One of the biggest obstacles to making and keeping a budget is not knowing where to begin. Thankfully, the Internet age has brought with it some wonderful tools designed to help you keep an eye on your spending. Here are just a few.
1. Wesabe.com: A lot of Web-based budgeting tools are similar, but one of the things that set Wesabe apart is its promotion of a user community. In addition to monitoring your spending and getting investment tips, you can chat with other users and get firsthand advice about saving and budgeting from people who know what works.
2. Billster.net: Billster is a free service ideal for helping you plan your monthly debts and payments, and it also has a great function called “Shared Bills” that lets you monitor things you owe as part of a group, e.g., if you and your roommates are splitting the cost of utility bills.
3. Yodlee.com: Yodlee is another fantastic service that lets you centralize your accounts, from checking and savings to credit cards and loans, and to visualize how to save money.
Those services are all free, but if you want to pay for programs, there are some helpful ones on the market:
1. Quicken: Probably the most recognizable name in budgeting software, Quicken will run you about $100, but you can download it directly to your computer and start working. You can set up auto payments and see your spending over weeks, months, quarters, or entire years.
2. Mvelopes: You can buy either a one-year or two-year membership for Mvelopes, which is a great tool for digging into your personal finances and finding ways to cut needless spending. They’re also on Twitter.
Again, those five tools are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to personal finance software online. With a little research and determination, you’ll have your finances organized before you know it.
This guest post is contributed by Raine Parker. She welcomes your comments at her email: raine.parker6@gmail.com.
Good points. I just use an excel spreadsheet myself.. but that’s just me going back to years prior to the internet.
The tools mentioned are good because they give a better visual than a spreadsheet, and of course, they’re already set up.
Ultimately people just need to spend a few hours learning the software, which will in turn help them learn their budgets.
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I agree with Monty. I have used an Excel spreadsheet for years, and it works for us…after many refinements. If any of your readers would like to try my method (it may not work for everyone), feel free. I’ve posted a series on it, so get started!
http://nodebtforus.blogspot.com/2010/02/excel-budget-spreadsheet-how-to-budget.html
.-= TexasT´s last blog ..Excel Budget Spreadsheet – How to Budget =-.
Importing your statement for tracking is the truest way to make a budget happen long term. My MS Money application no longer works so I searched and found a program called bank2budget (www.bank2budget.com). This program cuts my paying bills and tracking expenditures by 90%. I spend about 1 hour a month and can show you trends and many other charts. It requires MS Access version 2002 or higher though.
Good luck to us all.
Thanks for the link, I’m gonna give it a try and hope it will work for me this time. I’ve tried using several method but none work so far. Budgeting really is something you don’t learn overnight.
I like heaps! for my budgets. Plus its all free with no ads and updates to all of my online accounts.
http://www.heaps.co.nz
i am very happy
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I use the HOG software on http://www.wakeupordiepoor.com It’s also a clean site, no advertising. They’ll also send you free excel workbooks to start budgeting if you join their community.
Jerry,
Thanks for the tip. I can’t believe what Bank2Budget gives me for only $15.
Looks like a keeper for me.
Steve