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Budget Bandit shows your budget in one of two modes: Envelope or Flex. Both sit on the same money and the same categories. They differ in how much detail you look at while you spend. You switch between them with the toggle on the Budget page, and switching changes nothing about your data.

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Envelope mode

Envelope mode is the full grid. Every category is its own envelope with its own Assigned, Activity, and Available numbers. You fund each one, and you watch each one as you spend. Use Envelope mode when you want precise control — to see exactly how much is left for groceries versus gas versus eating out, line by line. It is the default and the mode most of these docs describe.

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Flex mode

Flex mode groups your expenses into three buckets and gives day-to-day spending a single number to watch.
  • Fixed — bills that are the same every month. Rent, insurance, subscriptions. You fund them and forget them.
  • Non-Monthly — costs that do not hit every month but you save toward. Annual fees, car maintenance, gifts.
  • Flex — everything you spend on day to day, pooled into one Left to Spend number with a pace chart that shows whether you are spending faster or slower than the days remaining.
The point of Flex mode is to stop micromanaging individual categories. You cover the fixed bills and the non-monthly savings, then you have one number for the rest of the month: what is left to spend, and whether your pace is sustainable.

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Which to use

  • Envelope if you like seeing every category and want tight control over each one.
  • Flex if you would rather cover the must-pays, then track a single “what’s left to spend” number for everyday life.
Try both. The toggle is instant and reversible, and your budget is identical underneath either view.
Switching modes is a display choice. It does not move money, change assignments, or touch your categories. Switch back any time.

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Next

Assign and move money

Fund categories and shift money — the steps work in either mode.

Organize categories

Group and order categories so both views read clearly.