Aspire Budgeting

Spending Reports

Published on June 7, 2026

The Spending Report gives you a visual breakdown of your outflows by category and group. It answers the most basic budgeting question: where did my money actually go?

What you’ll see

When you open the Spending Report in the Aspire Budgeting add-on, you get two views:

  • Totals — a pie chart showing your spending as a percentage of your overall outflows for the selected period.
  • Trends — a bar graph showing your spending month-by-month so you can spot changes over time.

Toggle between them using the view selector at the top of the report.

Filtering your data

Every report supports three filters:

  • Date range — choose a preset (This Month, Last 3 Months, This Year, Last Year) or enter custom start and end dates.
  • Categories — select specific category groups or individual categories to isolate. Use “Select All” to reset or “Select None” to start from scratch.
  • Accounts — toggle individual accounts on or off, or filter by all budget accounts vs. tracking accounts.

Filters are applied instantly and persist across the Totals and Trends views until you change them.

Totals view (pie chart)

The Totals view shows a color-coded pie chart. Each slice represents a category group’s share of your total spending.

  • Hover over a slice to see the dollar amount and percentage.
  • Click a slice (or its label in the legend) to drill down into that group’s individual categories.
  • Inside a group, click an individual category to see every transaction tied to it.
  • Use the breadcrumb at the top to navigate back up.

On the right side, you’ll see:

  • The total amount spent in the selected period
  • The monthly average
  • A breakdown of the selected categories

The Trends view shows a stacked bar chart, one bar per month, with the same color coding as the Totals view.

  • Each bar segment represents a category group.
  • Hover over a segment to see that group’s total and percentage for the month.
  • Click a segment to drill into subcategories for that group.
  • A trendline across the top shows your overall spending direction.

This is where you catch lifestyle creep — if the bars are getting taller month after month, you know expenses are climbing.

Practical uses

  • Monthly check-in — at the end of each month, open the Spending Report to confirm your biggest spending areas match your priorities.
  • Category deep-dive — filter to a single category (e.g., Dining Out) and switch to Trends to see if you’re spending more than last month.
  • Partner conversations — share the pie chart view during budget meetings to get on the same page about where the household money is going.
  • Seasonal patterns — use a 12-month date range to spot seasonal spikes (holiday spending, back-to-school, etc.).

Tips

  • The Spending Report only shows outflows. Income appears in the Income vs. Expense report.
  • If a category shows $0, it means there were no outflow transactions in that category for the selected period — not that you didn’t budget for it.
  • Combine this with the Trend Report for deeper historical analysis across specific categories.