> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.budgetbandit.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Assign and move money

> Assign every dollar from Ready to Assign, then move money between categories as plans change.

Budgeting in Budget Bandit is two actions: assign dollars from Ready to Assign into
categories, and move dollars between categories when plans change. Both happen on the
Budget page, and both update instantly.

## Assign from Ready to Assign

Ready to Assign is the cash in your accounts that has not been given a job yet. You
assign it by typing into a category's Assigned cell.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Budget page">
    The grid lists your category groups and categories with three columns: Assigned,
    Activity, and Available.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click the Assigned cell for a category">
    Type the dollar amount you want this category to hold this month. Press Enter or
    click away to commit.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Watch Ready to Assign fall">
    Every dollar you assign comes out of Ready to Assign. Keep going until Ready to
    Assign reads \$0 — that is a fully assigned month.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Assigning money never changes your account balances. You are deciding what the money
  you already have is for, not spending it.
</Note>

If you would rather fill categories in bulk than type each one, see
[Auto-assign](/budgeting/auto-assign).

## Move money between categories

When one category runs short and another has extra, move the difference. You do not
need to un-assign and re-assign — move money directly.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Click the Available amount on a category that has extra">
    A popover opens showing that category's Available balance.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick the destination category">
    Choose where the money should go from the category list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the amount and choose Move Money">
    Both categories update at once: the source drops, the destination rises. Ready to
    Assign is untouched, because the money was already assigned.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Moving money is the everyday tool of a working budget. Overspent the grocery
  category by $30 this month? Move $30 in from a category that came in under. This is
  how you keep every category at zero or above without touching Ready to Assign.
</Tip>

## Why Ready to Assign matters

A zero-based budget is finished when Ready to Assign is \$0 — not negative, not
positive. A positive number means you have idle cash to put to work. A negative number
means you assigned more than you have, and you need to pull some back out of a
category. See [Ready to Assign](/concepts/ready-to-assign) for the full concept.

## If something looks wrong

If a category shows a negative Available, it is overspent. See
[Cover overspending](/budgeting/cover-overspending) for the fix.

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Cover overspending" icon="circle-exclamation" href="/budgeting/cover-overspending">
    What a red category means and how to bring it back to zero.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Auto-assign" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/budgeting/auto-assign">
    Fill underfunded categories in one move.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Set a target" icon="bullseye" href="/budgeting/set-a-target">
    Tell a category how much it needs and by when.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ready to Assign" icon="circle-dollar-to-slot" href="/concepts/ready-to-assign">
    The number that drives the whole budget.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>