You Need a Budget (personal finance software)

[Porta]

mint.com is free. Made by the same company that makes quickbooks. It does everything you mention and more... including real-time tracking of spending. It even warns you when you get close to exceeding your budget for allocated categories.

[GoStumpy]

Something I found while investigating the differences between YNAB and Mint.com... apparently it's come up a lot!

http://www.youneedabudget.com/ynab-v...PhQgodL20Aww#_

[Porta]

I'd probably buy into that bit more if it was a 3rd party review. Every company is going to give themselves a more positive review pitted against their competitors.

Seriously though... I'm glad you like your product and that it's working for you! Everyone has their method and it's always good to see innovations to the age old practice of budgets

[smilingstar]

I used to love the YNAB software when I first started looking at ways to become smarter about my money. Loved that their plan was just 5 steps and didn't require me to research personal finance blogs all day for a year or so. (Of course it doesn't take that long but its so easy to get overwhelmed when you are new). Anyway, for the software I liked their approach of rolling over my money and letting me add the categories and frankly, their interface made a lot of sense to me.

None of these are things you can't do yourself though. In fact, I didn't even buy the software, I just used their trial version. It was funny because it came down to pay for gas or buy the software when I was first looking at it and gas was more important.

Personally, I found their interface much better than mint but hated that they didn't have an app. With mint, I know about my money anywhere I am. With them, I'm tied to my laptop and that doesn't work if I'm window shopping and thinking about buying something I don't need.

Anyway, I use spreadsheets now. I love the simplicity and enjoy projecting my savings with what-if scenarios.

[GoStumpy]

YNAB has an app now,

I bought it guilt-free knowing that I haven't bought a video game in over a year, and I used to buy video games for the Wii, Nintendo DS, or Computer, so having not spent any $$$ on a game I figured this was probably money well spent, and WOW has it ever been!

Feels GREAT right after Christmas! Normally I would be about $1300 in overdraft, instead we're $1700 positive and able to put $$$ towards debts and into savings without feeling broke

[janma]

Is excel free and where do I get it?

[blueeyetea]

Is excel free and where do I get it?

Excel usually comes as part of the Microsoft suite in your computer, although you could download a trial on the Microsoft website if you don't have it.

[GoStumpy]

Had yet another great eye-opening YNAB moment

Last month, I overspent a bit... YNAB informed me that I was ~$350 overspent for the month, so adjustments were needed to keep on track... next time I got paid $350 of it needed to be allocated to my overspends... Which was OK, I dealt with it, and moved on...


But at the same time, when YNAB said I was $350 overspent, my bank account balance was only -$78!!

In the olden days, I would have thought I overspent by $80... and only adjusted for that.. when in reality I was $350 overspent!

I can see how I went into debt in the past!