Set a budget

A budget is a limit you set for a kind of spending, such as groceries, for each month. VIVA then shows how you’re doing against it. Margaret sets a few limits so she can see how her month is going.

Good to know

A budget in VIVA is a way of watching your own spending. It doesn’t stop you from spending, and it isn’t advice about how much you should spend.

Look at your budget

What you’ll do: open the Budget page and read it.

1. Open Budget. On a phone or tablet, tap More, then Budget. On a computer, choose Budget in the left-hand menu.

2. Read the card called “Does this fit?” It compares three things:

   • Money coming in: your average monthly income.
   • Your plan: the total of all your category limits.
   • Left over: what remains of your income after the plan.

3. Look at “Your limits”. Each category shows its limit and how much has been spent so far.

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   1. 1 Add Budget
   2. 2 Does this fit?

   12

   1. 1 Add Budget
   2. 2 Does this fit?

   123

   1. 1 Add Budget
   2. 2 Does this fit?
   3. 3 Your limits

Month by month

Use the arrows beside the month name to look at another month. Past months can be read, but not changed.

Add a single category

What you’ll do: give one category a monthly limit.

1. Tap Add Budget. Two choices appear.

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   1. 1 Add a single category
   2. 2 Copy from last month

   12

   1. 1 Add a single category
   2. 2 Copy from last month

   12

   1. 1 Add a single category
   2. 2 Copy from last month

2. Choose Add a single category.

3. Fill in the New Budget form. Choose the Category and type the Monthly Limit. Tick Repeat this budget every month if you’d like it to carry on.

   123

   1. 1 Category
   2. 2 Monthly limit
   3. 3 Save

   123

   1. 1 Category
   2. 2 Monthly limit
   3. 3 Save

   123

   1. 1 Category
   2. 2 Monthly limit
   3. 3 Save

4. Tap Save.

You'll know it worked

The category now appears under Your limits, and Your plan goes up by the amount you set.

If something goes wrong

If your limit is lower than what you’ve already spent in that category this month, VIVA shows a heads-up message saying so. The limit is still saved. You can change it any time.

Copy from last month

What you’ll do: reuse last month’s limits so you don’t type them all again.

1. Tap Add Budget, then Copy from last month.

2. Read the question. VIVA asks Copy from last month? It warns that this replaces any limits you’ve already set for this month, and that it can’t be undone.

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   1. 1 Copy
   2. 2 Cancel

   12

   1. 1 Copy
   2. 2 Cancel

   12

   1. 1 Copy
   2. 2 Cancel

3. Tap Copy to go ahead, or Cancel to leave things as they are.

When you’re near or over a limit

Margaret’s month was a little tighter. Here is what VIVA shows.

• Each category’s bar fills as you spend. When spending in a category goes past its limit, the row says Over by and the amount, in red.
• If your plan as a whole is a large share of your income, the “Does this fit?” message changes colour to warn you. If the plan is more than your income, it tells you by how much.
• Below your limits, Not budgeted yet lists categories where you’ve spent money but haven’t set a limit.

1

1. 1 Over its limit

1

1. 1 Over its limit

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1. 1 Over its limit

You'll know it worked

You’ll also get an alert. Once spending in a category goes over its limit, VIVA sends a Budget exceeded notification. There is no early warning before that point. See Notifications and alerts to find them.

Spending counts against the plan

On Home, Safe to spend compares all your spending this month with your whole plan, including categories that don’t have their own limit yet.