Keeping a budget

[crimsonred98]

Alright, long story short I am a recent college graduate and I am about to be married. One of my resolutions for the New Year is to better handle my finances, seeing as now my student loans are going into repayment and I am trying to save to start a family.

I already have my budget worked out and I know how much I can afford to spend on everything I need/want to. One question I did have, though, is about where to track it all.

My Father used to use "Microsoft Money" and I thought it was fantastic because it broke everything down into what you are spending it on, so with one simple click you can see how much you have spent on, for instance, fast food for that month. I have done some reading and see that Microsoft Money isn't even available any more.

I know that most banks offer this type of spending tracking, but I have more than one bank account that I am keeping track of right now.

Do you have any advice on a program (preferably free) that I could use to track spending like this? I feel like I have a pretty firm grasp on my finances but a tool like this would likely help me in sorting out some loose ends and areas where we could "trim the fat", as it were.

Also, any other tips for someone in my shoes would be greatly appreciated.

[riverwed070707]

mint.com

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by crimsonred98

Alright, long story short I am a recent college graduate and I am about to be married. One of my resolutions for the New Year is to better handle my finances, seeing as now my student loans are going into repayment and I am trying to save to start a family.

I already have my budget worked out and I know how much I can afford to spend on everything I need/want to. One question I did have, though, is about where to track it all.

My Father used to use "Microsoft Money" and I thought it was fantastic because it broke everything down into what you are spending it on, so with one simple click you can see how much you have spent on, for instance, fast food for that month. I have done some reading and see that Microsoft Money isn't even available any more.

I know that most banks offer this type of spending tracking, but I have more than one bank account that I am keeping track of right now.

Do you have any advice on a program (preferably free) that I could use to track spending like this? I feel like I have a pretty firm grasp on my finances but a tool like this would likely help me in sorting out some loose ends and areas where we could "trim the fat", as it were.

Also, any other tips for someone in my shoes would be greatly appreciated.

I just use microsoft excel, but my budget is simplier than some peoples. I don't really track every dime on the spending side. I only track fixed expenses like the amount that I save each month and the amount for my bills such as my student loans and utilities, insurance, and taxes.

[MoneyMogul]

As for alternatives it depends on how much you trust online:
YANB - You Need a Budget ( Downloaded software using Adobe Air ) is suppose to be the best according to all the reviews I have read. I tried for a little while then stopped because it did not give me a long enough trial period. I still receive their newsletter which always has interesting content and stories.
MINT - Online .. sold to quicken. Use it as my secondary online finance software but I kinda fell out of love with it.
Then that leaves me this one:
Mvelopes - Online ( Just started using it and I it is beginning to grow on me )

I hope this helps.

[NetSkyBlue]

I use Quicken (not free) and find it fantastic. I tried Mint.com, but didn't care for it, even though it is by the same company.

I'm loving using it this year (my second year) to project rare and semiannual expenses.