Budgeting in Quicken
A budget is your financial plan for spending and saving money. A budget estimates the income and expenses needed to carry out your financial needs over a specific period of time.
Quicken enables you to create budget according to your requirements. It helps you to check how much you can spend on different financial needs over a specific duration.
To create a budget:
1. On the Cash Flow menu, click Budget. The Budget dialog box is displayed.
2. Click the Setup tab to create a budget. The Setup page allows you to create and manage your budgets. You can create a new budget or start over with your current one.
Starting over an existing budget
1. To continue using the current budget, click the Start Over button. The Create Budget dialog box is displayed.
Warning: This operation will replace all the data in your current budget. By choosing the Automatic or Manual option, you can choose how you want to re-create the budget.
� Automatic: If you choose this option, Quicken creates a budget bases on your existing data. This option is the fastest way to get started.
� Manual: If you choose this option, Quicken creates a blank budget to you to fill in.
2. Select an option according to your requirement and click OK.
Renaming the existing budget
3. To rename the existing budget, click the Rename button in the Budget dialog box.
� In the Name field, type another name for the budget.
� In the Description field, type any description about the budget.
� Click OK.
To open/rename/delete other budgets
4. Select a budget from the list in the Other Budgets area of the Budget dialog box.
� To open the budget, click Open. Click the Choose Categories button to select the categories and accounts that you want to include in your budget and click OK.
� To rename the budget, click the Rename button. In the Rename Budget dialog box, type a new name and click OK.
� To delete the budget, click the Delete button. Click Yes in the prompted confirmation box.
To create a new budget
5. In the Create Another Budget area, select the type of budget you want to create from the three options:
� Automatic: If you choose this option, Quicken creates a budget based on your existing data. This is the fastest way to get started.
� Manual: If you choose this option, Quicken creates a blank budget for you to fill in.
� Copy current: If you choose this option, Quicken copies your current budget for you to edit.
To create an Automatic budget:
6. Select the Automatic option and click Create budget. The Create Budget: Automatic dialog box is displayed.
� In the Choose budget name area, enter the budget name and description.
� In the Date range area, choose a date range for the transactions on which you want to base your budget.
� In the Budget method area, select the budget method from the options.
� In the Options area, select the relevant check boxes and select the required value from the drop-down list.
� Click the Categories to include categories and accounts that you want to include when creating your budget and click OK.
� Click OK.
To create a manual budget:
1. Select the Manual option and click the Create budget button.
2. In the Budget Name dialog box, enter a name and description for the budget and click OK.
3. Click the Categories to include categories and accounts that you want to include when creating your budget and click OK.
To create a copy current budget:
1. Select the Copy current option and click the Create budget button.
2. In the Budget Name dialog box, enter a name and description for the budget and click OK.
3. Click the Categories to include categories and accounts that you want to include when creating your budget and click OK.
