Create an Envelope

Creating an envelope takes a few seconds, but a clear name and a realistic starting allocation make it far more useful going forward. This guide walks through the Add Envelope form field by field.

The Add Envelope form in Moniqo

When to Create a New Envelope

Create a new envelope for each spending category that matters to you, such as Groceries, Rent, Utilities, Entertainment, or Savings. If you’re setting up Moniqo for the first time, see the Create Your First Budget guide for the quick version of this same flow.

Steps

Open the Envelopes page and select Add Envelope.
Enter a title, such as “Groceries” or “Rent.” Titles must be between 3 and 80 characters and unique within a budget (this check ignores capitalization), so you can’t create two envelopes with the same name.
Enter an allocated amount: how much you’re assigning to this envelope right now. This is taken from your budget’s To Be Budgeted pool; see Fund an Envelope for how allocation works ongoing.
Optionally add a short description (up to 140 characters) for your own reference, such as a reminder of what belongs in this envelope.
Select Create Envelope.

A live preview panel shows how your envelope will look as you fill out the form, so you can double-check everything before saving.

Tips

Give your envelope a name specific enough to be useful (“Groceries,” not “Stuff”), but not so narrow that you end up managing dozens of near-empty envelopes.
Start with a realistic allocated amount based on a recent bank or card statement rather than guessing. You can always adjust it later from Fund an Envelope.
It’s fine to create an envelope with a zero allocated amount now and fund it later once you know how much you need.

Common Mistakes

Reusing a name that’s already in use. Envelope titles must be unique within a budget (case-insensitive), so if you get a “name already in use” message, pick a more specific name or check whether the envelope already exists.
Creating one envelope per store or vendor. Envelopes work best as broad categories (“Groceries”) rather than narrow ones (“Whole Foods”), otherwise tracking becomes tedious. See Understanding Envelope Budgeting for the reasoning.

Next Steps

Once your envelope is created, learn how Fund an Envelope works to keep it topped up, or head to Manage Envelopes to see how to search, sort, and review your envelopes going forward.

Create an Envelope