I use an Excel spreadsheet. It lists my accounts, payment dates, balances & payment due. It is divided into two sections for the 1st & the 15th of each month, with a monthly column to mark as payments are made, which serves as a reminder. I've done this for years & it works great.
I have used Quicken to track my finances, including for a time running my business with it, since it was available in a DOS format. I really liked the Windows versions, and was nervous about switching to Quicken for Mac 2007 when I decided to change over to a Mac desktop and laptop. The switch was painful, with many investment records not crossing over. As I look at current upgrades I've decided to stick with the 2007 version as newer upgrades are less robust. I've had to keep my desktop on an older OS version to run Quicken for Mac 2007 and my laptop is upgraded to Yosemite as the new 2015 Turbotax will not run on older OS versions. That is a pain. It makes me at least consider a move back to Windows based Intuit products, on my Mac or with computer upgrades.
Excel spreadsheet updated quarterly works very well. Summary page provides a complete history of where I'm at. Save summary pages so I can see my progress.
I have a notebook for our savings account that keeps me sane. We save up for all our bills, etc during the year in one account, so keeping track is a necessity. I'm pretty organized, so this makes it easy to keep track of everything.
We monitor accounts online. My husband keeps a ledger of recurring, fixed expenses because he pays those bills, and I keep an excel spreadsheet of variable and non-recurring expenses, since I do most of that kind of spending for the family. We have a budget on paper that's our spending guideline. Hubby informs me when to curtail spending because big bills, like taxes, insurance, etc, are due. We haven't found more convenient tools because our income varies month to month. We have some regular income, but I work as a freelance writer so that income is different every month. We're making it work. We are debt free and have emergency savings for 5 months, which we are trying to build to 1-year, but it's slow going.
We use an Excel based system that we created based on some of the leading industry experts - Dave Ramsey, Suse Orman, etc. The template runs a lot in the background allowing easy fill-in-the-blank numbers but generates forecasting, business style reports and takes about 10 minutes/week to maintain an annual budget like a small business. We view some of our family activities, like budgeting, as far more important than the businesses we are employed by, so we've put some build time into the process but reap the benefits in reporting quite often.
I use Excel to track my expenses and income. The program makes it very easy to add quickly, re-arrange data, etc. I still use a paper register and write out checks for bills.
I use a combination of Mint and excel spreadsheets. I like Mint not only because its free, but it is super easy to use and setup all your accounts. You can set a monthly budget and track your progress over time and drill down to see where you are spending money. And you can set goals.
However, I like excel in order to do longer term planning. I typically build and maintain a budget out 3-years.
I am getting ready to check out personal capital soon, as I have been hearing a lot about it lately.
I use Mint.com and Mint Bills (both on desktop and iPhone app). Keeps all my finance info in one place and I can get alerts on when bills are due and set goals for paying off loans or saving.
I use an Excel spreadsheet. It lists my accounts, payment dates, balances & payment due. It is divided into two sections for the 1st & the 15th of each month, with a monthly column to mark as payments are made, which serves as a reminder. I've done this for years & it works great.
I have used Quicken to track my finances, including for a time running my business with it, since it was available in a DOS format. I really liked the Windows versions, and was nervous about switching to Quicken for Mac 2007 when I decided to change over to a Mac desktop and laptop. The switch was painful, with many investment records not crossing over. As I look at current upgrades I've decided to stick with the 2007 version as newer upgrades are less robust. I've had to keep my desktop on an older OS version to run Quicken for Mac 2007 and my laptop is upgraded to Yosemite as the new 2015 Turbotax will not run on older OS versions. That is a pain. It makes me at least consider a move back to Windows based Intuit products, on my Mac or with computer upgrades.
Excel spreadsheet updated quarterly works very well. Summary page provides a complete history of where I'm at. Save summary pages so I can see my progress.
I loved having this perk, shopping for a new card.
I have a notebook for our savings account that keeps me sane. We save up for all our bills, etc during the year in one account, so keeping track is a necessity. I'm pretty organized, so this makes it easy to keep track of everything.
We monitor accounts online. My husband keeps a ledger of recurring, fixed expenses because he pays those bills, and I keep an excel spreadsheet of variable and non-recurring expenses, since I do most of that kind of spending for the family. We have a budget on paper that's our spending guideline. Hubby informs me when to curtail spending because big bills, like taxes, insurance, etc, are due. We haven't found more convenient tools because our income varies month to month. We have some regular income, but I work as a freelance writer so that income is different every month. We're making it work. We are debt free and have emergency savings for 5 months, which we are trying to build to 1-year, but it's slow going.
Excel.
We use an Excel based system that we created based on some of the leading industry experts - Dave Ramsey, Suse Orman, etc. The template runs a lot in the background allowing easy fill-in-the-blank numbers but generates forecasting, business style reports and takes about 10 minutes/week to maintain an annual budget like a small business. We view some of our family activities, like budgeting, as far more important than the businesses we are employed by, so we've put some build time into the process but reap the benefits in reporting quite often.
I use Excel to track my expenses and income. The program makes it very easy to add quickly, re-arrange data, etc. I still use a paper register and write out checks for bills.
I use a combination of Mint and excel spreadsheets. I like Mint not only because its free, but it is super easy to use and setup all your accounts. You can set a monthly budget and track your progress over time and drill down to see where you are spending money. And you can set goals.
However, I like excel in order to do longer term planning. I typically build and maintain a budget out 3-years.
I am getting ready to check out personal capital soon, as I have been hearing a lot about it lately.
We use Quicken and have for many years. It works well for us.
Mint.com is my favorite to keep track of all my expenses, income and investments but for debt tracking/payoff I use a good old Excel spreadsheet!
I use mint.com to track spending and an excel spreadsheet to set goals.
Dude, you left Lp's out of the DVD/CD etc section. Good article. Helpful. Thanks!!!
Er, go to bed earlier seems to be missing!!
a spreadsheet and bank/credit card statements. definitely room for improvement, though...
I use old fashioned pencil and paper combined with the power of my new computer to merge the best of both worlds.
I pay my bills online and use the websites for my bank and investment company to keep up with my portfolio.
I use Mint.com and Mint Bills (both on desktop and iPhone app). Keeps all my finance info in one place and I can get alerts on when bills are due and set goals for paying off loans or saving.
I'm pretty fancy, I use my bank's website and a spreadsheet.
I use my calendar and keep up with receipts
Mostly I keep it in my head, with an occasional use of pen and paper. Then again, my budget isn't that complicated.
I use Quicken to track my finances.
Way to go, Stephanie! I love that not only did you pay off your debt, but you created a new career for yourself, too!
We shared this post on 1099 Mom to inspire others who want to make the leap to self-employment.
I used mint.com