How it works
You describe what repeats in your life. Citrus Budget does the arithmetic and shows you the future.
1. Add what repeats
Start with your paycheck, rent, debts, bills and savings. Getting started walks you through each one.
2. See the forecast
Every item is projected forward day by day, across all your accounts, with a calendar and a monthly view.
3. Adjust and compare
Try a raise, a new loan or a bigger savings goal, then compare the result against your current plan.
4. Follow the stages
The Stages page shows what to focus on next, from your first $1,000 to giving.
Fixed and flexible
Some money is predictable: rent, a loan payment, a paycheck. Some is not: groceries, gas, fun. Mark each item as fixed or flexible. For flexible items you give a typical amount and a lowest and highest, and the forecast shows a range for your balance rather than a single optimistic line.
The four stages
Many financial teachers describe an order of priorities, such as the Financial Order of Operations and Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. Citrus Budget uses a ship to explain the same idea.
- Plug the leaks. Debt and obligations quietly drain money every month. The first job is to stop the drain, so everything you earn can start working for you.
- Run the ship. With the leaks fixed, the goal is steady, calm running: covering your bills every month, planning the near term, and keeping a proper reserve.
- Chart your destinations. Stable and debt-free, you can point your money at the things you want: a house, a car, college, a holiday, and eventually retirement.
- Abundance. When your own needs are covered you can give generously, supporting causes and people you care about and improving the world around you.
The Stages page checks your budget and shows which step to focus on now.