What is Zenvilope?

Zenvilope is a modern web application for managing your personal finances using the envelope budgeting method. It's designed to be simple, clear, and help you take control of your money.

The Philosophy

Zenvilope is built on proven budgeting principles:

• Give every dollar a job: When money comes in, assign it to specific categories
• Embrace your true expenses: Plan for irregular expenses by saving a little each month
• Roll with the punches: Adjust your budget as life happens
• Live on last month's income: Build a buffer so you're spending money you already have

Key Features

Multiple Budgets

Create separate budgets for different aspects of your life:

• Personal finances
• Business expenses
• Household budget shared with family
• Side project tracking

Each budget is completely isolated with its own accounts, categories, and transactions.

Budget Sharing

Invite other people to collaborate on a budget. Useful for household finances or business partners. Members see the same accounts, categories, and transactions. See Sharing for details.

Accounts

Track all your financial accounts in one place:

• Checking and savings accounts
• Credit cards
• Cash
• Investment accounts

Categories & Category Groups

Organise your spending into meaningful categories with emoji labels and colour-coded groups. Set targets on categories to track savings goals, match past spending, or budget repeating amounts. See Categories.

Transactions

Record and categorise every transaction:

• Income deposits
• Expenses and spending
• Transfers between accounts
• Split transactions across multiple categories
• Bulk actions for clearing, approving, and deleting

Import Transactions

Import OFX/QFX files from your bank with automatic duplicate detection and matching to existing manual entries. See Importing.

Reports

Visualise your financial position with:

• Net worth trend — track your net worth month by month
• Spending breakdown — see where your money goes by category

Transaction Flags & Notifications

Flag transactions for another member's attention with notes. In-app notifications keep everyone informed about invitations, flags, and membership changes.

Monthly Budgeting

Budget your money month by month:

• Allocate funds to each category
• See what's available to budget
• Automatic carryover of unused funds
• Track overspending across months

Inspired By

Zenvilope draws inspiration from:

• Actual Budget: Architecture and design patterns
• YNAB: Budgeting methodology and philosophy

Technology

• Backend: Django + PostgreSQL
• Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript + Mantine v7
• Data fetching: TanStack Query
• Self-hosted: Your data stays on your server

Next Steps

Ready to get started? Head over to the Getting Started guide to create your first budget!