Time: 10 minutes | Level: Beginner
Prerequisites: Your First 5 Minutes
Prerequisites: Your First 5 Minutes
What You’ll Learn
- What a Helper actually is
- Three ways to create one
- How to customize fields
- Adding your first entries
What is a Helper?
A Helper is a smart tracker that understands your data. Unlike a spreadsheet where you define rigid columns, a Helper learns what you’re tracking and helps you log entries naturally. Every Helper has:- Fields — The data points you’re tracking (amount, date, category, notes, etc.)
- Widgets — Visual summaries (totals, charts, streaks)
- AI understanding — It knows “gym 45 min” means a 45-minute workout
Three Ways to Create a Helper
- Natural Language (Recommended)
- From Templates
The easiest way. Just describe what you want:
- From the Home screen, type in the Unified Input bar:
- Peanuts generates a Helper with suggested fields
- Review and tap Create Helper
Let’s Create an Expense Tracker
Follow along step-by-step:Review the generated Helper
Peanuts will show you a preview with:
- Name: Expense Tracker
- Fields: Amount, Category, Payment Method, Notes, Date
- Widgets: Total spending, Category breakdown chart
Customize a field
Let’s tweak the Category field:
- Tap on the Category field
- See the default options (Food, Transport, Entertainment, etc.)
- Add “Subscriptions” to the list
- Remove any you don’t need
Add your first entry
Open your new Helper and type in its input:Watch Peanuts auto-fill:
- Amount: $15.99
- Category: Subscriptions
- Description: Netflix subscription
Understanding Fields
Each field has a type that determines how data is stored and displayed:| Field Type | Best For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Descriptions, names | ”Lunch at Chipotle” |
| Number | Amounts, quantities | 45.99 |
| Select | Categories, statuses | Food, Transport, Entertainment |
| Date | When something happened | Jan 15, 2024 |
| Checkbox | Yes/no tracking | Reimbursable? ✓ |
What if I need a field Peanuts didn't suggest?
What if I need a field Peanuts didn't suggest?
You can always add fields later:
- Open the Helper
- Access settings via the menu
- Go to Fields
- Tap Add Field
- Choose the type and configure
The Quick Settings Bar
Once inside a Helper, you’ll see a Quick Settings Bar with:| Element | Function |
|---|---|
| Period selector | Filter by Day/Week/Month/6M/Year |
| Bell icon 🔔 | Set up reminder notifications |
| Calendar icon 📅 | Enable calendar sync |
Exercise
Practice: Create a Workout Helper
Create a Helper for tracking workouts:
- Use natural language: “Create a workout tracker with exercise type, duration, and how I felt”
- Add at least one custom option to the “Exercise Type” field (your favorite workout)
- Log 3 sample workouts