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Finance Tracking??

November 10th, 2008 at 03:51 am

Howdy, everyone. I was wondering what you all use to track your finances. I need to have something that costs very little, is portable (so that I can take it anywhere), and is easy to use. My initial thought is something like a moleskin notebook to write notes about what I spend money on or planner pages to track expenses. It just seems like my money just disappears and I hope something like this will help me to find the leaks!

Posted in Goals | 8 Comments »

8 Responses to “Finance Tracking??”

  1. gamecock43 Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 03:56 am 1226289381
    1226289381

    I have a piece of paper on my fridge. Every morning I write the date on the paper and as the day goes on I write in spending. Every week or so I type it up to stay organized- reflect on the spending. At the end of the month I have predetermined catagories like 'groceries' 'entertainment' that I then catagorize the purchases.

  2. ceejay74 Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 05:55 am 1226296523
    1226296523

    First, I would use a debit or credit card linked to your main checking account. If you do that already, you can go in and see where you spent money last month. Online, you can sort alphabetically by business, which is handy.

    I keep track of my budget in an Excel spreadsheet, which I can access through any Web-enabled computer because I keep it in Google docs, a free place to store documents. For household spending like groceries, I allot a certain dollar amount twice a month in my budget-tracking spreadsheet, and then when I buy things using my debit card, I subtract that amount from the set dollar amount, so that I always know how much money I have left in that budget category.


    If you do cash withdrawals, I would stop that, unless you withdraw exactly what you are meant to spend for a week.

    For incidentals and personal stuff, I withdraw cash every Friday and distribute it among my family. We don't have to track that; it's our money to save or spend as we please.

    Just my methods; hope this helps!

  3. merch Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 02:08 pm 1226326089
    1226326089

    I use mvelope.com. It's a little pricey, but I have bank and cc all linked together.

    There are some free ones out there like YNAB.com. I also think some people use quicken.

    Good luck.

  4. Ima saver Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 03:58 pm 1226332719
    1226332719

    I have used the envelope method for 43 years. I put cash in the envelopes and it works for me. when the money is gone, I can't spend anymore in that catagory.

  5. Koppur Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 04:51 pm 1226335882
    1226335882

    I keep a handwritten list on paper, then at the end of the month I can see where it all goes. (I love moleskin notebooks!)

  6. Ms. Pearl Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 06:56 pm 1226343398
    1226343398

    I use cash only throughout the week. I don't have a debit card...that would be a disaster for someone like me! I divide my cash according to:
    1.groceries/household supplies
    2.gas
    3.allowance for my daughters
    4.misc. I put $10.00 in this category every week and sometimes I use it if I am short and sometimes I use it for thrift stores etc...

    I keep track of my monthly expenses with a large 3 ring binder. I also keep important papers related to my kids, meal planning and recipes in here. We tried excel for awhile but I really prefer my binder/envelope system.

  7. whitestripe Says:
    November 10th, 2008 at 09:11 pm 1226351474
    1226351474

    i used to use a little notebook that fit in my handbag, but once i bought a laptop i started using excel spreadsheets. its much easier. if you use your computer nearly every day i'd suggest doing something like that. also, once you start writing things down it becomes easier to remember the money you spend as well.

  8. Broken Arrow Says:
    November 11th, 2008 at 01:18 pm 1226409522
    1226409522

    I doubt I'd be of much help, because I am a PDA fanatic.

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