What Tool Do You Use To Track Your Finances?

Discussion in Personal Finance started by ColBatGuano • Apr 18, 2015.

  1. ColBatGuano

    ColBatGuanoNew Member

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    What software program (or programs) do you use to track your personal finances? I've been using Quicken since the mid-90s and have found it adequate, though it has it's quirks. So what are you using?
     
  2. bonzer

    bonzerActive Member

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    I use MS Excel. It's been pretty useful and effective. I never felt the need for a better one, up till now. I sincerely wish I need one.
     
  3. MMercury

    MMercuryNew Member

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    I mainly just use Mint.com. I absolutely love this site and they also have an app for the phone. The site is easy to use and allows you to link multiple accounts. You can also keep track of goals and budgets easily.
     
  4. Onionman

    OnionmanActive Member

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    I tend to use my own spreadsheet for it. Unfortunately I'm not able to use Mint, so everything has to be managed a lot more manually. Overall, I do feel that we all need to have some kind of process that allows us to keep an eye on things.
     
  5. marshaljohn10

    marshaljohn10New Member

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    Now this is where it gets confusing for me. I don’t use softwares rather I use mint.com. This site has what it takes for me to keep track of cash flow and budgeting effectively.

    If it works just fine for me, I see no reason why I should make use of softwares. I haven’t tried any though, but judging from your replies here, I will look into making use of MS Excel.
     
  6. Penny

    PennyActive Member

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    I also use mint which automated a great deal of the process making it super-easy to keep track of what my major spending areas are, how they are changing, and giving a baseline for how I can budget to making improvements like finding some money for investments. I combine that with the Future Advisor app to help decide how to invest. Both are free.

    I think using manual spreadsheets can be a great learning tool early on but it is labor intensive and hard to maintain over the long run -- a bit old school. If you do most of your spending with a debit and/or credit card rather than cash the apps are so much easier because everything is collected via API without needing to hand enter it.
     
  7. owesem75

    owesem75Active Member

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    I use the iphone app CASHTRAIL. I am very satisfied with it, it records my daily expenses, incoming cash, and it automatcally creates charts for review. Also it is multi currency and allows me to keep track of my savings in my home country, my dollar savings and my savings in the local currency where I am currently at.

    SAVE AND EARN ONLINE! It is the right thing to do!

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  8. BrandonScooterman

    BrandonScootermanActive Member

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    I always used Excel, but a few weeks ago my girls started using YNAB on her iphone since she is not as Excel savvy as me and this way she can track everything on the go!
    I hear Mint is really good too.
     
  9. surlaw

    surlawMember

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    I used Excel for some time, but I have a notebook I keep track of my purchases with now. It may not be the most efficient way, but it makes me really pay attention to what I'm purchasing and saves me money in that sense. I'd feel too detached from my finances if I were to use an automated app, honestly - but that's just me.
     
  10. GemmaRowlands

    GemmaRowlandsActive Member

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    I write everything down by hand, as this is genuinely the only way that I am able to keep track of everything that I am spending without having to worry about missing anything. I know that computers are good for certain things, however I genuinely believe that there is nothing better than a pen and paper when it comes to money, as it is a heck of a lot easier to see a lot of the time.
     
  11. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I have registered with my bank's phone e-alerts service, although I have found out it can be a little unreliable. There's a delay that I don't like and I recently had a scare where money had disappeared from my account, which then took days to correct with my input! I also keep my own records and keep a hawk's eye on all my transactions. I'm really intrigued by these Mint and CashRail tools and will definitely investigate. Fingers crossed I'll be able to use them.
     
  12. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    I just keep the receipts that I get to keep track of my expenses, I have not tried using Excel or anything like that even if I have my own pc. I feel like the receipts and the calculator are good enough in keeping tabs of my expenses!
     
  13. missbishi

    missbishiWell-Known Member

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    I'm not one for spreadsheets and software. All my household bills are fixed monthly payments so each month, I transfer enough money to cover these into a seperate account with Direct Debits set up. It's easy enough to do. Anything more than this is usually quickly worked out on the back of an old envelope!