Since Mint...is shutting down...how does everyone here budget???

[jayk2k3]

Since Mint...is shutting down...how does everyone here budget??? I've been a long time user of mint, has help me budget, track networth, find fees i wasn't aware of. I thought of excel but doesn't really make sense for me. I have alot of little transactions and limited time. Been playing with a few budgeting apps...like monarchy money.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I don't use any of those apps due to not trusting them having my passwords.

[kork13]

I've always just used Excel, even years back when I was tracking my expenses to the cent. The few software options that I've heard of are Quicken, YNAB ("You Need a Budget"), and Every Dollar. I've never used any of them, so I can't speak to how good they are/are not ... And I'm certain that there are other good options out there beyond these few.

Honestly, I'd just suggest that you google "personal finance tracking software" or similar, and I'm sure you'll get a dozen or more lists of the supposedly "Best" finance apps out there. Don't focus on any one list's recommendations, but pay attention to the software that all/most of them recommend. When many different opinions all highlight the same product, they're probably on the right track. At that point, just do a trial of whatever 2-3 software systems seem like they'll work best for you. You can probably get a 2-4 week free trial, so you can test-drive them to see if you like it. Note that most worthwhile software will probably have a monthly/annual fee for use.

[disneysteve]

I have a notebook. One page for the year. I list our recurring monthly bills and update the average monthly cost after each bill comes in. At the bottom I write in one off expenses. At the end of the year I add it all up and see our average monthly spending.

[bjl584]

I've never used Mint.
I keep everything on a simply Excel spreadsheet.

[Like2Plan]

I use a basic Excel spreadsheet, too.

At one point I used Quicken, but they made a software change that I didn’t like.

It was quite an emotional event transitioning to another system (from Quicken)- so, I have been reluctant to change to dedicated financial software— it doesn’t seem to have a long shelf life before it becomes unsupported.

[MonkeyMama]

I use Quicken.
It's more expensive, but it more than pays for itself re: being very detailed (easy to spot rogue fees or charges) and time savings.

[riverwed070707]

I've used mint for a decade. I'm really disappointed its just going away. Its a really great hands off way to keep an eye on year to year categorical spending, inaccurate charges, and income and net worth over time. I really need to carve out some time to pull all my financials and rental expenses for this year and probably look at a way to archive some historical financial data. No idea what I'm going to transition to, just wanted to empathize. Keep us posted if you find something comparable

[Jluke]

Long time Quicken user.

I really like the app on my phone.

I can update the amount spent when I am out shopping and charge something to the credit card.

it’s also been great for forecasting spending each month as well as savings.

investment activity has to be recorded on a laptop/ desktop as the phone app has a limitation there.

[takekuma]

I switched to YNAB (You Need A Budget) after Mint's news. It's been cool for my small transactions and keeps things organized.

[terri77]

I opened a Credit Karma account with Intuit, but as I understand it, they are not a budgeting tool. I have the Every Dollar app, but everything is manual entry unless you pay to upgrade. I also have Empower, but not all my banks allow the app to link. Not sure what my solution will be yet.

[riverwed070707]

I opened a Credit Karma account with Intuit, but as I understand it, they are not a budgeting tool. I have the Every Dollar app, but everything is manual entry unless you pay to upgrade. I also have Empower, but not all my banks allow the app to link. Not sure what my solution will be yet.

I read this too but curious what that means. I don't necessarily use the budgeting features of Mint. Does Credit Karma still track your spending across categories and just doesn't allow you to set a spend amount or roll over budgets like Mint or does it not do any spend tracking?

[crazyliblady]

I read this too but curious what that means. I don't necessarily use the budgeting features of Mint. Does Credit Karma still track your spending across categories and just doesn't allow you to set a spend amount or roll over budgets like Mint or does it not do any spend tracking?

I just use a spreadsheet. I have my entire budget worked out for a year, like what I expect to spend in each category. This is based on old bills. Then, I break the same information down to the pay period. Within the pay period, I have predicted expenses and actual expenses. Because I have 3 payday months twice a year, I also have a plan worked out for those.

[terri77]

I read this too but curious what that means. I don't necessarily use the budgeting features of Mint. Does Credit Karma still track your spending across categories and just doesn't allow you to set a spend amount or roll over budgets like Mint or does it not do any spend tracking?

I haven’t even been able to figure out how to link my accounts on Credit Karma. I’ve found Account Management, but not where you can actually set up your accounts. So, not very user friendly. I doubt I’ll be using the app much.

[riverwed070707]

I just use a spreadsheet. I have my entire budget worked out for a year, like what I expect to spend in each category. This is based on old bills. Then, I break the same information down to the pay period. Within the pay period, I have predicted expenses and actual expenses. Because I have 3 payday months twice a year, I also have a plan worked out for those.

This is way too much manual input for me Are you going through your accounts and totaling up what you spend in each category? After a decade of having that automated, there is no way I'm going back to manual tracking. I have 4 streams of income and a half a dozen bank accounts for different purposes. It would take hours each month.