Getting Started

Learn what InfinitelyZero is, how zero-based budgeting works, and how to set up your first budget.

What is InfinitelyZero?

InfinitelyZero is a zero-based budgeting app. You decide how the money you already have will cover bills, everyday spending, and savings before spending it.

Record money received in an eligible Normal on-budget cash account as income. It becomes Ready to Budget until assigned to categories such as rent, groceries, electricity, or savings. On-demand accounts make eligible cash available when chosen as a funding source instead of adding it to Ready to Budget first. Categorized refunds offset spending rather than becoming ordinary income.

Note: A $0.00 Ready to Budget balance does not mean you have no money. It means the cash included in Ready to Budget has been assigned to categories.

Web or desktop?

InfinitelyZero is available in two ways: as a web app you access in a browser, and as a native Windows desktop application you install on your PC. Both offer the same budgeting features.

Web / PWA — open InfinitelyZero in any modern browser, or add it to your home screen as a Progressive Web App.
Windows desktop app — install InfinitelyZero as a native app on your Windows PC for a dedicated window experience.

On both platforms you choose whether to store your budget data locally (on the device) or in the InfinitelyZero Cloud. Local storage keeps each budget's financial state encrypted on the device you are using; Cloud storage makes it available on any device after signing in. See Local and Cloud Editions for a full explanation.

Tip: During encrypted-Local setup, save and verify the recovery kit. It unlocks Local data that still exists; keep a separate encrypted backup for restoring data after device or browser loss.

Note: InfinitelyZero does not currently connect directly to banks. Transactions are entered manually or imported using supported files. Hosted Cloud storage is available now, while Sync between devices is coming later; Cloud does not add bank synchronization.

Zero-based budgeting

Traditional expense tracking tells you what happened. Zero-based budgeting asks you to decide what will happen — before the month or pay period begins.

Here is how it works in InfinitelyZero:

Money enters the budget through your on-budget accounts (checking, savings, cash).
That money appears as Ready to Budget — unassigned money available to assign.
You assign money to categories. Assigning $200 to Groceries increases that category's Planned and Available by $200.
When you spend, the category's Spent increases and Available decreases.
Assign the money currently available without making Ready to Budget negative.

Tip: You do not need to assign everything at once. Assign what you have now, and assign more when the next paycheck arrives.

The basic workflow

Most users follow this cycle every time money arrives or is spent:

Add accounts — add your checking, savings, credit cards, and cash accounts.
Confirm starting balances — set the correct balance for each account.
Review groups and categories — create categories for everything your money does: bills, groceries, savings goals, fun money, and so on.
Assign Ready to Budget — use Assign money to reserve available money for your priorities.
Record transactions — enter expenses and income as they happen.
Adjust the plan — life changes. Move money between categories as needed. The plan is yours to change.
Reconcile regularly — compare your InfinitelyZero balances with your bank statements to confirm they match.

Your first budget

Creating a budget

When you first open InfinitelyZero, you will be prompted to create a budget. Give it a name and choose the month it should start from. The starting month sets the earliest month you can work with in the budget screen.

Adding your first account

Add your main checking account through Menu → Accounts. Enter its name, type, and current balance. For a Normal cash account, choose whether to Add starting balance to Ready to Budget. An On-demand account’s starting cash stays outside Ready to Budget until you choose it as a funding source.

Note: Add the balance exactly as it appears in your bank account today. If you have $1,247.50 in checking, enter $1,247.50 — not a round number.

Assigning the first money

Open the Budget workspace on the Dashboard and choose a category’s Assign money action. From starts on an eligible Ready to Budget source in the Dashboard action card. Check its account, enter an amount within the source limit, and confirm. Repeat as needed; the account chips show which cash backs each category.

If you do not have enough money to fully cover all categories right away, that is fine — assign what you have now and add more when the next paycheck arrives.

Reaching $0.00 Ready to Budget

When the included unassigned cash has been reserved for categories, Ready to Budget shows $0.00. Your money remains in its accounts until an actual purchase or payment; assigning it records how you intend to use it.

Quick glossary

Account: A representation of a real-world financial account: checking, savings, cash, or credit card.
Budget group: A named collection of categories. Groups help you organize related categories together.
Category: A named budget line that holds money. Examples: Rent, Groceries, Emergency Fund, Electric Bill.
Ready to Budget: Unassigned money included from eligible Normal on-budget cash accounts. Account chips show its backing.
Planned: The amount assigned to a category in the selected month.
Spent: The total of transactions posted to a category in the selected month.
Available: What remains in a category after spending: roughly Planned − Spent, adjusted for rollover.
Rollover: An unspent Available balance carries forward to the next month automatically.
Cleared: A transaction that has been confirmed against your bank statement or account.
Pending: A transaction that has been entered in InfinitelyZero but not yet confirmed with the bank.
Reconciliation: The process of comparing your InfinitelyZero account balance with your bank statement to confirm they agree.

The desktop header links to Dashboard, Account Cash, Transactions, and Reports. Menu contains Planning Hub, Notes, Price Book, Calculator, Accounts, Budgets & Storage, settings, and App Info. Budget opens the embedded Dashboard workspace.

Use Notes and tags for reminders linked to categories or bills, and Calculators for estimates that do not edit your budget.