Would you use an online budget?

[jmjj215]

I'm curious to see how many people here would ever subscribe to an online budget such as Mvelopes. I believe they charge $9.95 per month. Why or why not?

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

I have used all sorts of aids but I find pencil and paper work best for me.

[meaghanchan]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

I use one online (sometimes, although I tend to use pencil and paper more), but it's free. I don't think I'd pay for that type of thing.

[34saving]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

Well, I just looked at what mvelopes provides and it looks like it doesn't do anything I can't do for free. I guess, however, if I was trying to get spending under control or I had a spouse who needed to get spending under control (and liked the program) I might try it. It would have to work really really really well to justify $120 bucks a year though!

[jmjj215]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

I use one online (sometimes, although I tend to use pencil and paper more), but it's free. I don't think I'd pay for that type of thing.

Can you provide a link to the free one?

[marglo]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

I chose it's a steal, but actually I don't like paying the fee but I do really like Mvelopes! I like that it automatically downloads our transactions from our various accts into my budget. I tried Quicken and it couldn't do it with many of our accts plus I found it more difficult to work with.

In time when I get our finances more simplified (we have a lot of accts) , we may not continue to use Mvelopes but for now I do like it very much. It would be hard for me to go back to the pencil and paper type of budgeting! We almost never even write a check and don't even keep a check register anymore! I honestly don't think I would want to go back to all that. I have found another budgeting software that I am also using that is not automated but seems to work for us, but for now I am still using Mvelopes and don't foresee giving it up for a while yet.

I guess a con would be that it can be difficult for some people to learn...after about 2 years I am still learning but I never found it as difficult as many people seem to. I enjoy working on a computer and learning by trial and error though. Some people don't have the patience for that sort of thing. The company support is very good...they have helped me a lot. I call them when I can't figure something out.

My dh is not into computers though and he won't use it...he does know how to check it but usually just asks me what he wants to know.

BTW, for the fee you also get Mvelopes Billpay which many people get sort of thing free with their bank but we don't, and I really like it for paying those few bills that are not autopaid.

[Bluezy]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

The fee would not be part of my budget

[meaghanchan]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

Can you provide a link to the free one?

Sure- the free ones probably have less functionality than a pay one like mvelopes. The one I use, http://www.justbudget.com does more in terms of tracking spending rather than *budgeting*, per say, but I'm more in that camp anyway. Tracking spending, I can do. Emotionally, budgets leave me feeling like everything is in short supply, which makes me constantly want to buy. Like how the second you go on a diet, you *really* want some brownies...

There were a couple other free ones I tried, but just didn't work for my computer/browser, but they're not turning up on Google right now.

[PrincessPerky]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

If paying 10$ would mean they would remember all the odds and ends I forget (like forgot the termite money will be due soonish) then I might, but they will only remember if I tell them, so not worth it to me. Pen and paper works better and I can make my mistakes for free .

..how bout fudge? I REALLY want some fudge .

[jmjj215]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

The justbudget tool doesn't really look much like a budget - just lets you record your expenses. An excel spreadsheet could do that in 5 minutes. The coding is pretty nice in it though.

[Tree0164]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

I like my excel budget sheets that I do for my own budgetting. I wouldn't pay $9.95 for a monthly fee.

[meaghanchan]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

Like I said, I use the justbudget tool more to record my expenses, which works fine for me because budgeting doesn't work as well for me as just tracking my spending. I had found several others on google that just didn't work as well on my computer/browser, but now I can't find them.

I'm on a mac, and don't have excel, so it works fine for me.

[TBH]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

I wouldn't pay for this, but I'd use a free service. Right now I use Excel, but I'm going to take the plunge and buy Quicken or Money this winter.

[jmjj215]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

Claire, what added functionality are you looking to have w/ either of those software packages?

[TBH]

Re: Would you use an online budget?

Right now I painstakingly enter every expense into the spreadsheet, and I have to customize it every time I want a new kind of report. I want to be able to download my checking acct info, credit card statements, brokerage statements, etc into my software and then just assign each expense to the right category. Also, I'd like to be able to graph how my expenses and income changes month to month, year to year, etc. And both my spouse and I have a small amount of freelance income most years, so it would be nice to be able to just print a report of all tax deductable expenses every year at tax time.