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Categories

Categories help you organize and analyze your transactions. Learn how to use and customize them.

What are Categories?

Categories are labels that classify your transactions, making it easy to see where your money goes.

Why Use Categories?

  • Organization - Group similar transactions
  • Analysis - See spending by category
  • Insights - Identify spending patterns
  • Budgeting - Track specific areas

How Categories Work

Smart Category Matching

When you scan a receipt or add a transaction, the AI automatically handles categorization:

flowchart TD
    A[Scan Receipt or Add Transaction] --> B{Merchant Recognized?}
    B -->|Yes| C{Category Exists?}
    B -->|No| D[Analyze Transaction Details]

    C -->|Yes| E[Assign Existing Category]
    C -->|No| F[Create New Category]

    D --> G{Similar Category Exists?}
    G -->|Yes| E
    G -->|No| F

    E --> H[Transaction Saved]
    F --> I[Learn Association]
    I --> H

    H --> J[Future Transactions<br/>Use This Mapping]

    style A fill:#7FE8D3
    style H fill:#F4A460
    style J fill:#FFD4A3

How it works:

  1. Merchant Recognition - AI identifies the merchant from receipt or transaction
  2. Category Matching - Checks if a matching category already exists
  3. Smart Creation - Creates a new category if needed (e.g., "Starbucks" → "Coffee")
  4. Learning - Remembers the merchant-to-category association
  5. Future Use - Next time you visit the same merchant, category is auto-assigned

Example: Scan a Starbucks receipt → AI creates "Coffee" category → Future Starbucks receipts automatically use "Coffee"

Common Categories

The app intelligently creates categories based on your spending, such as:

Expense Categories: - Food & Dining, Coffee, Groceries - Transportation, Gas, Parking - Shopping, Clothing, Electronics - Entertainment, Movies, Streaming - Bills & Utilities - Healthcare, Pharmacy - And many more based on your transactions

Income Categories: - Salary, Freelance, Refunds - Gifts Received, Investments - Other Income

Categories are created automatically as you use the app - no manual setup required!

Creating Custom Categories

Add a Category

  1. Go to Categories section
  2. Tap "Add Category" or + button
  3. Enter category name
  4. Choose a color
  5. Select an icon (if available)
  6. Choose type (Income/Expense)
  7. Tap Save

Naming Tips

  • Be specific - "Coffee" vs "Food & Dining"
  • Keep it short - Easier to read
  • Use consistently - Same name each time
  • Avoid duplicates - Check existing categories

Color Selection

Colors help you quickly identify categories:

  • Choose distinct colors
  • Use similar colors for related categories
  • Consider color-blind friendly options
  • Match your personal preference

Editing Categories

Modify Existing

To change a category:

  1. Go to Categories section
  2. Tap the category to edit
  3. Change name, color, or icon
  4. Tap Save

What Happens to Transactions?

When you edit a category:

  • All transactions with that category update automatically
  • Historical data remains intact
  • Analysis reflects the changes

Deleting Categories

Remove a Category

  1. Go to Categories section
  2. Swipe left on category (or tap edit)
  3. Tap Delete
  4. Confirm deletion

What Happens to Transactions?

When you delete a category:

  • Transactions move to "Uncategorized"
  • You can reassign them to another category
  • No transaction data is lost

Cannot Delete Default

The "Uncategorized" category cannot be deleted.

Organizing Categories

Reorder Categories

To change category order:

  1. Go to Categories section
  2. Enter edit mode
  3. Drag categories to reorder
  4. Tap Done

Why Reorder?

  • Put frequently used categories at top
  • Group related categories together
  • Match your workflow

Category Best Practices

Start Simple

  • Use default categories first
  • Add custom ones as needed
  • Don't create too many

Be Consistent

  • Use same category for similar transactions
  • Don't create near-duplicates
  • Review and consolidate periodically

Review Regularly

  • Check if categories still make sense
  • Merge similar categories
  • Delete unused categories
  • Adjust as spending habits change

Category Strategies

Minimal Approach

Keep it simple with few categories:

  • Food
  • Transport
  • Shopping
  • Bills
  • Other

Pros: Fast categorization, simple analysis Cons: Less detailed insights

Detailed Approach

Many specific categories:

  • Groceries
  • Restaurants
  • Coffee
  • Fast Food
  • Gas
  • Public Transit
  • Uber/Lyft
  • Clothing
  • Electronics
  • Home Goods

Pros: Detailed insights, precise tracking Cons: More time to categorize, complex analysis

Balanced Approach

Mix of broad and specific:

  • Food & Dining (broad)
  • Coffee (specific if you track it)
  • Transportation (broad)
  • Shopping (broad)
  • Electronics (specific for big purchases)
  • Bills & Utilities (broad)

Pros: Good detail without complexity Cons: Requires some thought

Category Analysis

View by Category

See spending breakdown:

  1. Go to Analysis tab
  2. View chart by category
  3. See percentage of total
  4. Identify top categories

Category Insights

Look for:

  • Highest spending - Where most money goes
  • Unexpected amounts - Categories higher than expected
  • Trends - Categories growing over time
  • Opportunities - Areas to reduce spending

Advanced Tips

Subcategories

Money In & Out doesn't have subcategories, but you can simulate them:

  • Use naming: "Food - Groceries", "Food - Restaurants"
  • Use notes: Category "Food", Note "Groceries"
  • Create separate categories: "Groceries", "Restaurants"

Seasonal Categories

For occasional expenses:

  • Create category when needed
  • Use throughout season
  • Keep for next year
  • Examples: "Holiday Gifts", "Tax Prep", "Summer Travel"

Project Tracking

Track specific projects:

  • Create temporary category
  • Use for all project expenses
  • Review total at end
  • Delete or archive when done

Business vs Personal

If tracking both:

  • Prefix categories: "Biz - ", "Personal - "
  • Use separate categories
  • Filter by prefix in analysis

Troubleshooting

Too Many Categories

If overwhelmed:

  1. Review all categories
  2. Identify rarely used ones
  3. Merge similar categories
  4. Delete unnecessary ones

Wrong Category Assigned

To fix:

  1. Find the transaction
  2. Edit it
  3. Change category
  4. Save

Or use bulk edit if many transactions.

Category Not Showing

Check:

  • Not accidentally deleted
  • Correct type (Income/Expense)
  • App is up to date
  • Try restarting app

Next Steps