Well for the grocery issue I would use Yonda which I am actually going to use for the cashback at Asda 
Yes. IF …
I can hide/move that pot to the end of the list.
Lock that pot so once the monthly ‘bill covering amount’ is in it, I can’t remove money from it.
But these are the same examples - just within a different context and a different number of times a month. Why is it that remembering to release the £1,200 holiday money is okay but the £47.13 isn’t? (This isn’t a dig I’m just trying to understand the core issue).
IFTTT can achieve this automation for you - a pain to set up but then works like having separate accounts. I think having separate accounts for spending only on petrol or shopping creates more issues than it solves. Wouldn’t having 3/4 cards create an issue in remembering which is which? Isn’t this same issue also the same as “remembering” to move the money out of the designated pot?
1 Like
I am not judging other people, it is my opinion
Until December last year I was close to £100,000 debt, I have always been shocking with money since I was 16 I had money spend before it hit the bank, as of December 2018 after a year my bankruptcy completed and now totally debt free.
The wife works and I am a carer for my boy, we get money weekly, every 28 days and monthly (wifes wages), any bills that do not come out on 01st month get put in to a locked pot and transffered on day due, all money is planned to either go to pots or Marcus (for savings) we live of £80 a week for a family of 4 this is for grocery shopping, that will each week be added to Yonda to get cashback.
2 Likes
I understand re out of sight out of mind, but as the OP said above about going out on the town spending more than planned if that was me, having a seperate account wouldn’t stop me
And Monzo cant stop you from having your money, so it does come down to self control also
1 Like
Why is it that remembering to release the £1,200 holiday money is okay but the £47.13 isn’t? (This isn’t a dig I’m just trying to understand the core issue).
The holiday example occurs once a year, and is probably a reasonably big event (paying for a holiday) that one is comfortably prepared for it with a coffee on the desk, Ryanair.com open and the other half sitting nearby all excited about a holiday.
The grocery example happens multiple times a week. No one wants to faff about updating pots outside the shop, in the rain, or fumbling with receipts in the carpark.
1 Like
The issue I’ve noticed is that you’re using pots for budgets instead of the budgets functionality.
Just set a budget for ‘Groceries’ and all your transactions will categorised automatically, so if you forget milk like in your example, that too will be deducted without you having to do anything.
You can then clearly see how much you have left and you will get nice notifications and such 
OK. Thanks for that. Self control. Answer to all my dreams, right?
Hey, I’m fat. I know how to eat properly but I’m still fat. Just need self control?
My point here is that there are other methods to HELP people. Just saying ‘get some self control’ isn’t really an answer, and not a great attitude if it was coming from a company that is trying to help people be better with money.
But hey. Just my opinion.
1 Like
I think you’re on to something there. The budget tool might be suitable for what I’m describing.
2 Likes
That makes 2 of us then 
I’m fat. I know how to eat properly but I’m still fat.
If I had self control I wouldn’t have needed to go through bankruptcy would I 
I never said “get self control”
1 Like
Literally what you said.
Sorry if this is off topic.
The issue I’ve noticed is that you’re using pots for budgets instead of the budgets functionality.
I do exactly this! I’ve never managed to fully get the concept of when to use pots and when to use summary.
I currently use pots to allocate money for the month, i.e sports fees, groceries, petrol, birthdays. As well as saving up for things like xmas and big purchases. I dont use summary at all, mainly because I dont know how too and cant find any resources on how I should be using it.
Any pointers for how I should be using monzo properly? 
3 Likes
Ok, sorry should have added re the locked pots.
In a way - that is part and parcel of budgeting - Monzo can’t predict whether you have accounted for that spend or not - the best way to do that is to, as @Ordog has said is try to utilise both Pots and the Budget feature - IFTTT can definitely help this as well.
I can see what you’d like to happen - which is a full automation of an “envelope” budgeting system - but I’m not sure that is how Monzo want it to work unfortunately.
I use a bit of both - I erratically save little bits here and there, for holidays, for something due in say 6-12 months time etc - I use pots for this. Then I also use the “budgeting” feature for my “usual” monthly spend.
So for my “budget”:
I know I only want to spend £500 say on groceries, going-out and all other things I can regularly “account” for in a month. So I set my budget to £500 and then set the individual categories for the max I want to spend on them.
Then for my pots/“savings”:
I have set up scheduled payments and bits and pieces like that (these I don’t believe get recorded into your spends on the budget) - so you can manage your “spending” and “saving” slightly separately but together for me it works!
I realise this may make no sense so sorry about that 
1 Like
Personally I’m happy just using pots and a joint account but I can see the arguments for.
Fingers crossed it won’t be too long before DD’s can be assigned to a pot.
Hopefully eventually merchants or categories could be assigned to pot too.
I used to have several accounts to help manage my money and was quite hesitant to switch to Monzo because of this but I have to say the Summary works well enough that I no longer need to have separate accounts anymore. I ignore my current balance in Monzo and go off the Summary “Left to Spend” amount. I always know what money I have left to spend safely without missing my bill payments. Committed spending pots is the feature that’s missing which would prevent spending your bill money by mistake.
Personally I’d prefer the Summary and “Committed spending pots” get some more development time rather than adding multiple personal accounts.
3 Likes
Your grocery issue is what budgets and categories are designed for. All you have to do is check your remaining budget instead of your current balance.
Categories could be improved but the functionality is already there
If you budget for, say £200/month and only spend £180, what happens to the £20 surplus?
If you put that money in a pot or separate account, you’d have an extra £20 to spend the following month (Tesco’s Finest Pizza this week, rather than Tesco Value - what a treat!). If you use the budget tool, you “lose” track of that £20 as the data isn’t rolled over into next month (unless I’m misunderstanding it).
In our joint account we put £400 a month in, £200 for groceries and £200 for petrol
If we only spend £180 on groceries one month we’ll usually increase the next months grocery budget to £220. Alternatively, we might choose to use it elsewhere, treat ourselves to a takeaway or put it in our date nights pot, we decide month by month what to do with any surplus
1 Like