cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

What are you tracking "by hand"?

tag
Ardecko
Frequent Contributor

What are you tracking "by hand"?

In regads to your scores, cards, limits, accounts, credit related actions, what are you tracking/monitoring/calculating on paper/spreadsheet?

Or, what are you tracking with an app or site that isn't doing as much as you want?
2017-09-09 FICO 08: EQ 677, TU 640, EX 705
2020-02-07 FICO 08: TU 789
2020-02-10 FICO 08: EX 752

Gardening, mostly, again until... soon(I need to replace my car)

Message 1 of 7
6 REPLIES 6
Kree
Established Contributor

Re: What are you tracking "by hand"?

My job title includes the word "Math" so I do everything by hand at work, and it looks like i'm working.

Message 2 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: What are you tracking "by hand"?

I input all my spending manually into a spreadsheet (since my last computer died, hosting this one online) and it automatically calculates how much I've spent out of my monthly budgets, what my monthly util is for my credit cards. I also enter future dated transactions (estimated income, all average bills, as well as two extra expense lines - one for estimated monthly spending and one for saving) to get a sense of my financial picture for the next several months. 

 

If you prefer an online app, I actually liked both YNAB and Countabout, depending on which one better fits your needs/preferences. Both give you a free trial. I'm still not a fan of Mint's interface at all; Countabout is a much better version to my taste, somehow both simpler and more customizable.

 

I have a friend who tracks everything with old-fashioned checkbook registers. She asks me for my extras. It seems to work well for her.

Message 3 of 7
marty56
Super Contributor

Re: What are you tracking "by hand"?

I used Excel to track spending and to make a budget on when things get paid.  Not very high tech but itg works.

I haven't written a check in 12 years.  LOL my check score is probably 0.

1/25/2021: FICO 850 EQ 848 TU 847 EX
Message 4 of 7
Ardecko
Frequent Contributor

Re: What are you tracking "by hand"?

Capture.PNG

I've been using this google sheet for about 2.5 years now. I copy/paste a new months worth of charges onto the bottom every month and delete items from the top as I pay them. I don't think I could be happier with anything else...

 

Now my DW, that's a whole nother story... she hasn't yet figured out where her money goes. (I have, it goes to Amazon in 2-10 dollar increments many times per week.)

2017-09-09 FICO 08: EQ 677, TU 640, EX 705
2020-02-07 FICO 08: TU 789
2020-02-10 FICO 08: EX 752

Gardening, mostly, again until... soon(I need to replace my car)

Message 5 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: What are you tracking "by hand"?


@Anonymous wrote:

I input all my spending manually into a spreadsheet (since my last computer died, hosting this one online) and it automatically calculates how much I've spent out of my monthly budgets, what my monthly util is for my credit cards. I also enter future dated transactions (estimated income, all average bills, as well as two extra expense lines - one for estimated monthly spending and one for saving) to get a sense of my financial picture for the next several months. 

 

If you prefer an online app, I actually liked both YNAB and Countabout, depending on which one better fits your needs/preferences. Both give you a free trial. I'm still not a fan of Mint's interface at all; Countabout is a much better version to my taste, somehow both simpler and more customizable.

 

I have a friend who tracks everything with old-fashioned checkbook registers. She asks me for my extras. It seems to work well for her.


I have an app that is an old fashioned checkbook register, and I have every single account (cash, CC, retirement, friends/family that owes me $) set up in it. I manually log and categorize every $ earned and spent on every account on it.

 

It works for me because I always have my phone, and as soon as I swipe a card, I pull out my phone and log the purchase.

Message 6 of 7
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: What are you tracking "by hand"?

I follow the check register approach but it's all in Excel because 1) less paper and 2) more formulas.

Message 7 of 7
Advertiser Disclosure: The offers that appear on this site are from third party advertisers from whom FICO receives compensation.