Your First Transaction

How to add a manual transaction in Forbidden Finance, including amount, merchant, category, date, and account selection.

Overview

Adding your first transaction in Forbidden Finance takes less than a minute. You enter the amount, merchant name, category, and date, and it immediately appears in your transaction list and budget calculations. Manual transactions are available on every tier, including Free, so you can start tracking spending right away -- even before connecting a bank.

If you connect a bank account later, your manual transactions remain alongside imported ones. You can always add manual transactions to fill gaps or track cash spending that does not appear in your bank feed.

How to Add a Manual Transaction

Tap the plus button

From the dashboard or the Transactions screen, tap the + button (floating action button) at the bottom of the screen.

Enter the amount

Type the transaction amount. Use a positive number for expenses and toggle the income switch if this is money coming in.

Enter the merchant name

Type the name of the merchant or a description, such as "Grocery Store" or "Monthly Rent." The app suggests merchants you have used before as you type.

Choose a category

Select a category from the list (such as Food, Transportation, Housing, or Entertainment). Categories determine how the transaction is grouped in your budget. You can also create custom categories.

Set the date

The date defaults to today. Tap the date field to change it if you are recording a past transaction.

Select an account

Choose which account this transaction belongs to. If you only have one account, it is selected automatically.

Save the transaction

Tap Save. The transaction appears immediately in your transaction list and is reflected in your budget progress.

Key Details

Field	Required	Notes
Amount	Yes	Positive number. Toggle income/expense switch.
Merchant	Yes	Free text. Autocomplete suggests previous merchants.
Category	Yes	Pick from default or custom categories.
Date	Yes	Defaults to today.
Account	Yes	Auto-selected if you have only one account.
Notes	No	Optional field for additional details.

Tips

Get in the habit of logging cash purchases immediately. Tap the + button, enter the amount and merchant, and save. It takes about 10 seconds once you are familiar with the flow.

If you are tracking spending across multiple accounts (like a checking account and a cash wallet), create a manual "Cash" account so those transactions have a home.

Use consistent merchant names for the same store. This helps Forbidden Finance automatically categorize future transactions and detect recurring patterns.

Manual transactions are not automatically reconciled with bank-imported transactions. If you later connect a bank and the same transaction appears, you may need to delete the manual duplicate to keep your records accurate.