Initial Setup: Build the Foundation of Your Financial Freedom with Neko

Welcome to Neko: Expense Tracker! By downloading this app, you’ve taken the first step toward mastering your money. But remember: an app is just a tool; it’s the honesty and consistency of your data that will actually change your life.

Follow these steps to ensure your setup is rock-solid from day one.

1. Define Your "Starting Point" (Initial Balances)

Before tracking a single coffee or rent payment, Neko needs to know how much money you have right now. Don’t obsess over being accurate to the last cent. Put an approximate figure and reconcile it later. The goal is to get moving. 

• Action: Go to the Accounts section and create your main "wallets" (e.g., Cash, Checking Account, Savings).

Steps to add a new account:

As an example, let's add a bank account with a $5,000.00 balance:

1. Go to Accounts: Tap the wallet icon in the bottom menu.

2. Add an Account: Tap the Add Account button found at the bottom of your list or within the account selector.

3. Enter the Amount: In the Balance field, type your current balance (e.g., $5,000.00).

4. Name It: In Description, enter a name you'll easily recognize, such as "Bank" or your bank's name.

5. Select the Type: In the Type section, choose whether it is Cash, Checking, or Savings.

Pro Tip: Be specific with your descriptions. Instead of just "Bank," use "Chase Checking" or "Emergency Fund." This makes it much easier to stay organized when transferring money between accounts.

2. Personalize Your Categories (Your Money "Buckets")

Neko comes with default categories, but your life is unique. The Common Mistake is creating 50 different categories. Don’t do it. Too much detail leads to confusion. Keep it simple: if you spend less than 2% of your income on something, put it in a general "Miscellaneous" bucket.

• Action: Head to Categories. Delete what you don't need and add what’s critical for you (e.g., "Pet Care," "Streaming Subscriptions," or "Side Hustle Expenses").

Spending Categories

This is where you log all the money leaving your accounts. Neko groups them by lifestyle to make your reports easier to read:

• Food & Drink: Groceries and dining out.

• Home & Utilities: Rent, utilities, and your monthly subscriptions (like Netflix or Spotify).

• Lifestyle: Clothing, education, entertainment, and expenses for your kids.

Income Categories

Not all money comes from the same source. Classifying your inflows helps you understand your income diversity:

• Primary Income: Your base salary or earnings from freelance and side hustles.

• Other Income: Tips, investments, rental income, or government benefits.

Pro Tip: If you work independently, use the Freelance & Side Gigs category to separate your stable pay from your variable projects. This will help you see if your "side hustles" are truly worth the time you invest in them.

3. Set Your First Budget (Your Spending Roadmap)

A budget isn’t a restriction; it’s a plan for your future self.

• Action: In the Budgets tab, assign a monthly limit to your most volatile categories (like Dining Out, Groceries, or Entertainment).

• Neko Strategy: Start with budgets based on what you think you spend. At the end of the month, Neko will show you the cold, hard truth so you can adjust for the next period.

In the Budget configuration screen, you'll find key options to tailor the app to your financial cycle:

• Period Reset Day: Select the day of the month when your financial cycle begins (e.g., your payday).

• Include scheduled in spent calculation: By enabling this, Neko treats upcoming bills as "already spent" money. This provides a more accurate and conservative view of your remaining funds.

• Monthly Budget: Set the total maximum amount you wish to spend for the entire month (e.g., $5,000.00).

• Spending Limits: This is where the magic happens. You can allocate specific amounts to individual categories (such as $1,000.00 for Food & Drink or $600.00 for Transportation) to see real-time progress bars as you spend.

• New Category: If you need a specific limit for something not on the list, you can create a custom category directly from this screen.

  
  

Pro Tip: Don't try to assign every single penny of your total budget to categories. Always leave a margin for unexpected costs or miscellaneous spending. A budget that doesn't have room to breathe is a budget that fails.

4. Your First Record: What Are You Trying to Tell Neko?

When you tap the "+" button, you access the core of the app. Not all movements affect your finances the same way. Here’s what to choose based on what just happened with your money:

• Expense: The most common option. Use it for immediate purchases where money leaves your account right away (groceries, gas, dining out).

• Bill: Use this for upcoming payments or subscriptions (rent, Netflix, utilities). Logging it as a "Bill" allows Neko to deduct it from your "Safe to Spend" balance before the money actually leaves, preventing you from spending money that is already spoken for.

• Income: Record your salary, bonuses, or any money entering your accounts. Without this, Neko won’t know your available spending power.

• Transfer: Use this when moving money between your own accounts (e.g., from Checking to Savings). Advisor's Critique: Many users mistakenly log this as an "Expense," which artificially doubles their reported spending. A transfer doesn't make you poorer; it just changes the money's location.

• Refund: When you return a product and get your money back. Don't log this as "Income"; record it here so Neko knows the original expense was canceled.

Let's walk through an example: buying a laptop for $200.00.

1. Open the menu: Tap the main (+) button on the home screen.

2. Select the type: Choose Expense for immediate purchases.

3. Amount and Description: Enter the value ($200.00) and a clear description (Laptop).

4. Date: Make sure the date matches the day of the purchase.

5. Select Account: Tap on "Select account." Choose where the money came from (e.g., Cash or Checking).

6. Assign a Category: Tap on "Select category." For this example, look under Lifestyle and pick Education.

7. Save: Hit the Save button at the bottom of the screen.

Pro Tip: If you can't find a matching category, you can create a custom one by tapping the "New Category" button at the bottom of the list. Just remember keep it simple to ensure your monthly reports stay clear!

💎 Advanced and Premium Features

These options are what separate a basic user from one who truly optimizes their finances:

• Installment Purchase: Ideal for large purchases (a phone or furniture). If you bought a phone on a 12-month plan, don't log the full price today. Use this to let Neko automatically split the expense across future months.

• Credit Card Payment: Use this to record when you settle your card debt. This isn't a new expense; it’s the payment for purchases you’ve already logged.

• Cash Back: Record rewards or money back from your credit cards or loyalty programs here. It's "free money" that should be added to your balance.

5. Safe to Spend: Commitments and Future Balances

Not every account should be visible in your daily balance. Neko allows you to filter your accounts, so your Total Balance reflects only what you actually intend to spend.

• Savings Strategy: You can toggle off the visibility of your savings or emergency funds. By not seeing that money added to your "Total Balance," you reduce the psychological temptation to dip into it.

• Custom Selection: If you have five accounts but only use two for daily expenses, filter them. Neko will recalculate everything to show the reality of those specific accounts.

Beyond a simple chart, this section is a commitment calculator. When you access the menu, Neko shows exactly what percentage of your money is already spoken for.

• Financial Commitment: Visualize the exact percentage allocated to Future Bills and Credit Card Payments. This lets you know, for instance, that 40% of your money is no longer yours because it’s "promised" to your debts.

• Remaining Balance per Account: This is the most powerful feature. Neko breaks down how much money will remain in each individual account after future bills are paid.

  • Example: Your checking account shows $10,000, but Neko warns you that after future payments, the real safe balance will be only $3,000.

6. Calendar: Your Total Navigation Map

If Safe to Spend is your compass, the Calendar is your flight log. This feature allows you to visualize the absolute flow of your money: from the salary you receive to the subscriptions that pay themselves. Here, you don't just see what you spent; you see how your economy breathes.

Complete Transaction Visibility

In the calendar, you can see every recorded movement on the exact day it happened:

• Income: Quickly identify your paydays and extra inflows.

• Expenses & Bills: Visualize when big payments happen and how they affect your week.

• Transfers: Trace your money moving between your accounts.

  
  

Strategic Visualization Modes

Neko offers two critical perspectives that you can toggle based on your needs:

• Cashflow Mode: The detailed view. It lets you audit your activity day by day. It’s ideal for confirming if you logged that extra income or reviewing what you bought over the weekend.

• Balance Mode: The predictive view. It shows the money available to you as the days pass. By including income, you'll see your balance "bounce" back up on paydays and drop on bill days.

  
  

Pro Tip: The calendar is the best tool for spotting "financial bottlenecks." If you see your remaining balance hitting critical levels right before your next income arrives, the calendar warns you days in advance so you can slow down spending today. Don't just use the calendar to look at the past—use it to ensure your balance never hits zero before your next paycheck.

💎 7. Special Section: Credit card setup (Premium)

If you are a Premium user, it is vital that you set up your Credit Cards now. This is one of Neko's most powerful features to prevent uncontrolled debt.

Unlike a standard savings account, the setup flow here is different and requires visual attention to two key data points:

Steps for a Precise Setup:

• Select Type: Ensure the top toggle is set to Credit Card.

• Credit Limit: Enter the total amount authorized by your bank (e.g., $50,000.00). Do not view this number as "extra cash"; it is simply your borrowing capacity.

• Initial Balance / Current Debt: This is where most users get confused. You must enter what you owe today. If your card is at zero, enter $0.00. If you’ve already spent some, enter your current debt amount.

• Interest Rate: Enter the annual percentage rate (APR) your bank charges for carrying a balance. Advisor's Note: This allows Neko to help you visualize the true cost of your debt if you don't pay in full.

• Critical Dates (Statement & Payment Days):

  • Closing Day: The day the bank closes your monthly billing cycle.

  • Payment Due Day: The last day you can pay without incurring interest.

  • Why it matters: Neko uses these dates to remind you when to pay and to calculate your real cash flow.

Your journey toward financial freedom starts today!

Congratulations on completing the initial setup. By building this solid foundation, you’ve stopped being a bystander and taken full control of your financial future. Remember, Neko is more than just a tracking app; it’s your partner in optimizing your results and making smarter financial decisions.

Don't wait for the "perfect" moment to start; staying honest with your data today is what builds your peace of mind tomorrow. It’s time to make every cent count!

🛡️Your security is our priority: Neko is a manual tracking tool designed to help you visualize your finances. Please keep in mind that:

• No Bank Access: Neko does not request, store, or have access to your bank passwords or security tokens. There is no direct connection to your banking institutions.

• Informational Data: All balances and transactions shown here are strictly for informational purposes and rely on the data you enter manually.