The Category Lifecycle

Preserving financial history while maintaining future clarity.

Hibernation: The "Legacy Hobby"

Traditional apps let you delete categories, but that creates "data orphans" in your history. In this system, we use Hibernation.

Think of an expensive hobby you had three years ago—say, Kite Surfing. You don't do it anymore, so you don't want it cluttering your 2026 budget. However, your 2023 reports still need to show where that money went.

Archival Rule

  • Hibernated:Hidden from current "Available" lists. Preservation mode.
  • Active:Visible and ready to be applied to any month.

Monthly Configuration

1. Applied

Categories currently active in the UI for the month. They have a specific sort order and budget logic.

2. Available

Globally active categories that are NOT used this month. They stay "on the shelf" until you need them.

3. Removed

If removed, transactions move to a "Rescue Boat" (Uncategorized) to ensure the month still balances.