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The Rakama blog

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Clear, practical guides for tracking expenses, building better budgets, and making progress toward the things that matter.

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Most readExpense tracking7 min read

How to Track Expenses on Your Phone (Without Giving Up in Week Two)

Read the guide
the budget you set
Budgeting8 min read

Budgeting When Your Currency Is Losing Value

50two halves
Personal finance tools7 min read

How to Track Two Currencies Without Converting

30held in foreign currency
Financial health7 min read

Should You Convert Your Savings to Dollars?

the fee you were toldfee · spread · other
Financial health6 min read

What a Remittance Actually Costs

22saved this month
Financial health7 min read

What Your Savings Rate Actually Tells You

before costsfour rates
Budgeting6 min read

Which Exchange Rate Should Your Budget Use?

actually received
Budgeting8 min read

Budgeting for Freelancers Who Invoice Monthly

rate at start
Budgeting10 min read

Earning in One Currency, Spending in Another

45of target
Financial health7 min read

How Many Months of Expenses Should a Variable Income Hold?

a month of costswhen it lands
Budgeting7 min read

How to Budget When You Are Paid Late

the floor
Budgeting6 min read

What Is an Income Floor?

72buffer refilled
Budgeting7 min read

What to Do With a Good Month

the floor
Budgeting11 min read

Budgeting on an Irregular Income

still fundedsix envelopes
Budgeting7 min read

Cash Envelopes in a Digital Budget

5minutes a week
Expense tracking6 min read

How to Do a Cash Count in Five Minutes a Week

25your share
Shared living6 min read

Paying Cash When Everyone Else Uses Cards

people still logging
Expense tracking6 min read

Should You Record Every Small Cash Purchase?

a gap you would noticethe gap grows
Expense tracking7 min read

Why Your Cash Balance Never Matches the App

cash on hand
Budgeting10 min read

Budgeting With Cash When Your App Assumes Cards

your stakethen it resets
Expense tracking7 min read

Is a Committee Contribution an Expense?

INTEREST
Expense tracking7 min read

Is a Loan Repayment an Expense?

refunded
Expense tracking5 min read

Is a Refund Income, or Negative Spending?

60how much comes back?
Expense tracking6 min read

Is a Refundable Deposit an Expense?

EVERY MONTH
Expense tracking6 min read

Is Money Sent to Your Parents an Expense?

wallet
Expense tracking9 min read

How to Track Cash Without Counting Your ATM Withdrawals Twice

1who owns the other end?
Expense tracking6 min read

Is a Bank Transfer an Expense?

settled
Expense tracking7 min read

Is Paying Off a Credit Card an Expense?

REAL SPENDINGcounted twice
Expense tracking6 min read

Is an ATM Withdrawal an Expense?

LOAN / GIFT / UNCERTAIN
Expense tracking7 min read

Is Money Lent to a Friend an Expense?

unchanged
Expense tracking6 min read

Is Moving Money Between Your Own Accounts an Expense?

ACTUALLY SPENT
Expense tracking9 min read

What Actually Counts as an Expense?

Rakama bill split showing each person’s itemised share and paid statusRakama bill split showing each person’s itemised share and paid status
Rakama how-to7 min read

How to Split a Bill in Rakama

Rakama split showing shared house expenses divided between four peopleRakama split showing shared house expenses divided between four people
Shared living8 min read

How to Split Rent and Bills With Roommates Without the Monthly Argument

Rakama budgets screen with one category over its limit and others running hotRakama budgets screen with one category over its limit and others running hot
Budgeting7 min read

What to Do When You Go Over Budget

Rakama financial health report showing a score of 82 and a savings rate of 48.8%Rakama financial health report showing a score of 82 and a savings rate of 48.8%
Financial health6 min read

What Is a Financial Health Score, and Should You Care About Yours?

Rakama reports showing spending by month and the trend across the yearRakama reports showing spending by month and the trend across the year
Expense tracking8 min read

How to Track Monthly Expenses: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Rakama budgets screen with a monthly limit being set for a categoryRakama budgets screen with a monthly limit being set for a category
Budgeting7 min read

How to Create a Monthly Budget That Actually Works

Rakama dashboard showing income, expenses, budgets, and financial healthRakama dashboard showing income, expenses, budgets, and financial health
Personal finance tools6 min read

Rakama vs Excel: Which Is Better for Managing Your Budget?

Rakama finance dashboard showing categorized spending and recent transactionsRakama finance dashboard showing categorized spending and recent transactions
Rakama how-to5 min read

How to Add a Transaction in Rakama

Rakama dashboard with budget status and spending breakdownRakama dashboard with budget status and spending breakdown
Rakama how-to6 min read

How to Create a Budget in Rakama

Rakama mobile dashboard showing savings rate, budget left, and goalsRakama mobile dashboard showing savings rate, budget left, and goals
Rakama how-to5 min read

How to Set a Savings Goal in Rakama

Rakama settings screen with appearance, formatting, notifications, and save controlsRakama settings screen with appearance, formatting, notifications, and save controls
Rakama how-to7 min read

How to Import and Export Your Financial Data

Rakama reports showing spending pace and where a category has run overRakama reports showing spending pace and where a category has run over
Rakama how-to7 min read

How to Use Rakama Reports to Find Overspending

Find your answer

What are you trying to do?

Add a transaction Create a budget Set a savings goal Split a bill Import or export data Understand your reports

Start with your own numbers

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