budgeting software
July 9th, 2007
So I’m not happy with my current budgeting program. It’s a spreadsheet I downloaded online because it was free and (I thought) easy. But I wish it would itemize my purchases so I could keep track of every one and I wish it it was a little more visually friendly.
What budgeting softwares do you use? Would Quicken be worth purchasing?
I’ve heard there’s one with envelopes that is Mac-based. Sadly I have a PC… does anyone know of a visually friendly system that would be helpful?
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6 Responses to “budgeting software”
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I’ve been using Quicken since November, and I can honestly say I don’t know how I got along without it. It’s the greatest program because you can run so many different kinds of graphs and reports on your spending habits, and categorize all your purchases so you know exactly where your money is going.
That being said, I went from using a spreadsheet to Quicken, and I’ve never used another kind of budgeting software before. Still, I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve said “man, I wish Quicken could do _________,” because it’s exceeded any expectations I’ve had in terms of money management.
I use MS Money. I thought about buying quicken because I’ve heard how awesome it is, but I can’t make myself break down and buy it when I have MS that does what I need. (I got MS Money with my PC)
If someone can give me a good enough reason to buy quicken, then I’ll go out and pay $80, but until then I’m sticking with MS Money.
http://www.mvelopes.com/ might be something you’re after. Uses envelopes and is web based so it’ll work on a PC or a Mac. I found quicken a little too bloated for my liking.
I use Quicken, which is capable of doing just about anything you would want it to do and more. It does much more than I need it to for tracking my personal finances.
Don’t pay full price for it though. You should be able to find a good deal on the web.
(Or, if you are not opposed to putting advertisements on your site you can sign up for an affiliate company, such as Commission Junction, post a link on your site, and buy it through the affiliate link. You will save 17% off the list price, get free shipping, and earn a commission in the process. I don’t know how much the commission is, because I haven’t sold any yet, but I have a link on my site. This is only one idea. You can find it discounted elsewhere.)
{I couldn’t find an e-mail address or I would have sent this last section via e-mail. Feel free to delete it.}
Wow. Thanks for all the advice, guys!
I’m torn. Quicken seems to be the most popular software around, but the Mvelopes-type systems offer the ability to earmark money ahead of time, which I like.
I started testing out an envelope-type system (not Mvelopes; it requires your credit card # for the free trial. I don’t like when companies do that; it seems shady.) and it wasn’t quite what I want either.
Sigh. I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, THANK YOU for helping!
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