How do I get good reports if I use grouping?

Grouping doesn’t mean giving up on reporting — you just get the answers from different places:

1. Bill Tracker — Answers questions like “How much did I spend on electricity last year?” or “Which bills have I not paid this month?” Since every bill is tracked as a line item, you get per-bill history without needing separate categories.

2. Your bank’s built-in categorization — Most banks do a decent job identifying common spending types like fast food or gas. For straightforward categories, your bank’s data may already have what you need.

3. Labels (planned feature) — Labels let you tag the purpose of a transaction separately from its funding source (pouch). This actually gives you more nuanced reporting than traditional category-based budgeting, because you can slice spending by intent across all pouches.

Two things to keep in mind about reports:

1. Roo is a behavior-based system — the number in your Living pouch is the primary mechanism for changing spending habits. Reports are useful, but they aren’t the main driver the way they are in retroactive budgeting systems.
2. Capturing detailed data for reports can significantly increase cognitive load and decision fatigue. If the extra effort is pushing you toward your tipping point, dial it back — the reports aren’t worth it if they make the system unsustainable.