The Guided Walkthrough
The walkthrough is the app's built-in setup. Instead of dropping you into the full Budget Builder, it takes you through the same sections one screen at a time, with a short explanation of what each one is for. The sections are the Builder's own, so what you enter here is exactly what you'd enter there.
It starts on its own right after you create your account in the app. To run it again later, go to Settings → Walkthrough. It's worth doing once even if you're comfortable with budgeting apps, because it's where the paycheck model is easiest to see.
The four steps
The walkthrough follows the same order as the Builder itself, with a Step 1 of 4 counter at the top and a Next button that names where it's going — Finish on the last step.
1. Income
Each income source with its paycheck amount, how often you're paid, and when your next payday falls. This last one matters more than it looks — the entire plan is laid out on your pay schedule, so the next payday is the anchor date for everything that follows.
You'll also enter your Current Savings here. That's your starting balance, not a goal. If you want one, there's a separate Emergency Fund Goal? option.
2. Housing
Rent or mortgage, plus the fixed bills that travel with it — utilities and property taxes, and also things like subscriptions, insurance, and childcare. Housing gets its own step because it's usually the largest part of a budget, and because these are the costs the plan treats as fixed.
3. Expenses
Everything that doesn't have to be the same every month — groceries, gas, weekend money. These are the costs the app may trim when a plan needs room.
4. Debt
Every balance you're paying down, with its payment, when it's due, and its interest rate. If you have no debts, leave it empty and tap Finish. If you do, it's the step that does the most work in the final plan, so accuracy matters here more than anywhere.
Plan limits during setup
The free plan's limits apply in the walkthrough too: one income source, rent plus five housing bills, two expenses, and two debts, with bills set to Monthly. If you hit a limit, the app tells you and offers an upgrade. See What's Included with Thrive.
Finishing
The last screen, That's It!, asks for a Budget Name — the one thing the Builder needs that the steps did not — and has a Review Your Budget button. It opens the full Budget Builder with everything you entered, so you can look it over before you tap Calculate. Anything wrong is easier to fix now than after you've built.
The first time the Builder opens, a short tour points out the parts of the screen — the four sections, the running total of what you have left, how to add and delete rows, and the Calculate button. Skipping it offers Just this one or Skip all; if you turn tips off, Settings → Tips turns them back on.
From there the app builds your plans. See Understanding Your Results for how to read them.
Skipping it
The walkthrough isn't mandatory. Each step has a Skip setup option if you'd rather go straight to the app, and a Go to calculators option if you'd rather start by pricing out something you're considering — a car, a house, a refinance. Several calculators have an Add To Budget button that sends the result into your Builder. See Calculators Overview.
Nothing you enter through the walkthrough is treated differently from what you'd enter directly in the Builder. If you'd rather work in the full Builder screen, go straight to Creating Your First Budget.