How to budget without connecting your bank
Short answer
Write down your net income and regular costs, choose a target for each category, and compare it with your real spending once a month. This takes a little more effort than automatic imports, but your bank login stays private.
Recommended tool: Mesura Money
What you need to track
- Your monthly net income
- Fixed costs, such as rent, insurance and subscriptions
- Yearly costs, divided by 12
- A monthly amount for variable spending, such as groceries and eating out
- What you want to save
A simple monthly routine
- Open your banking app and check the month’s total for each main category.
- Enter those totals in your budget. You don’t need every purchase.
- Compare them with your plan, and keep one-off costs apart.
- Choose one thing to adjust next month.
Once your budget is set up, this can take just a few minutes each month.
The trade-offs
What you gain: no bank login shared with an app, and a clearer sense of your spending, since you look at it yourself.
What you give up: automatic transaction imports and real-time totals. If you want every purchase categorised for you, a connected app may suit you better.
Common questions
Do I have to record every purchase?
No. Monthly totals per category are enough for many people, and they make the habit easier to keep.
How often should I update my budget?
Once a month is a good minimum. Update it more often if you are working towards a tight goal.
Is it more private than a connected app?
Generally yes, because you aren’t sharing bank access. Check where the tool you use stores what you type.
This guide is general information and suggestions only. It is not financial, tax or investment advice. Your situation may differ, so please make your own decisions and speak to a qualified adviser if you need to.
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