How Do I Create a Budget and Set Up Budget Alerts in Spinup?

Spinup allows you to create cost budgets within a space and set up alerts based on actual or forecasted usage. This helps you stay on top of your spending and avoid unexpected charges.

1. Navigate to the Spinup Space where you want to create the budget.

2. Click the Cost Explorer tab.

3. Scroll to the Budgets section.

4. Click the ➕ button in the top right corner to create a new budget.

In the budget creation window:

• Time Period: Choose Daily, Monthly, Quarterly, or Annually.

  • ⚠️ Only one budget is allowed per time period per space.

• Budget Amount: Enter the maximum amount you want to spend during the selected time period.

• Email Recipients: Add one or more email addresses to receive budget alerts.

  • 🔒 Recipients cannot be edited after creation. To change them, you must delete and recreate the budget.

Once you complete the form, you’ll move on to configuring alert thresholds.

Alerts will notify recipients when spending reaches specific thresholds.

• Threshold Type:

  • Percentage: A percentage of the budget (e.g., 80%)

  • Absolute: A dollar amount (e.g., $200)

• Notification Type:

  • Actual: Based on real usage

  • Forecasted: Based on predicted spending
    (⚠️ Forecasting is not available for Daily budgets)

You can configure up to five alert triggers per budget. Once at least one alert is added, the Create Budget button will become available.

Once created, your budget will appear in the Cost Explorer’s Budgets list.

To delete a budget:

• Click the trash can icon next to the budget entry.

• Once deleted, the associated time period will become available again.

💰 How does the budget amount relate to alerts?
The budget is your max spend. Alerts notify you based on thresholds relative to that budget.

⏱ Why can't I reuse a time period?
Only one budget is allowed per time period (e.g., one Monthly budget per space).

📧 Can I add non-Yale addresses?
Yes. Alerts can be sent to any valid email address.

📅 Why is forecasted alerting disabled for daily budgets?
Amazon only supports forecasted costs for Monthly, Quarterly, and Annually.

To make changes, delete the existing budget and recreate it with updated values.

• Email: spinup@yale.edu

• Slack: #spinup