PBS Getting Started Guide

1) Get started

1. Open Personal Budget System Starter.
2. Enter a Custom Name for your plan (e.g., "Johnson Family Budget").
3. Choose a preset: Starter, Growth, or Legacy.
4. Rename buckets if you like (Essentials, Security, Lifestyle, Future, Giving).

2) Add income

1. Go to Income and click Add Source.
2. Enter amount and frequency (monthly, bi‑weekly, weekly, annual).
3. Add all sources to build your monthly total.

3) Bills & variable expenses

• Add recurring bills (rent, utilities, subscriptions) with due day if helpful.
• Add variable expenses (groceries, gas, entertainment).
• Assign each item to a bucket for clearer tracking.

4) Review your plan

• Open Monthly Report to see Targets vs. Used by bucket.
• Tweak allocations until the plan matches your reality.
• Use Print / Save PDF for a clean monthly snapshot.

Back up or move devices

PBS stores data in your browser (localStorage). Export JSON to save a snapshot; Import to restore.

• Go to Backup / Import → Export JSON.
• Keep the file somewhere safe (no personal data leaves your device otherwise).

Go Pro when ready

• Debt Payoff (Snowball/Avalanche) with payoff estimates.
• Savings Goals with progress, ETA, and visuals.
• Priority updates; optional sync coming soon.