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Making a budget is hard, and sticking to it is even harder, though not so hard as it used to be. Not too long ago, the best budgeting software was made from an Excel spreadsheet, and figuring out all of the equations and categories was no picnic. Today, budgeting is made easier than ever with intuitive software to meet anybody’s needs in app form. You have the convenience of tweaking your budget wherever you are and the simplicity of an app interface. The only problem is that some of these apps can be costly, but if you hate the idea of spending money to save it, you might not have to. You can use any of the following highly rated free apps for all of your budgeting needs.
- BillGuard
BillGuard offers the convenience of syncing to your bank account to keep you perfectly on track with your spending. It tracks your outflows to help you understand your spending habits, and it helps to prevent against fraud by alerting you every time a transaction is processed in your bank account.
This budgeting system lacks bells and whistles, which makes it extremely user friendly for many people. It’s truly simple to use, tracking only your income, expenses, and saving without detailed budget analyses. The simplicity of the program is very appealing to many users.
If you like the ability to manually create a budget and enter expenses, Dollarbird is for you. It offers a simple interface that allows you to customize your budget to meet your specific needs. Like Wally, this app is as simple as it gets, but perhaps that’s the reason it’s rated so highly.
Financial gurus can’t say enough about this noteworthy money management system. It’s much more than a budget. It’s a complex system that helps you keep track of your spending as well as your entire financial state. You can sync to your bank account and see every transaction shortly after it happens. Many love it for its in-depth spending analysis and savings tips.
- Level Money
Level Money is an app for those who like to plan out their spending in a little more detail. It syncs to your bank account and then asks you to portion out a percentage of your choice to savings. It offers you the option to schedule how much money you want to spend today, this week, and this month, helping you keep a closer eye on your spending from day to day.
This budget for Android users provides a basic way to create a customized budget and input expenses as they come in. It shows you using a simple graph how much money you have remaining in each category before you go over budget. You can also access graphs and statistics that will reveal your spending habits over time.
- One Touch Expenser
This simple app interface helps you budget with less detail. You create custom categories, such as food, and designate an amount to that category. Once that’s done, charts and reminder alerts will help keep you from going overboard. This is for people who want to keep a eye on their budget without the feeling of restriction that comes with many budget programs.
Many love the envelope system of budgeting, but hate to keep all of their cash lying around their house. If this is you, GoodBudget (formerly known as EEBA or the Easy Envelope Budget Aid) is the right app for you. It’s a digital envelope system that has you divide your income into categories, called envelopes. When you input expenses, it automatically takes it out of the appropriate envelope and shows you how much you have left. For many, such a convenient budgeting app is not only free, but priceless for helping with money woes.
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