Build a useful budget in four steps.

1. Create or open a budget

Choose File > New Budget or press ⌘N. Save the new .etpb budget package somewhere you can find and back up. To resume an existing budget, choose File > Open Budget or press ⌘O.

You can keep several independent .etpb files. Each has its own categories, transactions, goals, and targets, so a household budget does not need to be mixed with a separate project or personal budget.

2. Set up the category structure

Open Categories with ⌘2. Add broad groups first, then subcategories only where the extra detail will help. For example, a Food group can contain Groceries and Restaurants.

Choose the correct category type before a large import:

• Spending for normal expenses.
• Income for pay, refunds, or other incoming money you want counted as income.
• Savings for money set aside rather than spent.

These types affect the Home and Weekly Overview totals. Read the category planning guide before building a detailed hierarchy.

3. Add transactions

Export a CSV from your bank, then select Import CSV on Home, press ⌘I, or drag the CSV from Finder onto the app window. Escape The Paper never needs your online-banking credentials.

For cash or anything absent from the export, choose File > New Transaction or press ⇧⌘N. The bank CSV guide covers preparation and troubleshooting.

4. Complete the first review

1. Use Home (⌘1) to check categorisation progress and recent imports.
2. Open Transactions (⌘3) and deal with uncategorised entries.
3. Correct suggested matches so the category history becomes more useful.
4. Set optional weekly goals for categories you actively want to manage.
5. Open Weekly Overview with ⇧⌘B to compare those goals with actual spending.