20 Years In The Making

A budget that works
for both of you.

Built by a spreadsheet-obsessed engineer and refined by a pen-and-paper partner. Ridgeline Budget is the system that finally bridges the gap — precise enough for the numbers person, clear enough for everyone else.

$0 Monthly goal
every month
2+ Years running
our household
$3 Per month to
sync & collaborate

The Philosophy

Needs first.
Wants from savings.

Every dollar you spend is either something you need — electricity, rent, insurance — or something you want — the morning coffee, the weekend trip.

Budget for your needs. Save for your wants. When the month closes, any surplus flows into your budget envelopes — ready for when want becomes need.

Read our story →
  • 💡
    Budget on needs, not wants Your baseline budget covers essentials. Extras draw from savings.
  • 📅
    Everything amortized monthly Annual car tabs, quarterly water bills — all smoothed to a monthly figure.
  • 🏦
    Surplus funds your wants End-of-month surplus flows into envelopes. Vacation, auto, birthdays.
  • 🔒
    Your data, your device Encryption keys never leave your device. Not even we can read your data.

What's included

Everything you need,
nothing you don't.

Six screens. One daily habit. Complete financial clarity.

🏠

Dashboard

At-a-glance view of your income, projected surplus, and how close you are to the month's target. Favorite budgets are highlighted here.

💵

Income & Bank

Track every income source, mark what you can count on, and wire scheduled transactions directly to budgets.

📆

Expenses Calendar

Plan every recurring bill across all 12 months. Import from a spreadsheet template in seconds.

💰

Surplus Page

Your daily screen. Track spending, mark what came from budgets, handle extra income and corrections.

🏦

Budget Envelopes

Priority fill, standard, or no-fill. Three budget types for every situation — vacation, auto, reimbursements.

Quick View

A streamlined mobile screen showing your surplus, spending sources, and a fast form to add purchases. Perfect for the partner who just wants the number.

📊

Reports & History

Net spent, surplus trends, and budget balances over 5 years of history. Close, reopen, or undo months.

Daily routine

Five minutes a day.

The Surplus page is designed to be your daily check-in.

01

Update spending sources

Enter the current balance on each credit card and cash account. Clarity calculates what you've spent automatically.

02

Mark wants as Paid Separately

Any purchase that wasn't a need gets tagged to a budget. It's deducted from that envelope and removed from the monthly calculation.

03

Pay expenses with one tap

Bills from your Expenses Calendar appear with a Pay Now button. When the charge hits your card, tap it — done.

04

Close the month

Review everything, distribute surplus to budgets, and advance to the next month. The whole process takes under 10 minutes.

Read the full manual →

Free to start

Ready to find your
financial clarity?

Start free — no account needed. Sync across devices and collaborate with a partner with an optional paid plan.