Organization
Organization
Curl Budget gives you flexible tools to organize your transactions the way that makes sense for you. Whether you prefer broad categories, detailed tags, or automated rules that handle everything, you're in control.
Organization Philosophy
Different people think about money differently:
- Some want simple categories: "Food," "Transport," "Entertainment"
- Some need detailed tracking: project expenses, reimbursables, shared costs
- Some want automation: set it up once and never think about it again
Curl Budget supports all of these approaches with three complementary tools:
Categories
Categories are your primary way to classify transactions. Every transaction has exactly one category, and Curl Budget uses AI to assign categories automatically.
Key features:
- Hierarchical structure - Parent and child categories (e.g., "Food" → "Restaurants," "Groceries")
- AI-powered - Automatic categorization based on merchant and description
- Budget integration - Track spending against category budgets
- Custom icons and colors - Personalize your category list
- Income categories - Mark categories as income to exclude from spending
Categories answer: "What type of expense is this?"
Tags
Tags let you add additional context to any transaction. Unlike categories (one per transaction), you can add multiple tags to capture different dimensions.
Key features:
- Multiple per transaction - Add as many tags as needed
- Flexible use cases - Track projects, people, goals, or anything else
- Budget integration - Track spending against tag budgets
- Custom metadata - Colors and icons for visual organization
Tags answer: "What else is relevant about this transaction?"
Example: Category + Tags
A business dinner might be:
- Category: Restaurants
- Tags: "Client: Acme Corp", "Reimbursable", "Q4 Project"
This transaction counts toward your Restaurant spending, but you can also filter by any tag to see all Acme Corp expenses or all reimbursables.
Auto-Rules
Auto-rules let you automate categorization, tagging, and other actions. Set up rules once, and they apply to new transactions automatically.
Key features:
- Boolean logic - Combine conditions with AND/OR
- Multiple actions - Categorize, tag, modify descriptions, mark as transfer
- Priority ordering - Control which rules apply first
- Dry-run preview - See matching transactions before applying
Rules answer: "How should I automatically handle transactions like this?"
How They Work Together
The power of Curl Budget's organization comes from combining these tools:
Starting Point: AI Categorization
When transactions sync, Curl Budget's AI assigns categories automatically. Most users find this works well for 80-90% of transactions.
Refinement: Auto-Rules
For transactions the AI doesn't handle well, create rules:
- "All transactions from 'ACME CORP' → Category: Salary"
- "All transactions containing 'Coffee' → Add tag: 'Morning Coffee'"
Fine-tuning: Manual Adjustments
For one-off corrections, tap any transaction to change its category or add tags.
Analysis: Budgets and Reports
Once organized, your data flows into:
- Budgets - Track spending by category or tag
- Reports - Visualize patterns by any dimension
- Explorer - Drill down by category, tag, or merchant
Common Organization Strategies
Simple (Broad Categories)
Use a small set of high-level categories:
- Food & Dining
- Transportation
- Shopping
- Bills & Utilities
- Entertainment
- Health & Fitness
Best for: People who want a quick overview without detail management.
Detailed (Subcategories)
Use hierarchical categories for granular tracking:
- Food & Dining
- Restaurants
- Groceries
- Coffee Shops
- Delivery/Takeout
Best for: People who want to see exactly where money goes within each area.
Project-Based (Tags)
Keep simple categories but use tags for project tracking:
- Category: Any normal category
- Tags: "Home Renovation," "Wedding," "Vacation Fund"
Best for: Tracking special projects or goals across normal spending categories.
Hybrid
Combine all approaches:
- Categories for what type of spending
- Tags for projects, people, and special tracking
- Rules to automate everything
Best for: Power users who want maximum insight and minimum manual work.
Related Features
- Creating Budgets - Set spending limits by category or tag
- Cash Flow Report - See organized spending over time
- Explorer - Drill down by any organizational dimension