Lunch Money starter template

Basic budget categories for beginners

From Lunch Money, offered when you set up categories

One of the starter sets Lunch Money offers during onboarding. It is a flat list of everyday categories, from groceries and restaurants to pets and travel, with no groups to keep in order.

  • 19 categories
  • Simple (under 40)
Try it free in Lunch Money How to import categories

All 19 categories in Basic Essentials

Spending categories

  • Alcohol, Bars
  • Childcare
  • Bank Fees
  • Coffee Shops
  • Entertainment
  • Gas
  • Ridesharing
  • Gifts
  • Groceries
  • Food Delivery
  • Home, Auto
  • Personal Care
  • Pets
  • Restaurants
  • Self-improvement
  • Shopping
  • Travel

Income categories

  • Income Income

Transfers and excluded categories

  • Payment, Transfer Excluded from budget Excluded from totals

How to use this template in Lunch Money

Click Copy entire setup at the top of this page, then paste it into Lunch Money as a preset. See the import steps.

Want only part of it? Mix and match categories in the library to build your own template.

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How to import categories to Lunch Money

  1. Open preset categories. On the Categories page, click the arrow next to Add new category and choose Add preset categories. Add new category menu with Add preset categories selected
  2. Paste your custom setup. In the side panel, select Custom (Advanced) and paste the category list. Use a dash in front of subcategory names.
  3. Review and create. Check the preview for errors, then click Create.
Still have questions? Read the full guide →
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