Budgeting Apps?

Thanks for posting as I’m open to hearing comments and recommendations as well. I tried Mint, YNAB and LearnVest. Mint had too many ads. YNAB switched to budgeting with only current funds vs. budgeting for the month. LearnVest was great but it wouldn’t connect with all my accounts. I haven’t tried Every Dollar. Currently, I’m using an Excel spreadsheet. The Penny Hoarder posted a Google spreadsheet example in one if its articles that budgets for the month and year, but it would take me forever to set it up for  personal and business budgets. 

I love Credit Karma to give me peace of mind and I use Stash.com to invest in stocks that interest me.

It is not quite for a budget, but as a way to keep track of my money, including credit score, debt, and net worth, I have really enjoyed using a platform called Status.

I have also started trying out another one called Haven but they seem to have quite a few issues when it comes to tracking everything. They do offer a decent APY on their savings account though.

I have quite a few friends who use Mint an it works great for them. Just depends on what you are looking for I guess.

I’ve been using Mint for a few years now.  I have tried other budgeting apps, but found I kept going back to Mint.  It has all of my accounts and I can see when bills are due, and set up certain budgets.  I don’t use the budgets too much as I’d much rather do it on paper  

I use Mint to track my spending and expenses, but don't really use the budget aspect of it. I prefer a basic paper spreadsheet. And I do keep it pretty basic. I find I am much more accountable when I have to actuality write things down. 

I think there needs to be a app that includes all 3 credit scores updated whenever there is any type if a change what so ever and have the ability to dispute or fix it in the same app, Also a app that gives you the option to add all of your Bill's,  Credit cards and will give you your payment dates and auto pay them for you Kind of like give them access as if they are a personal financial advisor and credit asst where they also do what is best to raise your scores etc... Shows you which cards you WILL or CAN get approved for  What your best investment oppruntunity is for your current financial situation . That is what I'm seeking !!!!

Katie Gabriele posted:

Can y'all talk to me about EveryDollar vs Mint vs YNAB? We've tried using an Excel spreadsheet and it's just not working for us. 

We like the idea of our credit/debit card transactions being automatically inputted. We'd prefer a free program, which is why we're leaning towards Mint, but if another program is worth the money spent we're open to it. 

So what's the favorite around here? 

I think there needs to be a app that includes all 3 credit scores updated whenever there is any type if a change what so ever and have the ability to dispute or fix it in the same app, Also a app that gives you the option to add all of your Bill's,  Credit cards and will give you your payment dates and auto pay them for you Kind of like give them access as if they are a personal financial advisor and credit asst where they also do what is best to raise your scores etc... Shows you which cards you WILL or CAN get approved for  What your best investment oppruntunity is for your current financial situation . That is what I'm seeking !!!!

The app you seek is CreditKarma. I have used it fore er. It is free, and tracks your credit at all three reporting companies, send me emails monthly, AND anytime there is a change ANYWHERE, of ANY KIND, GOOD OR BAD. Also, lots of tips on spending, budgeting, paying down debt, credit... The list goes on. Its a site I love! 

I agree about CreditKarma.  I just got an update tonight!  It's great.

Every Dollar is free and it updates your credit cards and bank accounts.  Also, you can't beat Dave Ramsey's advice.  I am trying the free trial for Mvelopes.  I'll let you know, but it seems much more complicated.  

I'm giving YNAB a trial, but I am not impressed so far. It is WAY WAY WAY too complicated. I've never seen software I couldn't find my way around without training, including Quickbooks. But YNAB seems intentionally user-unfriendly. And I'm not even linking accounts. I haven't given up on it yet, but since I'm 60 years old now, I suspect I may not live long enough to actually learn how to use it. SO not impressed.

KellyFromKeene posted:

I use Mint to track my spending and expenses, but don't really use the budget aspect of it. I prefer a basic paper spreadsheet. And I do keep it pretty basic. I find I am much more accountable when I have to actuality write things down. 

Same here. I've been using Mint since around 2012 and use it to track spending and expenses, flag categories for taxes, see my debts, assets in one place, etc., but not for budgeting. Surprisingly, I used it for my late Mother's accounts before I started using it for myself in 2014. I like my spreadsheet best for maintaining categories at a granular level. Sometimes, Mint's categorization is not appropriate, and lately, I've been having issues with them connecting to my HSA account. Still, I like seeing that pie chart every week that tells me the largest categories where I spent money.

R Hopkins posted:

I'm giving YNAB a trial, but I am not impressed so far. It is WAY WAY WAY too complicated. I've never seen software I couldn't find my way around without training, including Quickbooks. But YNAB seems intentionally user-unfriendly. And I'm not even linking accounts. I haven't given up on it yet, but since I'm 60 years old now, I suspect I may not live long enough to actually learn how to use it. SO not impressed.

I agree, R Hopkins. It's just too much going on...too much extrapolation into the future (although I do like the concept of getting a month or more ahead of your bills). I also like YNAB's training sessions. I get ideas from those, but to change my current app and spreadsheet for YNAB is not something I'm willing to do. I'm 66 and just don't have the "bandwith" as they used to say back when I worked in an office.

I use Mint and Wallet Hub for budgeting. I use Credit Karma, Credit Sesame and Experian for watching my credit scores. My version of Credit Karma only has 2 of 3 credit bureaus, Trans Union and Equifax. I have Experian to keep up with their score. Also too, Experian offers Experian Boost for free(a way to boost your credit score for free, unfortunately it only applies to just Experian).

I also make my budget on paper, if that's what you want to call it. It's more of a bill listing. Majority I pay(most of the time I pay all). Sometimes, I have to rework it because an unexpected occurence, ect. I try to practice the 50%, 30%, 20% method but sometimes things don't go as planned(tell me about it). That's why I joined the budgeting group. Need it.

The majority of budget apps look at your spending after the fact but YNAB helps you to budget money in advance of your spending with the money you have at the moment in the bank or for each paycheck. They also offer great training videos/podcasts/blog site. I enter my transactions manually w/YNAB b/c I find that my bank takes too long to update the exact amount available for me to budget. I also use a free app called CLEO, it's an AI powered chatbot that analyzes your spending/budget and sends you fun messages each week to make you check in with your money situation.

I am confused. I do not see any budgeting ability within Credit Karma as people are commenting about? Could anyone clarify this for me?

I have tried practically every one of the budgeting methods mentioned and as of late I haven't been using anything and want to get back on a structured budget. Because without my constant monitoring my credit score took a tumble a few months back.

My income comes in throughout the month depending on what side hustle I am working and most budget programs will not accommodate with that type of flexibility.

I love the Budget Mom's Budget by Paycheck method. If you don't want to purchase it online, you can download many of the sheets on Pinterest. I'm using much of the system and its really working for me, although it is time consuming in the beginning getting used to it. 

I wish I had started this 10 years ago!  I get paid twice monthly.  I have a spreadsheet and prior to each payday fill in everything I plan to spend during that next two weeks-all my regular bills are on autopay and divided pretty evenly which is SUPER helpful.

Using the spreadsheet allows me to tweak changes as things come up-it's like a (serious) game to try and end up with zero before the next pay. I do not deprive myself and am getting better at saying, without explanation, "I can't make it" to certain invitations if the money isn't there.  I also created an awesome Sinking Funds tab, transfer a certain amount on payday to a separate account and on the SF sheet divide the allotted money to each category.  Then for instance on the day of my hair appointment I transfer the total from the sinking funds to my checking account and pay for my beautification!!

And finally, on payday ANYTHING that is left from this pay period's total gets moved to my "Fun Fund" where it builds up and allows me some travel, concert tickets, etc.!

I've tried Mint, EveryDollar, PocketGaurd, and a few more random apps. So far.... nothing really helps. I have found that my bank is usually the problem- it never stays connected. I have a state FCU that's pretty small, so that may be why. But I liked Mint while it worked. I like the concept of EveryDollar though, as it allowed me to sort of visualize my savings better by actually setting budgets for things.

I started using my Google calendar to input all my bills, and that helps me budget a little better. It's nice to be able to sync my Gmail calendar to my iPhone, too. So far, pen and paper are king for me though. It's the most customizable option. I sort of do a simple "bullet journal" style. Coupled with the Google calendar, it's pretty awesome so far.

Cool!  I've never tried the apps because I sit at a desk all day so keep my spreadsheet on the Google Drive so I can see it anywhere. I like it since I can go in and put expected expenses in (and if they change can tweak it).  I watch tons of YouTube videos too about budgeting. We've got this!