Personal budget planning?
Discussion
Can anyon recommend any personal budgeting programs that will help me keep track of every penny we use? must be simple to enter transactions and understandable by SWMBO.
Not looking forward to a very very tight 12 months, and need to keep a very close eye on budgets- thought there might be some programs around that could help.
Not looking forward to a very very tight 12 months, and need to keep a very close eye on budgets- thought there might be some programs around that could help.
I use an excel spreadsheet to calculate rough outgoings
i dont track every penny as such
microsoft money looks discontinued
try this perhaps?
http://quicken.intuit.com/basic-money-management/i...
i dont track every penny as such
microsoft money looks discontinued
try this perhaps?
http://quicken.intuit.com/basic-money-management/i...
I used to use Money. Ditched it in favour of a simple excel spreadsheet instead. Over the past 4 or 5 years though the 'simple' excel spreadsheet has grown enough macros and complicated formula's that it could be sold as an alternative to Money by now. Kind of defeated the point in ditching Money in the first place.
I used Money on and off for a few years, but it pissed me off because although you can download your bank statements into it, it's a pain to reconcile the £10 you took out of the cash machine and spent on various packets of chewing gum, sandwiches, etc.
Now I've got a simple spreadsheet that is basically a page per month, with a list of incomes, a list of regular expenses and a list of other stuff I've decided to buy. The expenses are categorised from a master list and it makes for a very good tool for budgeting and making sure you don't over-spend mid-month. I add my bank balances at the start of the month and that then tells me the value of any transactions I've not recorded and shows me how much money I had spare at the end of the last month and how much I can piss up the wall in the coming month. I budget an amount each month to a holiday fund and any surplus gets transferred to an ISA at the end of the month.
I've not done a lot of analysis on the main page, but I might eventually.
Now I've got a simple spreadsheet that is basically a page per month, with a list of incomes, a list of regular expenses and a list of other stuff I've decided to buy. The expenses are categorised from a master list and it makes for a very good tool for budgeting and making sure you don't over-spend mid-month. I add my bank balances at the start of the month and that then tells me the value of any transactions I've not recorded and shows me how much money I had spare at the end of the last month and how much I can piss up the wall in the coming month. I budget an amount each month to a holiday fund and any surplus gets transferred to an ISA at the end of the month.
I've not done a lot of analysis on the main page, but I might eventually.
Trouble is they all cease to be useful if you don't update them. I would simply make a list of all regular outgoings, get as many as you can onto direct debit on the same account. Excel spreadsheet is as complex as I would make it with a simple ins and outs list with a balance at the bottom.
Then have your salary paid into seperate account, set a standing order up to move a months worth of direct debit money into the direct debit account. Whatever you have left is for food, travel etc. But all bills are taken care off.
You could take it a step further and take the remainder of your salary out in cash and have envelopes for food, clothes and petrol etc.
Then have your salary paid into seperate account, set a standing order up to move a months worth of direct debit money into the direct debit account. Whatever you have left is for food, travel etc. But all bills are taken care off.
You could take it a step further and take the remainder of your salary out in cash and have envelopes for food, clothes and petrol etc.
LittleMiss said:
This looks like a free trial http://www.microsoft.com/money/freetrial_info.mspx
Nope, when you try to downloadImportant notice: Microsoft Money is no longer available for purchase
cj_eds said:
I used to use Money. Ditched it in favour of a simple excel spreadsheet instead. Over the past 4 or 5 years though the 'simple' excel spreadsheet has grown enough macros and complicated formula's that it could be sold as an alternative to Money by now. Kind of defeated the point in ditching Money in the first place.
Same here! Just enter my account balances and it will tell me what I have left the day before payday (for all accounts).Geek-tastic!
fido said:
StevieBee said:
Wife V: 1.0 tends to work for me!
yep but you may have trouble uninstalling it, and the upgrade to Wife 2.0 will cost you a fortune 
Edited by daemon on Thursday 28th January 19:04
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