> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/firefly-iii/firefly-iii/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Piggy Banks

> Save money toward specific goals and track your progress

## Overview

Piggy banks help you save money toward specific goals within your existing accounts. Whether saving for a vacation, emergency fund, or new purchase, piggy banks track your progress and motivate you to reach your targets.

## What Are Piggy Banks?

A piggy bank is a savings goal linked to one of your asset accounts:

* **Emergency Fund**: Save \$5,000 in your savings account
* **Vacation Fund**: Set aside \$2,000 for a trip
* **New Laptop**: Save \$1,500 for an upgrade
* **House Down Payment**: Build \$30,000 for a home

<Note>
  Piggy banks don't hold actual money. They track a portion of money already in your accounts that's allocated for a specific purpose.
</Note>

## How Piggy Banks Work

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a Piggy Bank">
    Set up a savings goal with a target amount.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Link to an Account">
    Connect it to an asset account (savings, checking, etc.).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Money">
    Transfer money to the piggy bank as you save.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Track Progress">
    Watch your progress toward the goal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove Money When Needed">
    Take money out when you use it for the goal.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Accordion title="Example: Vacation Piggy Bank">
  1. Create "Summer Vacation" piggy bank with \$2,000 target
  2. Link to your savings account
  3. Add \$200 each month when you get paid
  4. After 10 months, you have \$2,000 saved
  5. Remove the \$2,000 when you book the vacation
  6. Your savings account balance decreases as you spend on vacation
</Accordion>

## Creating a Piggy Bank

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Piggy Banks">
    Go to **Piggy Banks** in the main navigation.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create New Piggy Bank">
    Click **Create New Piggy Bank**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Details">
    Fill in the information:

    * **Name**: Descriptive goal name ("Emergency Fund")
    * **Target Amount**: How much you want to save
    * **Account**: Which asset account holds this savings
    * **Currency**: The currency (usually matches the account)
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Optional Details">
    * **Start Date**: When you begin saving
    * **Target Date**: Deadline for reaching the goal
    * **Notes**: Why you're saving or additional context
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save** to create your piggy bank.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Adding Money to Piggy Banks

To save money toward a goal:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Piggy Bank">
    Click on the piggy bank from the list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Add Money">
    Select **Add Money** or **+**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Amount">
    Type how much you're allocating to this goal.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Save** to record the addition.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Adding money to a piggy bank doesn't create a transaction or move money between accounts. It just tracks that a portion of your account balance is allocated for this goal.
</Warning>

## Removing Money from Piggy Banks

When you use saved money:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Piggy Bank">
    View the piggy bank details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Remove Money">
    Select **Remove Money** or **-**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter Amount">
    Type how much you're using.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Click **Save** to record the removal.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Remove money from the piggy bank when you create the transaction that spends it. This keeps your savings tracking accurate.
</Tip>

## Piggy Bank Dashboard

The piggy banks overview shows:

### Progress Bars

Visual representation of each goal:

* **Green bar**: Current amount saved
* **Percentage**: How close to target (e.g., "65% complete")
* **Remaining**: How much more you need

### Summary

* **Total Saved**: Sum of all piggy bank balances
* **Total Target**: Sum of all goals
* **Left to Save**: Total remaining across all goals

### Individual Piggy Bank Cards

Each piggy bank displays:

* Name and target amount
* Current saved amount
* Progress bar
* Target date (if set)
* Account it's linked to

## Managing Piggy Banks

### Editing Piggy Banks

To modify a piggy bank:

1. Open the piggy bank
2. Click **Edit**
3. Update any fields
4. Save changes

<Note>
  Changing the target amount doesn't affect the current saved amount. Only adding/removing money changes the balance.
</Note>

### Deleting Piggy Banks

To delete a piggy bank:

1. Open the piggy bank details
2. Click **Delete**
3. Confirm deletion

<Warning>
  Deleting a piggy bank removes all savings history. The money remains in your account, but the tracking is lost. Consider marking it inactive instead.
</Warning>

### Active vs. Inactive

* **Active piggy banks**: Show on dashboard and in lists
* **Inactive piggy banks**: Hidden but preserve history

Use inactive status for:

* Completed goals you want to track historically
* Temporarily paused savings goals
* Goals you might resume later

## Piggy Bank Strategies

### The Emergency Fund

Build financial security:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set Target">
    Aim for 3-6 months of expenses (e.g., \$10,000).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Regular Contributions">
    Add money each payday automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Don't Remove Unless Emergency">
    Keep this money untouched for real emergencies.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Multiple Small Goals

Save for several things at once:

* Vacation: \$2,000
* New Laptop: \$1,500
* Holiday Gifts: \$1,000

Contribute to each based on priority and timeline.

### Savings Categories

Create piggy banks for different purposes:

* **Short-term** (\< 1 year): Vacation, gifts, repairs
* **Medium-term** (1-5 years): Car down payment, home improvement
* **Long-term** (5+ years): House down payment, retirement travel

## Best Practices

<Accordion title="Set Realistic Goals">
  Make targets achievable based on your income and expenses. Overly ambitious goals lead to frustration. Start smaller and increase as you succeed.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Use Target Dates Wisely">
  Set deadlines for goals with specific timing:

  * Summer vacation: Need money by June
  * Holiday gifts: Target by December 1
  * Tax payment: Due April 15

  No deadline needed for open-ended goals like emergency funds.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Keep Piggy Banks in Separate Savings Accounts">
  Link piggy banks to savings accounts, not your main checking account. This:

  * Reduces temptation to spend
  * Earns interest on savings
  * Provides clearer separation
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Automate Contributions">
  Set up recurring transfers:

  1. Create automatic transfer to savings account
  2. Manually add to piggy bank(s) each payday
  3. Or use rules to auto-update piggy banks
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Review Progress Monthly">
  Check your piggy banks each month:

  * Are you on track?
  * Do targets need adjusting?
  * Should you increase contributions?
</Accordion>

## Piggy Bank Events

Firefly III tracks every change to piggy banks:

### Event History

View all additions and removals:

* Date of change
* Amount added/removed
* New total
* Associated transaction (if any)

### Why Track Events?

* Understand your savings patterns
* See when you dipped into goals
* Verify contributions are happening
* Audit your progress

## Multiple Accounts

Spread one piggy bank across multiple accounts:

<Accordion title="Example: Emergency fund in two accounts">
  You want a \$10,000 emergency fund split between:

  * \$5,000 in high-yield savings
  * \$5,000 in money market account

  Create two piggy banks:

  * "Emergency Fund - Savings" with \$5,000 target
  * "Emergency Fund - Money Market" with \$5,000 target

  Track them separately but think of them as one goal.
</Accordion>

## Piggy Banks and Budgets

Piggy banks and budgets work together:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Piggy Banks" icon="piggy-bank">
    **For saving**

    * Accumulating toward goals
    * Tracking progress
    * Medium to long-term
  </Card>

  <Card title="Budgets" icon="wallet">
    **For spending**

    * Limiting expenses
    * Controlling cash flow
    * Current period focus
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Tip>
  Create a budget for "Savings" and assign savings transfers to it. This ensures you're budgeting for saving, not just spending.
</Tip>

## Reaching Your Goal

When you hit your target:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Celebrate">
    Acknowledge the achievement!
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the Money">
    Create transactions for the goal's purpose.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove from Piggy Bank">
    Take money out as you spend it.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Mark Complete">
    Either delete the piggy bank or mark it inactive.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start New Goal">
    Create a new piggy bank for your next objective.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common Use Cases

### Vacation Savings

* **Target**: Trip cost estimate
* **Timeline**: Travel date
* **Contribution**: Monthly until trip
* **Completion**: Remove money as you book and travel

### Emergency Fund

* **Target**: 3-6 months expenses
* **Timeline**: Open-ended (build over time)
* **Contribution**: Regular deposits
* **Completion**: Never "complete" - maintain this balance

### Large Purchase

* **Target**: Item cost
* **Timeline**: When you need/want it
* **Contribution**: Aggressive saving
* **Completion**: Remove all when making purchase

### Sinking Fund

* **Target**: Annual/irregular expense (insurance, taxes)
* **Timeline**: Due date
* **Contribution**: Divide total by months until due
* **Completion**: Remove when paying expense

## Troubleshooting

<Accordion title="Piggy bank balance seems wrong">
  Check:

  * Review event history for unexpected changes
  * Verify you removed money when spending it
  * Confirm you added money for each contribution
  * Look for duplicate additions
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Can't add more money than account balance">
  Remember: Piggy banks track money already in your account. If your savings account has $1,000, you can't allocate $1,500 to piggy banks linked to that account. Transfer more money to the account first.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Progress not showing correctly">
  Possible issues:

  * Target amount changed without adjusting saved amount
  * Currency mismatch between piggy bank and account
  * Browser cache (try refreshing)
</Accordion>

## Advanced Features

### Piggy Bank Order

Customize display order:

1. Go to piggy banks page
2. Drag and drop to reorder
3. Put priorities at the top

### Notes and Attachments

Add context to goals:

* Write detailed notes about the goal
* Attach inspirational images
* Link to product pages or trip planning

### Object Groups

Organize related piggy banks:

* Group all vacation funds
* Combine home improvement goals
* Organize by timeline or category

## Related Features

* [Accounts](/features/accounts) - Piggy banks live in asset accounts
* [Transactions](/features/transactions) - Create transfers to fund piggy banks
* [Recurring Transactions](/features/recurring-transactions) - Automate regular contributions
* [Budgets](/features/budgets) - Budget for saving toward goals