budgeting categories are the reason people quit money apps

I've used maybe six budgeting apps and quit every single one. Looking back, it was never the app being "bad" — it was the categories. Every weekend I'd sit down to re-tag transactions, split the Costco run into groceries/household / that one impulse lamp, and genuinely argue with myself about whether coffee counts as "dining" or its own sacred line item. It turned money into homework I was permanently behind on.

My honest theory now: the category system is a productivity tax dressed up as insight. Most people don't need 40 buckets — they need to know whether this month was better or worse than last. But maybe I'm just lazy and categories really do work for some of you.

Do budget categories actually change how you spend, or are they just admin you feel guilty about skipping?