📚 Help & Documentation

🚀 Getting Started

1. Sign in with Google

Click the "Sign in with Google" button on the home page. Basic sign-in only requires your email for authentication.

2. Your First Upload

Upload your first bank statement PDF. The app will automatically extract and categorize your transactions using AI.

3. Review Your Transactions

Check the categorization and make any adjustments needed before exporting.

4. Export Your Budget

Choose how you want to save your budget:

• Export to Excel File: Download a complete budget file to your device
• Export to Google Sheets: Create a budget spreadsheet in your Google Drive for ongoing tracking and more features

📄 How to Upload Bank Statements

Step 1: Download Your Statement

Log in to your online banking and download your monthly statement as a PDF.

Step 2: Go to Upload Page

Click "Upload Statement" from your Dashboard or navigation menu.

Step 3: Upload Your PDF

1. Click "Choose File" and select your PDF statement
2. The app will automatically detect your bank type (Scotiabank Bahamas, CIBC FirstCaribbean, RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas), Commonwealth Bank, or Fidelity Bank (Bahamas))
3. Click "Upload and Extract"
4. Wait while the app processes your statement

Supported Banks

• Scotiabank Bahamas: Electronic Access Account, Electronic Access Digital, Primary Savings Account, and Credit Card statements
• CIBC FirstCaribbean: Chequing Account & Credit Card statements
• RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas): Day to Day Savings Account statement
• Commonwealth Bank: Bahamas Savings Account statement
• Fidelity Bank (Bahamas): Regular Savings Account statement (IC-Banking)

✏️ How to Review & Categorize Transactions

Understanding the Review Page

After uploading, you'll be redirected to the Review page where you can see all extracted transactions.

Transaction Details

Each transaction shows:

• Date: Transaction date
• Description: Merchant or transaction description
• Amount: Transaction amount
• Category: Auto-assigned category (editable)
• Confidence: How confident the system is about the category

Reviewing Categories

1. Check yellow-highlighted items: These need your review (confidence below 70%)
2. Edit categories: Click the dropdown to change any category
3. Confirm or adjust: Review auto-assigned categories
4. Export: Click "Export to Excel File" or "Export to Google Sheets"

Bulk Category Assignment

Need to categorize multiple similar transactions? You have two options:

• Smart Detection: When you change a transaction's category, the app automatically finds similar transactions (same merchant/description) and offers to apply the same category to all of them
• Manual Selection: Use the checkboxes on the left to select multiple transactions, then use the floating action bar at the bottom to assign a category to all selected items at once

Customizing Your Categories

You can personalize the 17 built-in categories to match your preferences. Go to Settings → Category Names & Visibility to:

• Rename categories: Change "Eating Out" to "Restaurants" or "Entertainment" to "Fun Money" - your custom names appear everywhere
• Hide unused categories: Uncheck categories you don't need (like Childcare or Pets) to remove them from dropdown menus and Summary sheets

Built-in Categories

• Income: Payroll, Direct Deposit, Refunds
• Housing & Utilities: Rent/Mortgage, Utilities
• Transportation: Rubis, Esso, Shell, Nassau Garages, Whim Automotive, etc.
• Food & Dining: Grocery, Eating Out
• Personal & Health: Healthcare, Insurance
• Entertainment: Fusion Superplex, Galleria Cinemas, etc.
• Subscriptions: Netflix, Spotify, Ring, etc.
• Credit Card/Loan Payments
• Other: Uncategorized transactions
• Savings & Investments: Investment firms (Colina, Royal Fidelity, CFAL), Retirement contributions

📤 Export Options: Excel vs Google Sheets

After reviewing your transactions, you have two ways to save your budget. Both are included at no extra cost - choose based on your preference!

Which Should I Choose?

📧 Setting Up Email Auto-Import

What is Email Auto-Import?

Email Auto-Import monitors your Gmail for bank transaction alerts and automatically imports them to your budget spreadsheet in real-time. Perfect for tracking transactions between monthly statements!

Setup Steps

1. Upload at least one statement (to create your spreadsheet)
2. Go to Dashboard and click "Setup Email Auto-Import"
3. Follow the 6-step wizard:
   • Read the feature explanation
   • Copy your spreadsheet ID
   • Open script.google.com and create a new project
   • Copy and paste the monitoring script
   • Name your project and save
   • Run the "setupTrigger" function and authorize
4. Click "Enable Email Auto-Import" in the app

How It Works

• The script checks your Gmail every 5 minutes
• It looks for emails from your bank (Scotiabank Bahamas or CIBC FirstCaribbean)
• Extracts transaction details and adds to "Live Transactions" sheets
• Your spreadsheet shows both Statement transactions (from PDFs) and Live transactions (from emails)

🔧 Troubleshooting

Authentication Failed?

Problem: Authentication error during sign-in

Solution: This usually happens when not all permissions were approved during sign-in. Log out, then log back in. When Google shows the permission request, make sure to check ALL the boxes (or click "Select All") to grant the required access.

PDF Upload Issues

Problem: "Unable to detect bank type"

Solution: Make sure you're uploading an official statement PDF from Scotiabank Bahamas, CIBC FirstCaribbean, RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas), Commonwealth Bank, or Fidelity Bank (Bahamas). Screenshots or scanned images won't work.

Problem: "No transactions found"

Solution: The PDF might be encrypted or password-protected. Try downloading it again from your bank's website.

Email Auto-Import Issues

Problem: Emails not being imported

Solutions:

• Check that emails are unread (script only processes unread emails)
• Verify the trigger is still active in Apps Script (Triggers sidebar)
• Check your Apps Script execution log for error messages

Problem: Wrong amounts or merchants

Solution: The email format may have changed. Forward an example email to support and we'll update the script.

Google Sheets Issues

Problem: Formulas showing #REF! error

Solution: Close and reopen the spreadsheet. If the issue persists, re-upload your statement to regenerate the sheets.

Problem: Can't find my spreadsheet

Solution: Search your Google Drive for "[Year] - 3 Bucket Budget" (e.g., "2025 - 3 Bucket Budget"). It's created in your Drive root folder.

Still Having Issues?

Use the Feedback form to contact support.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is my financial data secure?

Yes! Transaction data is temporarily stored during review (30 min max), then permanently deleted after you export (to Excel or Google Sheets). You can delete it anytime using the "Clear All" button. If you use Google Sheets, your budget stays in YOUR Google Drive, and email monitoring runs entirely in YOUR Google account.

Can I upload multiple statements at once?

Yes! You can upload multiple statements (up to 6 at a time), review and categorize them all, then export everything with one click. Use the sidebar on the Review page to switch between different uploads.

What happens if I upload the same statement twice?

The app detects duplicates and replaces the existing data for that month. You won't get double transactions.

Can I edit transactions after they're in my spreadsheet?

Yes! Your spreadsheet is yours to edit however you like. You can change categories, amounts, add notes, etc.

How accurate is the auto-categorization?

For PDF uploads: ~90-95% accuracy (with learning system). For email auto-import: ~80-90% accuracy. The system learns from your corrections to improve over time!

Can I use this with other banks?

Currently, Scotiabank Bahamas, CIBC FirstCaribbean, RBC Royal Bank (Bahamas), Commonwealth Bank, and Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) are supported. More banks may be added in the future based on user demand.

What if my bank changes their email format?

Forward us an example email using the feedback form, and we'll update the monitoring script to support the new format.

Can I export my data?

Yes! You have two export options: Export to Excel File downloads a complete budget file directly to your device, or Export to Google Sheets creates a spreadsheet in your Google Drive. See the Export Options section for details on each.

What if I move or rename my budget spreadsheet in Google Drive?

No problem! Feel free to organize your budget file anywhere in your Drive - move it to any folder, rename it, or nest it in subfolders. We track your spreadsheet by its unique ID, not its location, so we'll always find and update it correctly. Your Drive, your organization!

Is there a mobile app?

Not yet, but this web app is fully responsive and works great on mobile browsers!

How much does it cost?

3 Bucket Budget is $5/month with a 1-month free trial. You can cancel anytime from your Gumroad account.

Can I categorize multiple transactions at once?

Yes! There are two ways to bulk-assign categories:

• Smart Detection: When you change a category, the app detects similar transactions and offers to apply the same category to all matches
• Manual Selection: Use the checkboxes to select multiple transactions, then use the floating action bar to assign a category to all selected items

Can I hide categories I don't use?

Yes! Go to Settings → Category Names & Visibility and uncheck any categories you don't need (like Childcare or Pets). Hidden categories won't appear in the dropdown menus on the Review page or in your Summary sheets.

Can I rename categories to match my preferences?

Yes! In Settings → Category Names & Visibility, you can customize the display name for any of the 17 built-in categories. For example, rename "Eating Out" to "Restaurants" or "Entertainment" to "Fun Money". Your custom names appear everywhere - in the app and in your exported files.