ready to budget. budget program??

**sinopa27** · 09-23-2011, 05:03 AM

Ok.....I really need to budget myself. I have the envelope system almost done. I want to use a "quicken" type program for my computer but don't want to spend $$$ on it. Can anyone recommend a program like "quicken" that is free?

**jacqueline** · 09-23-2011, 06:38 AM

im not sure if this is what you are looking for... but mint.com is free. you type in all your accounts and it shows you where your money is going. pretty customizable. and easy.
also if you want a free program that is like excel (i'm an excel lover) there are 2 i know of: open office calc and google also has a program.
i need to do a budget also. i'm on mint but don't check it as often as i should. HTH

**Greebo** · 09-23-2011, 08:12 AM

Don't waste money on tools - tools don't create habits.

Use something free to start - until you find a particular style of budgeting that works for you.

**TigerGirl1226** · 09-23-2011, 10:19 AM

Mint.com is a great tool. You can budget, but also categorize your purchases (mainly useful if you use a debit card, IMO). It was really eye opening for me!

**low-1** · 09-23-2011, 10:46 AM

Mentioned it on a similar thread a while ago, but there's a program called GNUCash that's an open-source, freeware program similar to Quicken and MSMoney. It's from the same outfit that made GIMP, the free alternative to Photoshop.

I downloaded a copy, but haven't really used it, so I can't really comment on how easy it is to use, but it looks very functional.

**xtena** · 09-23-2011, 12:05 PM

openoffice.org is a free office suite. It includes calc - free spreadsheet.

**mndtrp** · 09-23-2011, 05:40 PM

Mint is, by far, the easiest I've come across. The only thing I wished it did is exporting info. Other than that, everything is updated as soon as you log in, it has easy to read graphs, will email you summaries, has upcoming bill reminders, and several other features.

If I had to input everything into a spreadsheet, I would never be able to keep up. With Mint, both my wife and I can log into our account, and see where we stand in less than a minute.

**sinopa27** · 09-28-2011, 03:18 AM

i checked out mint.com. I want to try it. Seems like it should be easy to use. Has anyone had any problems with it?

**Preston** · 09-28-2011, 11:11 AM

I use a combination of Quicken and a spreadsheet. Quicken miscategorizes from time to time also sometimes I spend cash I have no account in Quicken for tracking cash transactions.

I am experimenting this month with the spreadsheet and gone back all year month by month doing budgets and comparing our spending vs budget and what % over/under we are. I'm liking it because I have the categories arrange the way I like them.

I can attach a copy of the monthly spreadsheet if you want.

**Labontet** · 09-28-2011, 02:24 PM

I have thought about using something like quicken or mint to keep track of budget and finances. I was wondering about the security of it all on the internet. Don't you tie your bank accounts to it? It just seems that it would be so easy for someone to see and access your bank accounts?

I am really concerned about using something like this. I feel like I would have to use an excel sheet to keep up with stuff, but I know that would be a really large amount of work to keep up with.

**shoiji** · 09-28-2011, 02:31 PM

I just use a spreadsheet to track my monthly spending. The spreadsheet came as a form in my software. By keeping a daily track of money spent you really know where your money is going.

**mndtrp** · 09-28-2011, 09:11 PM

If you are comfortable enough to bank online, or order online, Mint should fall into a less risky category. Mint is read-only, uses the same encryption as your bank, and doesn't have any way to access your username and passwords once entered. Even if you had the worst password to Mint in the world, nothing could be done with your accounts other than seeing how much money you have.

**wjcalderon** · 09-30-2011, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Preston

I use a combination of Quicken and a spreadsheet. Quicken miscategorizes from time to time also sometimes I spend cash I have no account in Quicken for tracking cash transactions.

It's very easy to track cash transactions in Quicken.
Just add a new account called "Cash" with the beginning balance of however much you have in your wallet at the time.
Then record your cash transactions in that account.
If you occasionally miss recording a transaction and the Quicken balance doesn't match your cash on hand, you can "update balance" to the correct amount and categorize it as Miscellaneous.

I've used Quicken for about 12 years - I love it!

**Wendy99** · 10-01-2011, 11:18 AM

For Excell does anyone have a budget template done up that they would be willing to share? Preferably with a actual budget and where you stand so for .. ie . groceries $200 - currently at $66 - remaining $134 etc .. just wonder if that would help our family budget better ...