Budget Software

[MonkeyMama]

I actually use Quicken. IT pays for itself. I like the functionality much better than any free options.

That said, I use excel to supplement Quicken. I use excel to track my net worth (works better than Quicken because I open and close accounts too often - I don't want to see every account I ever owned, in Quicken every day - but a simple excel summary will do). I also track my savings sub-accounts in excel. I know how to in Quicken, but kind of like the excel/Quicken combo better.

I actually don't use any traditional budgeting. My "budgeting method" is to know where every penny goes. Quicken is good and time efficient for that. I rely on my net worth statement (excel) to keep an eye on the big picture.

[jpg7n16]

I officially bought YNAB. I think it's great and it's definitely got me thinking about not living paycheck to paycheck. Any extra stuff is put in my savings account within the bank. That way, if I need it, it's there. I'm also saving for a new car. We'll see how that goes.

One of the things I really like about YNAB is that it lets you build a balance over time. So you can see how much you've budgeted towards 'Christmas gifts' or 'tire replacement' - and I like that you can autofill with the previous month, or autofill with your average month.

The new version has much better graphs than the original. So I can track my fast food spending and see the trends over time.

Very good software

[solvision]

I'm currently downloading KMyMoney. At the moment, I already have a weekly budget for everything. It's worked out well. I haven't had to keep as tight of track with my budgeting as I used to, but it's nice to go in and see that we've spent less money this month on xxxx than last month. That kind of thing.

Yep I know what you mean. Whenever I change circumstances (move city, jobs, or whatever) I always track each expense to see what's happening, and if I need to budget more or less.

Let me know how you go setting it up.

[KiwiJo09]

Yep I know what you mean. Whenever I change circumstances (move city, jobs, or whatever) I always track each expense to see what's happening, and if I need to budget more or less.

Let me know how you go setting it up.

KMyMoney didn't work for some strange reason. I downloaded and installed the software and then *poof* it didn't exist anywhere on my hard drive. Weird. Anyways, I ended up going with YNAB. It costs money, but I like it a lot better than Mint. It encourages having savings so you don't live paycheck to paycheck anymore.

We're doing good on YNAB. The "every dollar gets a job" rule is really helping, although we both hate it. We love spending money, but it's better to save it and we both know it.

The only thing we have a real problem with is eating out. I try desperately only to allow us to eat out once a week. It's a real challenge though. We like eating out.

[solvision]

Strange that it disappeared. I'll be sure to check out YNAB.

[jeffery12]

I have tried intuit quickbooks and also sage. both are equally good.

[Pansori]

Currently I use Mint and Moneydance. I love Moneydance, it was the first budgeting program I used and several years later I find myself always falling back on it. That being said I have heard a lot about YNAB and am seriously considering it, but would love to hear more about what others say about it. My question is is it truly as effective with building cushions as it claims? I'm also such a creature of habit, I hate the idea of giving up my moneydance.

[NorthernCalGal]

I am a HUGE fan of Mvelopes -- it is subscription program ($13/month) and it downloads all your transactions in real time (once they've cleared your bank). Basically, you set up your Spending Plan (budget) and assign an amount to each virtual "Envelope" - every time you spend $ on something you drag and drop it to the Envelope and it debits it. You always know how much you have left for the month in each category. I never look at my checking balance, since if I have several thousand dollars in it I know some of it might be already allocated in other envelopes (like property taxes that I only pay twice a year). It is a great way to track and control your spending!

[Kundan Lal Rana]

I'm using AceMoney and PocketSmith for budgeting. I've also used Quicken for my several clients for budgeting.