Backup
Download a JSON copy before you replace the app folder or make larger changes.
Balanced Budget v37
Overview
Today
Balanced Budget workflow
Check income, review budget lines, then update Emma category budgets.
A simple household budget planner that keeps Emma aligned without turning your budget back into a spreadsheet.
Available after active budget
£0
HMRC tax year
Household position i
Income and budget
Monthly values come first because Emma budgets work monthly. Annual values sit beside them for tax-year and long-term checks.Action checks i
Check these first
Only issues that need attention show here.50 / 30 / 20 i
Bucket position
Click a bucket to view the lines behind it.Visual check i
Monthly budget split
Shows where your monthly income is allocated.Categories i
Largest Emma category totals
Click a category to see the lines behind the total.Budget items
Your budget source of truth
Maintain the lines that make up your Emma category budgets. The main value shown is monthly equivalent; click any row for full weekly, quarterly and annual figures.
Budget items
Find and update items
One list. Sorted, searchable and grouped so you can review quickly without switching views.Income
Household pay used for the budget
Enter salary separately. Net monthly drives the core budget. Variable income can be tracked without distorting 50/30/20.
Categories
Emma category budgets
Use these monthly totals when updating category budgets in Emma. Open a category to validate the lines behind the number.
ⓘ Keep categories few and clear. Add items to categories from here when you spot a missing budget line.
Review
Items to check before updating Emma
Oldest review first. Each budget item can have its own review frequency so important items stay fresh.
Weekly habit i
Review path
Use this as the working order when you check the budget.Backup
Export and restore your data
Export before replacing the app folder or making larger changes.
Restore backup
Import a Balanced Budget JSON export if you move MacBook, change browser, or need to restore data.
No import running.
Reset local data
This clears browser storage and reloads the original starter data from the app folder.
About
Version and safe change process
Use this flow when the app changes so your budget data stays protected. v37 polishes sign-in, account and cloud wording before hosting.
1. Back up data
Export JSON from Settings before replacing the app folder.
2. Replace app files
Unzip the new release into ~/Documents/balanced-budget.
3. Run locally
Start with node server.js. No package install required.
4. Validate totals
Open Categories and validate category calculation details before updating Emma.
5. Restore if needed
If your browser storage is empty, restore the JSON backup from Settings.
6. Record the change
Use CHANGELOG.md to track version, reason, tests and release notes.