Does it sync automatically with expense records?
Yes, expenses recorded in the finance section are automatically reflected in the corresponding budget category. No additional setup is needed.