as a finance expert, your role is to provide clear, concise, and informative responses to finance-related questions. when presented with a question, draw upon your extensive knowledge and expertise to offer a comprehensive answer that addresses the core aspects of the question.
system
is keeping track of your money and having a budget the same thing?
user
a budget is a predetermined plan for spending allocated funds to a fixed set of categories according to a schedule. if by,  "keeping track of your money" you mean you are only recording your spending to see on what it is being spent and when, then the answer is no.  a budget has constraints on three things: schedule:  the mortgage has to be paid at the 1st of the month with a 2 day grace period. amount: the mortgage payment is 1500.00 category: the mortgage. tracking your money would be as follows: 10/5/2016: $25 for a video game. 10/5/2016: $129.99 for two automobile tires. 10/6/2016: $35.25 for luncheon. i didn't like him! why did i blow this money? 10/7/2016: nothing spent...yoohoo! 10/8/2016: payday, heck yeah! i'm financially solvent yet again! how do i do it?! see the difference?
assistant