Household Budget Planners

[packyderms_wife]

Anyone using a household budget planners aside from quicken or quickbooks??? I've tried using them and have concluded I'm an accounting retard as I cannot get them to work the way everyone says they should, and cannot afford a bookkeeper! Quickbooks and quicken I used when I had the retail business and I have to admit no longer having to use those programs has been one of the greatest joys in my life!

I see there are several online options, Dave Ramsey has some options as does mint.com

Thoughts, suggestions, and pitfalls I should avoid? I have a loose in my head budget but would love to get it down on paper, I do have excel on my machine but haven't really used it for the household.





Btw THIS thread is NOT about slamming those who don't have a budget written in stone!!!

[Davy Crockett]

I bet there's some free excel templates out there for budgetting

[Mama Ten Bears]

I use mint.com, and it works pretty well. Hard to track cash purchases, though. I kinda mix mint with an envelop system. I LOVE the mint iphone app. For cash envelopes, use cash vault on your phone.

[packyderms_wife]

I bet there's some free excel templates out there for budgetting

I've been searching and of course all of the buy me templates come up first.

K-

[packyderms_wife]

I use mint.com, and it works pretty well. Hard to track cash purchases, though. I kinda mix mint with an envelop system. I LOVE the mint iphone app. For cash envelopes, use cash vault on your phone.

what part of mint.com makes it difficult to track cash purchases??? I don't have a smart phone yet but with new IRS business apps OC is thinking it may time to purchase one for me, thinking it would enable me to keep better track of my studio purchases when I"m out and about.

[Mama Ten Bears]

There is no way to enter cash purchases on the phone that I've found.

[packyderms_wife]

There is no way to enter cash purchases on the phone that I've found.

hmmmm that could be a problem as I spend cash when I'm at the farmers market, etc., for the house and when I'm out shopping for my studio since I tend to look for vintage stuff to incorporate into my artwork. So that could be a problem, some folks only take cash though a few I know have now started using Square.com.

[packyderms_wife]

mamma10bears are you using an app, etc., for price comparison when grocery shopping? I hear there are a few good ones out there that let you know what the best prices on an item is in your area.

My best friend just enters her shopping list into the app on her smart phone and it gives her prices, coupons, etc. I'll have to ask her which one it is.

K-

[Mama Ten Bears]

hmmmm that could be a problem as I spend cash when I'm at the farmers market, etc., for the house and when I'm out shopping for my studio since I tend to look for vintage stuff to incorporate into my artwork. So that could be a problem, some folks only take cash though a few I know have now started using Square.com.

That's what I do with cash vault. I budget x amount for Atm in mint. Then, I use the envelop system with that cash. In cash vault, I have a vault for groceries, personal, yada yada. I enter cash purchases there.

My phone is the old 3s iphone, so I don't have a good app for comparison shopping. There are a bunch for coupons too that you might investigate. shoogar is one. Can't remember the others.

[packyderms_wife]

That's what I do with cash vault. I budget x amount for Atm in mint. Then, I use the envelop system with that cash. In cash vault, I have a vault for groceries, personal, yada yada. I enter cash purchases there.

My phone is the old 3s iphone, so I don't have a good app for comparison shopping. There are a bunch for coupons too that you might investigate. shoogar is one. Can't remember the others.

is cashvault available only through iPhone??? Just wondering because I was looking at getting the Samsung Galaxy Note which would allow me to use it as an ereader and as a phone, I text mostly so the bulky size of the Galaxy, when used as an actual phone, won't be an issue for me. I have a couple of artist friends that have purchased that phone to double as an ereader and for the artist applications and they absolutely LOVE it, and like me they rarely use it for making actual phone calls.

I'm not sure what the iPhone options are as I haven't investigated them yet.

K-