How to Plan Your Family Budget Privately with an ENGINYRING VPS and Firefly III

Keeping your family finances organized can be challenging, especially when relying on spreadsheets or budgeting apps that sell or misuse your personal data. In this comprehensive 2,000-word tutorial, you'll learn step-by-step how to set up a secure, private, and multi-user family budgeting system using an ENGINYRING Virtual Private Server (VPS) combined with Firefly III, a powerful, open-source financial management tool.

Why Choose a VPS and Firefly III?

Traditional budgeting methods, such as Excel spreadsheets or proprietary mobile apps, lack privacy, security, and multi-user flexibility. A VPS hosted by ENGINYRING ensures your budgeting software is always available, fully private, and secure from third-party access. Combining a VPS with Firefly III gives you total control over your financial data without sacrificing usability or convenience.

• Complete Privacy: Your data remains secure on your own VPS.
• Multi-User Access: Family members can manage budgets together.
• No Ads or Tracking: Your information is never shared or monetized.
• Full Customization: Tailor the budgeting experience to your family's specific needs.

Step 1: Setting Up Your ENGINYRING VPS

First, sign up for a VPS plan on the ENGINYRING website:

• Choose the appropriate plan based on your family’s needs. A standard plan is usually sufficient.
• Select Ubuntu as your operating system.
• Once your server is active, connect via SSH using your provided credentials.
• Perform initial updates:
  

  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

  
  

Step 2: Installing Docker and Docker Compose

Docker simplifies the installation and management of Firefly III:

• Install Docker and Docker Compose:
  

  sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose -y

  
  
• Add your user to the Docker group for convenience:
  

  sudo usermod -aG docker ${USER}

  
  
• Log out and back in to apply the changes.

Step 3: Installing Firefly III via Docker

With Docker installed, you can now easily deploy Firefly III:

• Clone the official Docker repository:
  

  git clone https://github.com/firefly-iii/docker-firefly-iii.git
  cd docker-firefly-iii

  
  
• Copy and edit the environment configuration file:
  

  cp .env.example .env
  nano .env

  
  
• In the .env file, set your application URL and database settings. Example:
  

  APP_URL=http://YOUR_VPS_IP:8080
  DB_CONNECTION=mysql
  DB_HOST=firefly_iii_db
  DB_PORT=3306
  DB_DATABASE=firefly
  DB_USERNAME=firefly
  DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_password

  
  
• Start Firefly III with Docker Compose:
  

  docker-compose up -d

  
  

After a few moments, Firefly III will be available at http://YOUR_VPS_IP:8080.

Step 4: Securing Firefly III with SSL (Let's Encrypt)

To enhance security, set up HTTPS encryption:

• Install Certbot:
  

  sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

  
  
• Run Certbot to obtain and configure your SSL certificate:
  

  sudo certbot --apache -d yourbudget.example.com

  
  
• Update your Firefly III .env file to reflect the secure URL:
  

  APP_URL=https://yourbudget.example.com

  
  
• Restart Firefly III container:
  

  docker-compose restart

  
  

Step 5: Configuring Your Family Budget

Log into your Firefly III dashboard:

• Create accounts for each family member under Settings → Users.
• Add bank accounts, cash accounts, and credit cards.
• Set budgets, savings targets, and track recurring expenses such as utilities or subscriptions.
• Use transaction rules to automate categorization, simplifying budgeting.

Step 6: Accessing Your Budget Remotely

Firefly III supports mobile access:

• Download compatible apps like "Firefly III Mobile" for Android or iOS.
• Enter your secured URL (e.g., https://yourbudget.example.com) to access your data remotely.
• Monitor family spending on-the-go, ensuring you're always informed.

Step 7: Leveraging Reports and Insights

One of Firefly III’s strengths is powerful financial analytics:

• Generate spending reports, category breakdowns, and trend charts.
• Set up custom alerts to monitor budgets and savings targets.
• Use reports to discuss financial decisions openly with your family.

Maintaining and Updating Your Budgeting System

Regular maintenance ensures smooth operation:

• Periodically update your VPS:
  

  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

  
  
• Monitor Firefly III updates and upgrade via Docker Compose:
  

  docker-compose pull && docker-compose up -d

  
  
• Backup your data regularly through Firefly III’s export feature or Docker volume backups.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your Family’s Financial Future

By using an ENGINYRING VPS combined with Firefly III, you achieve complete privacy, robust functionality, and true control over your family's financial data. No longer do you need to rely on apps that profit from your personal information or spreadsheets prone to errors and confusion.

Ready to start your journey towards stress-free family budgeting? Sign up for your ENGINYRING VPS today and build a transparent, collaborative, and secure budgeting solution tailored to your family’s needs.