Alluvium · GuideA monthly money review works best when it has a finish line. Four checks give you one: every transaction has a category, both of you have seen every transaction, no part of the plan is overspent, and you both agree the month is right. Most couples can do it in about 30 minutes once the habit is set.
Before you sit down
- Pick a fixed slot. The first weekend after payday is common. A recurring calendar event beats remembering.
- Agree what the meeting is for. It is for checking the plan, not for re-arguing individual purchases.
- Give each person a no-questions amount. A small personal allowance that neither of you has to explain removes most friction before it starts.
The four checks
Everything has a category
No unlabeled transactions left for the month.
If not: Label them together; add a rule for repeat payees.
Everything is reviewed
Each of you has looked at the month's transactions.
If not: Skim the unreviewed list; flag anything surprising to discuss.
Nothing is overspent
Every budget line is at or under its plan.
If not: Decide where the money comes from, then move it.
Both agree
Each person signs off on this version of the month.
If not: Talk through what is blocking one of you.
The order matters. Labeling first makes the review faster. Reviewing before fixing overspending means you find duplicate charges or refunds before you move money to cover them.
Check 3 is the real conversation
Overspending is where most money arguments start, so give it a script. Name the line, name the amount, then choose one of three answers: move money from another line this month, accept it and plan differently next month, or find out if a charge was a mistake.
For example: "Dining is $62 over. We can move it from Fun money, or cut dining next month." Neither answer is a judgment of whoever paid the bill.
When a late charge shows up
A refund that posts on the 3rd or a card payment that lands after you have signed off can change a closed month. Treat the sign-off as applying to the month as it stood. If anything material changes, run the four checks again for the affected items; it usually takes two minutes.
Look ahead for five minutes
Before you finish, scan next month for anything irregular: annual renewals, birthdays, a car registration, a trip. Adjust next month's plan now, while you are both in the same place.
How Alluvium handles the review
In Alluvium, the Plan tab's Month end section has a Close row for each month showing how many of the four checks are done. The checks are the four above: everything has a category, everything is reviewed, no bucket is overdrawn, and approved.
An overdrawn bucket blocks approval, with a button to raise that bucket. Each member approves separately, and the approval refers to that exact version of the month. If a later change touches the plan, or a transaction's amount, date, category, bucket or splits, earlier approvals show as "Approved an earlier version" until you approve again.
Apollo shares money and meals with one partner; notes stay private unless you share one, and training is private. Sharing is an account permission, not end-to-end encryption.
Alluvium is $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year, or part of Apollo Suite at $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year. Prices are USD, checked October 3, 2026.