How to budget without connecting your bank

Start from money that exists today

List the money actually available in your bank, at home and in your wallet. Exclude an expected salary until it arrives. Give the available money purposes such as rent, groceries, transport and savings, without confusing those purposes with the places holding it.

If you withdraw 500 MAD, record a transfer from bank to wallet. If you then spend 80 MAD on groceries, record an 80 MAD expense from the wallet. The transfer changes neither income nor total wealth; the purchase reduces both the wallet and the grocery allowance.

Keep recording small enough to maintain

Choose one daily moment to enter purchases, using receipts or brief notes if needed. Start with broad categories. A detailed system you abandon is less useful than five categories you keep current. Record refunds and reimbursements consistently rather than silently deleting the original purchase.

Once a week compare the tracked bank amount with the corresponding real balance and count your cash. Look for missing purchases, duplicate entries and transfers recorded as expenses. Pending bank transactions can explain timing differences; do not force the numbers to match without checking.

No bank connection does not mean no cloud

SmartJib does not request bank credentials or import bank transactions. You enter transactions manually. Signed-in account data is cached locally and synced to Firebase. That distinction matters if your requirement is strictly local storage rather than simply avoiding bank connections.

Use a strong account password, protect shared devices and keep a restorable backup. CSV exports help with analysis, while JSON backups serve a different purpose: restoring the app’s data. Read the privacy policy before recording sensitive notes.

1. Set opening balances once.
2. Record purchases and transfers separately.
3. Reconcile weekly and export a backup before a major change.