A few weeks ago, I went on a hike with some friends. We left our phones in the car and started the hike with just some water and some trail mix. No signal, no outside noise, just a few hours of sunshine and reconnecting with some close friends. About halfway through, we joked about how peaceful it felt to be “off the grid.”

And honestly, it felt pretty good. Most of our stress doesn’t come from big financial disasters or mishaps, it comes from the little stuff that keeps buzzing for our attention throughout the day. Email notifications, bills due, balances to check, transfers to make.

That’s the whole idea behind Piere. It takes care of all the background stuff so you can focus on living your life with less distractions.

Here are six beginner tips to help you make the most out of Piere and get that same “hiking with no signal” kind of peace with your money.

1. Connect everything you’ve got

Checking, savings, credit cards, loans, investments. All of it.

The app only works its magic when it sees your full financial picture. 

“Once I connected everything,” says Ethan, 31, “I realized most of my stress came from not seeing the full picture. Now I can open Piere and know exactly where I stand. I didn’t realize how much peace that would give me.”

Think of it like having a clean bedroom. Less clutter and more clarity.

2. Set goals that make you actually care

Avoid vague ones like “save more.” 

Pick goals that you can picture. “Pay off my Amex by March.” “Save for a trip to Tulum.” “Always have $1,000 sitting in checking so I don’t panic every time rent’s due.”

Once you tell Piere what matters, it builds a plan for you. It shifts money around automatically so you don’t have to remember to move it yourself.

3. Make your categories sound like you

If your budget sounds boring, you’ll be less likely to check on it.

Name your categories something fun or personal. “Weekend Chaos,” “Dog Stuff,” “Coffee That Keeps Me Alive.” Anything that makes you laugh a little when you open the app.

“I named mine ‘Future Me Fund,’” says Jordan, 33. “It’s for things like car maintenance or gifts. It makes saving feel less boring and more like I’m doing something nice for myself.”

Budgets work better when they don’t feel like punishment.

4. Turn on automation early

This is the whole point. The app automatically transfers money between your accounts, nudges savings forward, and covers bills before they become stress.

You’ll still have full control, but you won’t have to micromanage every dollar.

It’s like switching your car to cruise control on a long drive. You still steer, but your foot gets a break.

5. Use every tool inside Piere

The more you explore, the more powerful the app gets.

Start with the Spending Heatmap to spot your habits. It’s like a visual x-ray of where your money actually goes each week. You’ll see patterns you didn’t even realize were there.

Also, keep an eye out for Nightcap, coming soon. It’s your daily snapshot of how you spend and  save – basically the easiest way to see your habits without spreadsheets.

Don’t sleep on these features. They’re designed to give you insight, so you can tweak things over time instead of trying to fix everything at once.

6. Do one small check-in each week

You don’t need to make budgeting a daily habit. You just need a good routine.

Once a week, take a few minutes to look at your Heatmap, check your balances, and make one small adjustment.

“I check my app every Sunday morning,” says Ethan. “If I spent too much, I adjust. If I saved more, I celebrate it.”

That small check-in keeps you connected without making it a chore.

The bottom line

Using Piere is about peace. Not necessarily perfection.

You’re not supposed to track every penny or stress about every charge. You’re just supposed to set it up and watch it quietly make your money work better in the background.

So connect your accounts. Set goals that matter to you. Give your categories some personality. Use every feature you can. And let Piere do the heavy lifting.

Because at the end of the day, managing money shouldn’t feel like washing your car in the rain. It should feel like walking outside, realizing it’s clean, and wondering when that started happening.

If you liked this piece, check out our another one: The Hidden Cost of Frictionless Spending – it dives into how effortless payments might be quietly sabotaging your budget.