Last Updated on September 4, 2024
For some, saving money and keeping tabs on spending is easy. But for the rest of us, this is simply not the case. When it comes to accounting, we need help, and the more the better. Pay close attention to where your money is going. You’d probably be surprised how much you spend each month on entertainment, eating out, and impulsive buying.
The first rule of thumb is, pay yourself first. Bill yourself if you have to as a way to keep track. You can even have a portion of your check directly deposited into your savings account so you’ll never even miss it. Put part of it into savings for shorter term goals and some into a retirement plan. Compare interest rates at different financial institutions to get the most bang for your saved buck.
Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Once you’ve paid close attention to where your money is going, it will be easy to find where to cut corners and adjust your budget accordingly. With some commitment and a few lifestyle adjustments, it’s really quite simple to live within the parameters of a well-planned budget.
So for all of you out there who––like me––find yourselves time and again looking at an online statement at the end of the month and wondering where all of your money went, here are the top ten apps for tracking monthly spending. The following apps will help you find ways of saving a few dollars here and there, which can quickly add up to a significant savings each month!
Mint.com Personal Finance – Free
This highly ranked free app securely links up with your bank accounts to help you manage funds and track expenses. It allows you to create budgets and spending schedules, and provides useful charts, graphs, and breakdowns.
Personal Capital – Free
Another free app, Personal Capital lets you track spending and gives you easy-to-read expense breakdowns. It helps manage stocks and allows money transfer by taking photos of checks directly to your phone. A very impressive all-in-one finance app.
MoneyWiz – $4.99
This app is a bit pricey, at $4.99, but offers a whole lot of bang for the buck. It puts all your accounts into one place––your pocket––and enables money transfer, bill tracking and scheduling, multi-currency support, statement importing, and much more.
SplashMoney – $4.99
By far our list’s most cleverly named app, this one lets you let sync with multiple devices, visually track spending, link multiple accounts, and gain access to real time currency conversion rates. Costs $4.99 in the app store.
Dictionary of Personal Finance Terms – $2.99
Sometimes keeping track of spending comes down to a matter of understanding your financial statement. If you find yourself mildly baffled by your monthly stock reports and statements, this is the app for you. With a listing of thousands of terms, it is a useful and comprehensive app that will undoubtedly help bring your finances into focus.
MSN Money Smart Spending – Free
This app will help you save by keeping you informed. It provides insightful daily financial tips and suggestions. So if you want to keep abreast on the latest theories and news from top financial experts from around the world, this is your app.
Accounting Management – $1.99
Another information based app, this one is tailored specifically for the small business owner. With a huge database of frequently updated financial information and advice for small business owners, it is the tool for every conscientious businessman looking to expand his knowledge of finance and business accounting.
PowerOne Finance Calculator – $4.99
For the slightly more advanced financiers amongst you, this is the best finance calculator available in it’s free app version. Whether you want to graph, make charts, refinance mortgages, or flesh out your investment strategy, PowerOne has you covered.
You Need A Budget (YNAB) – $4.99
An extremely popular personal finance app, YNAB is user-friendly and streamlined. It is a basic, no-frills budget maker and expense tracker for those who love simplicity and need all their financial information in one place.
It is always astounding how easy it is to spend money and how difficult it is to save it. In our consumer-driven world full of ubiquitous advertising and constant temptation, we often spend much more than we realize. And there seems no end to those countless unexpected and unplanned-for expenses.
Luckily, though, there are quite a few tools to help us manage. Hopefully a few of these apps will make it a little easier to keep that money in your pocket instead of, well, who knows where.
Many thanks to Ladbrokes for their help in putting this list of budgeting apps together!
Check out our previous articles:
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