Methods of tracking spending

[bdebtfree215]

What apps/ methods do you use to budget and track spending? I use an excel spreadsheet right now but I’m thinking of trying Mint to automatically download my transactions.

[Anonymous]

I don't trust any company with access to my financial accounts so I use an app called Spending Tracker to make budgets manually. 

http://www.mhriley.com/spendingtracker/index.html

[Kforce]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I don't trust any company with access to my financial accounts so I use an app called Spending Tracker to make budgets manually. 

http://www.mhriley.com/spendingtracker/index.html

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+ 100

I also keep my financial accounts manually.

A lot of good programs for free, or one can build your own version with any spreadsheet or use a programmable calculator  (software)

[Anonymous]

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@Kforce wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I don't trust any company with access to my financial accounts so I use an app called Spending Tracker to make budgets manually. 

http://www.mhriley.com/spendingtracker/index.html

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+ 100

I also keep my financial accounts manually.

A lot of good programs for free, or one can build your own version with any spreadsheet or use a programmable calculator  (software)

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I find that doing it manually forces to think about my spending much more too so the added bonus is, I don't waste anywhere near as much as I used to. 

[bdebtfree215]

Thanks everyone. I read a previous post talking about YNAB (You Need A Budget) and tried it out and it wasn't as comprehensive as my excel spreadsheet- think I'll stick with that. If it isn't broke why fix it, right?

[Anonymous]

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@bdebtfree215 wrote:
Thanks everyone. I read a previous post talking about YNAB (You Need A Budget) and tried it out and it wasn't as comprehensive as my excel spreadsheet- think I'll stick with that. If it isn't broke why fix it, right?

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The thing with YNAB that annoys me is that you have to pay a subscription to use it. They completely killed and buried their single purchase product and replaced it with subscription as a service with inferior features and a change in philosophy according to many who used the old product. Read the comments section at the bottom of this review and you can see just how many disgruntled customers they got between 4 and new YNAB. 

https://www.alextran.org/ynab-vs-ynab4/

[TGG_1976]

I personally use Mint, but I do not grant access to all my financial institutions. I use only two credit cards for specific categories for my spending, and I have those two cards linked to Mint. Means, I basically just budget / track transactions for groceries, gas, subscriptions and such across two accounts and those are the only ones linked.

[wantitgone]

I use Kualto to manually put in my income and expenses. Can be used on the web or iPhone (not sure about android). I got a lifetime subscription at some point. I find it very helpful; it helps me envision my money for 6-12 months ahead! (Also, they put in where you can see your balance 30 years in the future. I find this mostly amusing, it's fun to see what my account balance might be when I'm 65 if my income stayed exactly the same the whole time .

[bdebtfree215]

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@wantitgone wrote:

I use Kualto to manually put in my income and expenses. Can be used on the web or iPhone (not sure about android). I got a lifetime subscription at some point. I find it very helpful; it helps me envision my money for 6-12 months ahead! (Also, they put in where you can see your balance 30 years in the future. I find this mostly amusing, it's fun to see what my account balance might be when I'm 65 if my income stayed exactly the same the whole time .

I've never heard of that.  I'm going to check that out.  

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[Anonymous]

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@wantitgone wrote:

I use Kualto to manually put in my income and expenses. Can be used on the web or iPhone (not sure about android). I got a lifetime subscription at some point. I find it very helpful; it helps me envision my money for 6-12 months ahead! (Also, they put in where you can see your balance 30 years in the future. I find this mostly amusing, it's fun to see what my account balance might be when I'm 65 if my income stayed exactly the same the whole time .

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It's an automatic delete for me when a developer tricks you into downloading and installing an app just to be greeted with a screen that forces you to sign up an account for a 30 day trial with undisclosed terms after it's over. I had to go look in the App Store to see that $4.99 a month price tag.