Looking for Home budget software

[Int99]

I have tried a few downloadable home budget software programs and they are very hard to navigate. Does anyone have any recomendations for Home budget software (the easier the better) I guess Quicken is the most widely used but is it pretty easy? Tracking on paper is a nightmare.

Chris

[marglo]

Re: Looking for Home budget software

I have tried Quicken and Money and didn't like either of them. I don't care for making up my own spread sheets either.

I like Mvelopes, but it is online and there is a fee plus there is definitely a lot to learn and some people think it is to much of a hassle to learn it. But it's great esp if you have a lot of accounts, as all your transactions are downloaded into it.

That said, recently I discovered this one and it is VERY simple and yet is one of the best I have found. No automation like mvelopes but it is a very simple way to track your money, it does all the addition for you...plus give you a place to type notes which I REALLY like and mvelopes doesn't have. It is reasonably priced and is a one-time fee.

Check it out at: http://www.thebword.com/
I've posted about it before but I am so pleased with it I'm happy to spread the word. :-)

[Russell]

Re: Looking for Home budget software

I've used both Money and Quicken in the past but never really liked the complexity of using them for personal use. I prefer an Excel spreadsheet (to generate reports like cash flow, figure out taxes etc) but even paper and pencil would work just fine.

What is it that you are trying to accomplish by using software ? The simpler you keep your expenses to track the easier you can work on your goals. I have a total of 16 (line items) monthly expenses that I know off the top of my head

One of the biggest advantages of using a software is that you can download all your statements from the banks right into the software but for me I don't really care too much about that because I always know where my money goes. I also don't belive in the conventional budgeting, it never really worked for me. The way I do it now is by setting aside 80% of my pay check for monthly expenses. The left over 20% is then divided further: 10% savings, and 10% whatever I want to do with it.

[Tree0164]

Re: Looking for Home budget software

Check out Jesse who is an active poster on this board's software www.youneedabudget.com

I haven't used it personally but it looks easy to use.

[jmjj215]

Re: Looking for Home budget software

The key is to find what personally works for you, and can be done in a relatively short amount of time. Thanks for the plug Tree0164