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Setting Up MoniMata: A Step-by-Step Guide

Everything you need to set up MoniMata from scratch — creating budgets, connecting your bank via Mono, configuring Pidgin nudges, paying bills, and tracking savings goals.

K
Kaosi Anikwe
Creator
·

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • An Android phone running Android 8.0+
  • MoniMata APK installed from GitHub releases
  • A Nigerian bank account (for sync — optional)

Step 1: Create Your First Budget

Open MoniMata and tap "New Budget". Enter your expected income for the month.

If you get paid bi-weekly, enter the combined total for the month. You can adjust mid-month if the amount changes.

Choosing Categories

MoniMata comes with default categories, but you can customise them. Here are the recommended ones:

  1. Rent / Housing
  1. Food & Groceries
  1. Transport
  1. Utilities (electricity, water, internet)
  1. Savings & Investments
  1. Entertainment

Auto-Assign Strategies

MoniMata supports 5 auto-assign strategies to speed up budgeting:

  • Last month's budget — copies your previous assignments
  • Average — uses the average of the last 3 months
  • Proportional — splits income by your custom ratios
  • Savings first — assigns savings goals before spending
  • Manual — you assign everything yourself

Step 2: Connect Your Bank

Navigate to Settings → Bank Sync and tap Connect with Mono. Follow the prompts to link your account. Read the Mono privacy policy for details.

Bank sync uses read-only access. MoniMata can see transactions but cannot move money or make payments from your bank account.

Step 3: Configure Notifications

Pidgin nudges are configured via a simple JSON-like settings object:

nudge-config.jsonjson
{
  "nudges": {
    "enabled": true,
    "language": "pidgin",
    "frequency": "daily",
    "time": "09:00",
    "examples": [
      "Oga, you never budget today o!",
      "Your food money don almost finish — ₦1,200 remain.",
      "Congrats! You don save ₦5,000 this week. Keep am up!"
    ]
  }
}
You can switch between Pidgin and English nudges at any time from Settings → Notifications.

Step 4: Pay Bills Directly

MoniMata integrates with Interswitch for bill payments. Supported billers include:

  • Airtime — MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9Mobile
  • Data bundles — all major networks
  • Electricity — IKEDC, EKEDC, IBEDC, and more
  • Cable TV — DStv, GOtv, Startimes

Testing Bill Payments (Dev Mode)

bash
# Enable dev mode for test payments
export MONIMATA_ENV=sandbox
monimata bills pay --biller=airtime --amount=100 --phone=08012345678
The best budget is the one you actually follow. Start simple, adjust as you go.

Step 5: Track Your Savings Goals

Create unlimited savings goals — emergency fund, japa fund, new phone, wedding, anything. MoniMata tracks your progress with visual indicators.

Savings Goal Tips

  1. Set realistic timelines
  1. Enable auto-deduct from budget surplus
  1. Review and adjust quarterly

Video Walkthrough

Full guide: Setting up MoniMata from scratch
This guide is based on MoniMata v1.0. Features may vary in future releases.

Next Steps

You're all set! Explore the app, customise your categories, and start giving every kobo a job. If you run into any issues, check the FAQs or reach out on GitHub.