> ## 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.

# Quickstart

> Create a budget, add an account, and assign your first dollars in about ten minutes.

This is the ten-minute path from a blank screen to a working budget. You will
create a budget, add one account with a starting balance, and assign that money
to categories until Ready to Assign reads zero.

You do not need a bank connection for this. A single manual account is enough to
learn the loop. Connect a bank later, once the budget feels familiar.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your budget">
    Sign in and create a budget. Give it a name you will recognize, like
    "Household" or your own name. A fresh budget starts with a short list of
    starter categories and nothing assigned.

    Full walkthrough: [Create your budget](/getting-started/create-your-budget).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add an account with its balance">
    Add one account and enter what is actually in it right now. For a checking
    account with \$2,400, enter 2400 as the starting balance.

    That balance becomes money you can budget. Ready to Assign jumps to \$2,400.

    More on this: [Manual accounts](/accounts/manual-accounts) and
    [Account types](/accounts/account-types).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign every dollar">
    Open the budget. Ready to Assign sits at the top. Type an amount into each
    category until that number reaches zero. Rent, groceries, gas, savings —
    whatever you spend on.

    When Ready to Assign hits \$0, every dollar has a job. That is the whole idea.

    Step by step: [Assign your first dollars](/getting-started/assign-your-first-dollars).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record a transaction">
    Spend something and record it against a category. The category's Available
    amount drops by what you spent. When you fund a category and stay inside it,
    the number stays green.

    Details: [Add, edit, and delete transactions](/transactions/add-edit-delete).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Money is entered and shown in dollars throughout. Type `2400` or `2,400` for
  \$2,400 — both work.
</Note>

## What to do next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect a bank" icon="building-columns" href="/accounts/connect-a-bank">
    Link an account so transactions arrive on their own instead of being typed in.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Move from another app" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left" href="/import/overview">
    Bring history from YNAB, Monarch, Actual, or a CSV file. Each import creates a
    new budget.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Your first week" icon="list-check" href="/getting-started/first-week">
    A short checklist to turn the quickstart into a habit that sticks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Install the mobile app" icon="mobile-screen" href="/getting-started/install-the-mobile-app">
    Budget on the go on iOS and Android, with a biometric lock.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Related concepts

* [How zero-based budgeting works](/concepts/zero-based-budgeting)
* [Ready to Assign](/concepts/ready-to-assign)
* [Categories and groups](/concepts/categories-and-groups)