> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.lunchmoney.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.lunchmoney.app/guides/budgeting/step-1-intro-to-budgeting.md).
# Step 1: Intro to Budgeting
{% hint style="success" %}
You're on Step 1 of Lunch Money's Budgeting Guide!
{% endhint %}
Welcome to Lunch Money's budgeting feature guide! We're excited to walk you through it step by step, making sure you understand each feature along the way.
The best part? There's no "right" or "wrong" way to budget in Lunch Money. You get to pick what works for you. We give you the tools, and you decide how to use them!
#### Here's what we'll cover:
1. [**Setting up your budget foundation:**](/guides/budgeting/step-2-setting-up-your-budget.md) Configure your budget period, income settings, and rollover options to match your financial life.
2. [**Navigating the Budget page:**](/guides/budgeting/step-3-navigating-the-budget-page.md) Learn where everything lives and what all those numbers mean.
3. [**Budgeting your money:**](/guides/budgeting/step-4-budgeting.md) Discover different ways to assign money to categories - from manual entry and budget presets that save you time, to moving money between categories and making adjustments as your needs evolve.
4. [**Helpful extras:**](/guides/budgeting/step-5-miscellaneous-features.md) Explore additional features like historical spending views and budget breakdowns to elevate your budgeting game.
By the end of this guide, you'll understand not just how to use Lunch Money's features, but when and why to use them. We'll show you multiple approaches so you can find what works for your budgeting style.
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Note**: If you were a beta tester and previously tried the new budgeting feature, please review the [migration guide](/migrating-to-budgeting-v2.md) to ensure a smooth transition for your category group budgets and income rollovers settings.
{% endhint %}
Ready to take control of your money? Let's get started! 👇
Go to Step 2: Settings up your budget
---
# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.
## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:
```
GET https://support.lunchmoney.app/guides/budgeting/step-1-intro-to-budgeting.md?ask=&goal=
```
`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.