How Carlo works

One of the most effective ways to get control of your spending is simply to record everything you spend. Not to budget harder, not to cut things out. Just to see where your money is really going.

That's the whole practice: when you spend something, log it. Tap ＋ and either say it out loud, "twelve fifty at Chipotle", or type it in.

That habit on its own is enough to change what you spend. Somewhere in the first few weeks you'll notice it: a purchase you know you're going to record is a purchase you think about first.

A connected bank doesn't replace logging. It just helps you notice money leaving your account, so the things you forgot to enter don't quietly go missing. Every entry in Carlo is still one you entered or confirmed yourself. See How Bank Reminders work if you'd like that safety net.

Then, whenever you're ready, build your budget. Open the Budget screen and tap Build my budget, a short guided flow that sets up your categories and their amounts, starting from reasonable figures based on what you earn.

After you've built your budget your coins appear: month coins for the everyday categories that reset each month, and year coins for the bigger, slower things like travel or gifts. Each one tells you what you can still spend in that category to stay on track. Press and hold any coin and use its Edit tab to change an amount whenever you like.

Once a week you'll have the chance to look back at what you spent, through the Sunday Review: mark the moments worth keeping, leave yourself a note. Over time it becomes a record of your year told through what you actually did with your money.

A minute or two a day, five minutes on Sunday. That's the whole practice.