How I Learned to Save Smartly. The best apps for keeping track of expenses
For a year now, I’ve been writing down all my expenses. I can no longer imagine a life where I’ve lost control of my finances and don’t know how much I’ve saved that month.
To believe in the benefits of recording every penny, you have to see with your own eyes how your cafe lunches turn into AirPods in a month and a half. You can also learn that saving 15% of your paycheck is real if you don’t waste it in the first few days of shopping and wait for discounts.
I offer solutions that I’ve personally tested. And more tips that will help you squeeze the most out of them and not become financially paranoid.
1- Budget: Accounting for expenses (free).
It Will suit almost everyone because it works as an operating system: it’s a tool, not a motley product with intrusive services.
Pros:
+ You can customize purses, categories, and labels
+ Reports in clear charts
+ There is a difference in expenses compared to last month
+ You can enter sources of income (salary/freelance) if there is more than one
+ No built-in advertising
+ Dark theme
Cons:
– Can’t put a password without a paid version
– Overruns are not displayed in any way.
2- CoinKeeper 2 (free)
It Will suit almost everyone because it works as an operating system: it’s a tool, not a motley product with intrusive services.
Pros:
+ You can customize wallets, categories, and tags
+ Reports in clear charts
+ There is a difference in expenses compared to last month
+ You can enter sources of income (salary/freelance) if there is more than one
+ No built-in advertising
+ Dark theme
Cons:
– Can’t put a password without a paid version
– Overruns are not displayed in any way.
3- CoinKeeper 2 (free)
There is already the third version with completely rebuilt logic, but I find it overloaded. Too much sausage of buttons that you don’t want to spend time on. I use CoinKeeper 2 regularly and remain happy with it.
Pros:
+ Simple and user-friendly interface
+ Clear graphs
+ Automatically calculated total balance if there are different currencies
+ If a category is close to overdrawn, it will be orange first, then red.
Cons:
– Too many ads for your subscription.
– The free version promotes credit cards.
4- MoneyViz 3 (free)
Heavy artillery for those who like to enter every little thing thoroughly. For the average user, too, will do, but to understand at first still have to.
Pros:
+ Maximum functionality in the free version.
+ You can fine-tune everything to your liking: from the process of entering data to the appearance of reports
+ You can even enter your salespeople using tags, which is something you’ll rarely see.
Cons:
– Slow navigation: expenses are recorded in multiple windows
– Ads at the bottom burden an already text-heavy layout.
5- Zen-money (free)
The app mixes the functionality of MoneyViz with the look and feels of Budget. It’s easy to use and has synced with banks.
Which, though, can be a problem.
Pros:
+ Synchronization with banks even in the free version
+ There is a list of stores
+ Unlimited number of subcategories
Cons:
– Access to the trial period is given without your knowledge, so you will get to know the free version only after two weeks
– Bank algorithms don’t always cope with spending categories and can ruin all your statistics
– The free version has no budget and no reports
6- Excel spreadsheet (free)
The most budget-friendly and easy option.
If you care more about the dry substance of the data you’re working with than the wrap-around, spreadsheets are the best fit.
Pros:
+ Costs in ready-made charts as a percentage
+ No money will be asked even for the full version
+ Access to the database will be everywhere.
Cons:
– Graphs are only divided into three major categories
– Can not enter their wallets
– Need to figure out how to work
– Working with a spreadsheet can be tedious and too bureaucratic.
7- There are alternatives, but they cut out key functionality
I suggest you try them if the above options do not suit you for some reason. I have not used them myself because they lack the details which are essential to me.
In the handy application, Money Flow can not set category limits in the free version.
Multifunctional WalletApp prohibits adding more than three accounts. I have seven.
Spending OK is as simple as possible. Suitable for children and teenagers who are just starting to manage their money. The reason is that there are no wallets there at all.
All the apps you see on the cover of the article, you can try too. They are no better than each other.
