> ## 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.

# Envelope and Flex modes

> Two ways to view the same budget: a category-by-category grid, or a single pool of spending money with a pace chart.

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.

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

<Note>
  Switching modes is a display choice. It does not move money, change assignments, or
  touch your categories. Switch back any time.
</Note>

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Assign and move money" icon="money-bill-transfer" href="/budgeting/assign-and-move-money">
    Fund categories and shift money — the steps work in either mode.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Organize categories" icon="folder-tree" href="/budgeting/organize-categories">
    Group and order categories so both views read clearly.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>