FAQ
Getting Started
If you are curious about how the app works and how to begin.
How do I get started with The Happy Giraffe app?
The goal is simple: create a weekly allowance (we call it Happy Money) that works for your real life. Getting there takes some smart behind-the-scenes math, but don’t worry, the app does the hard parts for you!
You’ll start by entering the money you have right now along with your income. Then you’ll add your fixed expenses and any savings goals. Once everything’s in place, you’ll use a slider in the final step to try out different weekly spending amounts. The app gives you a few helpful checks to guide you so you can choose your own number with confidence!
Once your budget is set, just spend your Happy Money by entering expenses as they happen. That’s it. Simple, clear, and happy!
Can you explain the steps in the budgeting process?
In the app, The Happy Giraffe budgeting process has 6 simple steps. The goal is to find a weekly spending amount (your Happy Money) that works for your real life. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Available money
Start by entering the amount of money you have right now in cash or any of your bank accounts, as long as you plan to use it for your regular expenses. (Don’t include savings or investment accounts.)
Think of it like this: If your rent is due tomorrow, what money is already available to help pay for it?
In real life, you might have multiple accounts for different purposes. That’s totally fine! But to keep things simple in the app, add it all together into one number. The app treats your money as if it’s all in one bucket because that makes budgeting easier.
You’ll need to enter this number every time you redo your budget. Whether you’ve been overspending or underspending, this number helps us reset and look forward based on what you have available right now.
Step 2: Income sources
Enter the ways you get paid. Use your take-home pay (the amount you actually receive after taxes, insurance, and other deductions).
If your paycheck isn’t always the same, that’s okay! Just enter a low estimate to play it safe. We recommend only including income you can count on. Leave out things like tax returns, bonuses, or overtime pay. If those show up later, they can be happy surprises for your budget!
The goal here is to build a plan based on what you can reliably expect. That way your budget is realistic, and you’re not counting on money that might not come.
Each income source will show up on the calendar in the app, so you can see all your income mapped out over the next two years. If you see an end date filled in automatically, that’s just the app projecting things forward for 104 weeks (2 years).
Step 3: Fixed Expenses
Enter your regular bills and payments (things like rent, mortgage, insurance, subscriptions, loan payments, or utilities). These are the expenses you know are coming. Don’t include day-to-day spending like groceries, clothing, or entertainment. Those come later.
If the amount changes a bit from month to month, that’s okay. Just enter a high estimate to stay on the safe side.
Just like with your income, each fixed expense will show up on the calendar in the app, so you can see all your bills mapped out over the next two years. If you see an end date filled in automatically, that’s ok.
Make sure to include any yearly or semi-annual bills, like car insurance or memberships. These are easy to forget but important to plan for!
As these expenses happen in the future, the actual amount might be a little different, that’s totally fine. In Step 5, you’ll add a buffer to help cover small changes in these bills. For now, just give us your best estimate, it helps the app build a clear picture of your financial baseline.
Step 4: Custom Boxes
Custom boxes are where you can set aside money for savings or specific goals. Think of them like digital envelopes. You can use them for things like holidays, travel, back-to-school, or anything else you want to plan for in advance.
Start by adding a box, and once it’s created, you’ll see a “Fill” button. That’s where you choose how much to add and how often. The app will automatically move that amount into the box on the schedule you set.
You already have two boxes by default:
Fixed (for the income and bills you added in the last 2 steps)
Happy Money (your weekly spending allowance, which you’ll set in Step 6)
Custom boxes are great for organizing your money inside the app, but don’t make one for every kind of spending. This isn’t a traditional category-based budget, we’re keeping things simple. Use boxes for bigger, less frequent spending or savings goals that you want to plan ahead for.
Step 5: Fixed Buffer
This step gives you two important options: how much of your budget you want to manage, and how much cushion you want to give yourself.
Mode
You’ll choose whether to manage your full budget or just your weekly spending.
Manage Full Budget (selected by default): This lets you use everything, the calendar, boxes, forecast, and full budgeting tools.
Only Manage Happy Money: This turns off the calendar and boxes. You’ll just track your weekly spending allowance (Happy Money). It’s a simpler view if you don’t need the other features.
Buffer
The buffer adds a little flexibility to your plan. It goes into your Fixed box to cover small differences between what you planned and what actually happens, like a bill being $5 more than you expected.
This amount is pulled from the money you entered back in Step 1, so you’re still budgeting with what you actually have.
Important: If your Fixed box already has money in it, that amount will be cleared and replaced with the new buffer amount you choose here. So this step gives you a fresh start based on your current plan.
Step 6: Happy Money!
Now it’s time to pick your weekly spending allowance (we call it your Happy Money.)
This is the one number you’ll track throughout the week. It covers everything that’s not already included in your fixed expenses or custom boxes. Things like groceries, gas, eating out, shopping, or fun.
Use the slider (or type in a number) to try out different weekly amounts. As you adjust, the app is running a full 2-year forecast behind the scenes to help guide your decision. You’ll see three checks that tell you if your budget is sustainable:
Over/Under Spending: Shows how much you’re planning to over or under spend each week.
Negative Days: Tells you how many days your account will go below zero.
Lowest Balance: Shows the lowest balance over the next 2 years.
Start with the Over/Under check. Try to get it as close to $0 as you can without turning the other checks red. That means you’re planning to use all your money intentionally.
If the Over/Under is showing a positive number, that’s extra money left on the table each week. That might sound good, but in this system, we want every dollar to have a purpose. If it’s showing a positive $100 a week, that’s $400 a month you could be saving or using to pay off debt! Try going back a step and putting that extra into a custom box or savings goal.
Once the checks look good and the number feels right, you’re done. This is your weekly plan, your Happy Money, and it’s all you need to focus on going forward.
Don’t worry, if your refill day isn’t today, the app will give you a pro-rated amount to get started right away.
You’ve just built a forward-looking plan that’s based on real income, real bills, and real life. Nice work!
What are custom boxes for?
Custom boxes help you set money aside for specific things, like holidays, back-to-school shopping, big purchases, or personal spending. Think of them like digital envelopes. You fill them over time, and then use the money when the moment comes.
This idea actually comes from the story behind The Happy Giraffe! When the giraffe was learning how to budget his leaves, he tried out something like the envelope system and put his leaves into boxes. That’s what you’re doing here too!
In the app, you can create a custom box for anything you want to plan ahead for. Then use the “Fill” button to schedule how much to add and how often. The app will handle the rest.
Some people use custom boxes for things like:
Saving for a vacation
Extra spending money just for you (or your spouse)
Gifts, holidays, or school costs
Custom boxes allow you to pull out money for specific things so it doesn’t have to come from your weekly allowance. Just don’t go overboard! You don’t need a box for every kind of spending. The app is designed to stay simple. Just create boxes for the bigger things you want to plan ahead for.
How Budgeting Works In The App
If you want to understand the method behind the app and how to use it day-to-day.
How is this budgeting method different from what I’ve tried before?
This isn’t your typical budget! The Happy Giraffe system combines cash flow forecasting, a custom weekly allowance, and a focus on simplicity to help you spend less than you earn. We lay out all of your income and bills on a 2-year calendar so you know exactly when money will come in and go out! You don’t need to redo your budget every month, and there are no complicated categories. Just one simple number to spend each week and a plan you can actually stick with.
What exactly happens when I redo my budget?
One of the best parts of The Happy Giraffe system is that you don’t have to redo your budget every week or month. You only need to redo it when something changes, like your income, a fixed expense, or your overall financial picture. Outside of that, just stick to your weekly Happy Money and let the buffer handle the ups and downs.
When you do choose to redo your budget, here’s what happens:
- Past transactions are locked. Our budget is forward looking, so you don’t need to worry about what happened in the past.
Your Fixed box is set to the buffer amount you choose in Step 5.
Your Happy Money is cleared out and replaced with the new weekly amount you select in Step 6 (or a prorated amount if today isn’t your refill day).
It doesn’t matter how much Happy Money you had before redoing the budget — even if it was negative — you’re starting fresh from right now.Custom boxes are left exactly as they are. If a custom box is positive, the money stays in place. If it’s negative, the app will add a one-time line item to bring it back up to zero. That’s because this system doesn’t look backward. It’s all about creating a clean, forward-looking plan with the money you actually have today.
Redoing your budget gives you a chance to reset with your real balance, current priorities, and updated plan. Everything else (your history, your progress, and your transaction list) stays the same.
What if I use a credit card to pay for things?
No problem! In The Happy Giraffe system, it doesn’t matter how you pay (credit card, debit card, cash, or check) as long as you enter the expense when you spend it.
We treat all spending like it’s already spent. Even if the money hasn’t left your bank account yet, it’s no longer available for something else. So when you use a credit card, enter the transaction right away. That helps your budget stay accurate and keeps you from accidentally spending the same money twice.
You can still pay off your credit card however you normally would. But the key is to track the spending when it happens, not when you make the payment.
This system is designed to help you stay connected to your real choices, not just your bank balance. So no matter how you pay, just enter it and you’re on track!
Can spouses have separate budgets?
The Happy Giraffe is designed for shared budgeting, especially for couples who want to get on the same page financially. Each person can download the app and log in with the same account, which lets both of you see everything in real time and work together as a team.
That said, every couple is different and the app is flexible! You can choose to:
Share one Happy Money amount and spend from the same weekly allowance
Or set up separate custom boxes so each of you has your own personal fun money to spend however you like
We’ve done it both ways ourselves, and either approach can work! The key is finding what fits your relationship and helps you communicate clearly about money.
If you truly want to keep things fully separate, you can each create your own login and build separate budgets. Just be aware that this may get tricky if you share bank accounts, since it can be hard to tell which person is handling which piece in their budget.
How do I enter a refund?
Just enter it as income! Even if the money originally came from a spending category like Happy Money, a refund means that money is coming back into your plan, so adding it as income is the easiest way to track it.
You can also go back and change or delete the original expense if you want, but that’s totally optional. Most users just enter a new transaction and mark it as income.
Budgeting tip: If something didn’t work, didn’t fit, or you don’t really need it, return it! That’s real money you can put toward something that matters more!
How do I enter and track debt payments?
Right now, The Happy Giraffe app doesn’t have a full debt tracker built in (yet!), but you can absolutely track your debt payments using the tools that are already there.
Here’s how to do it:
Add your minimum payments as fixed expenses in Step 3 of the budgeting process. That way, your debt payments show up on your calendar and are included in your forecast.
If you’re using a debt snowball or avalanche strategy, you can add your extra payment as a separate fixed expense. Try naming it something like “Snowball Payment” or “Extra Debt Attack” to keep it clear.
As you pay off debts, you can remove their minimum payments from the plan and roll that amount into the snowball payment so you can use it to attack your next priority.
If you want a more detailed payoff plan, we recommend using our free Debt Payoff Spreadsheet (available on our website).
App Features
Feature specific questions.
How do I share my budget with someone else?
It’s easy to share your budget! Just use the same login on each device. On the free version of the app, you can have up to 2 devices signed in at once. The Treetop Donor version allows up to 6 devices.
We encourage couples to share a budget so they can be on the same page financially. Each person downloads the app, logs in with the same account, and sees everything in real time.
You can choose to spend together from one shared Happy Money amount, or set up separate custom boxes if you each want your own spending money. Either way works, we’ve done it both ways ourselves. Just find what feels right for your relationship!
What does it mean to earn leaves in the app?
We want budgeting to feel happier, so we added a few playful features to help make it more encouraging! In the app, you earn leaves for doing the things that matter most:
Checking in daily (1 leaf each day)
Staying within your Happy Money each week (15 leaves each week)
Every time you earn 50 leaves, you level up! It’s a simple way to see your progress and stay motivated while you build strong habits.
Does this connect to my bank?
Not yet, but it’s coming! We’re currently building the ability to connect to your bank, and it will be included at no extra cost for our Treetop Donors once it’s ready.
That said, no bank connection is required to use the app. We’ve manually entered transactions ourselves for years. It’s a powerful way to stay connected to your spending and stay mindful of your choices.
For now, just open the app and enter expenses as they happen. We tried to make it as easy and quick as possible!
Is my information secure?
Yes! Protecting your privacy is incredibly important to us. One of our board members specializes in cybersecurity, and we’ve built The Happy Giraffe app with privacy in mind at every step.
Even though the app includes ads, we never share your personal information with third parties. Not your name, not your data, not anything.
No one (not even the app developers) can see your budget or personal details. All of your data is either stored securely on your device or encrypted on our servers. We’ve done everything we can to keep your information safe and private.
What new features are you planning to add?
This initial release of the app is just the beginning! Here’s a look at what’s coming soon for the free version of the app:
- Dark mode: For users who prefer using their phone in dark mode (your eyes will thank you).
- Show notes instead of payee name: Right now, transaction lists show where you spent the money. We’re adding an option to show your notes instead so it reflects why you spent it.
- Import budget from spreadsheet: Many users have found us because of our free spreadsheet. Soon, you’ll be able to import your info directly into the app to skip the setup.
- Choose forecast length: The app currently forecasts 2 years ahead. In the future, you’ll be able to choose shorter timelines (like 6 months or 1 year), which is especially helpful for students or short-term planners.
- Reconciling: We’re working on tools to help you easily match your transactions with your bank account, even without linking it.
- Debt payoff: We plan to bring the features in our debt payoff spreadsheet into the app so you can track balances and payoff progress right alongside your budget.
- Web version: For those who prefer a keyboard and bigger screen, the full app experience will be available in a browser (perfect for things like reconciling).
Support
We’re here for you and we truly care about each person who uses The Happy Giraffe. If you run into questions or something isn’t working the way you expect, just email us at app@happygiraffe.org and we’ll do our best to help as quickly as we can!
Right now, we’re still a very small nonprofit, and we have one volunteer handling support! So it might take us a little longer to respond sometimes, but we promise we’re paying attention!
The amazing team we contracted with to make the app has promised to jump on any issues and fix them as quickly as possible. We’re incredibly proud of how far this project has come, and we’re hoping that with your support, the app will be successful enough to let us grow the team and provide full-time support soon!
Thanks for being here and helping us take this next step. We’re grateful for your patience and excited for what’s ahead!
