fbpx

Kicking the addiction

Fact: I have a weakness for money management software. Kind of like how some people have a thing for shoes, but way dorkier.

I’ve tried numerous budgeting programs, most recently Pocketsmith and Budgetpulse, and given up. (Don’t talk to me about Excel. I have a pathological fear of spreadsheets.) Whether they have too many bells and whistles, a lack of flexibility to organise things weekly rather than monthly, or a system that I just can’t figure out, none of them have ever clicked with me.

I’m just not dedicated enough to get that deep into it. And now that I know and accept that I’m not cut out for detailed tracking tools, I’m going to instigate a selfimposed ban on myself. No longer will I be seduced by colourful charts and promises of fancy whizbang dashboards and integrated calculators.

I’m sticking with planning my spending with SimpleD, and breaking it down monthly with my online banking transaction tracker. It’s a rather haphazard way to run things (the same could be said for, well, everything else in my life) but it seems to work for me.

What do you use to manage your money?

6 thoughts on “Kicking the addiction

  • Reply SS4BC December 19, 2009 at 19:02

    I’m an excel girl myself. Mainly because I use it just link a pen and paper without having to add. 😉

    However, I only use it to plan my budget, not to monitor each expense.

    I personally don’t write down every expense, this is the main benefit that I love about how I’ve set up my accounts. As long as I don’t overspend on any account, it doesn’t matter where I spend my money or how much I spend.

  • Reply Sense December 19, 2009 at 19:52

    Excel, Excel, Excel!!!

    =sum() is the greatest thing ever. I have to use Excel every day in my job, so I don’t have that same fear. (just don’t talk to me about Access).

    It was fun for me to figure out how best to set it up so that it works for me.

    I do want to add some fun, colorful pie charts when I get a second.

    what is SiimpleD?

  • Reply Kim December 20, 2009 at 03:38

    I’m a SimpleD girl myself! I’ve tried a bunch of different programs and whatnot but it’s the one I keep going back to….

  • Reply The Asian Pear December 20, 2009 at 06:16

    I created my own spreadsheet/workbook on Excel a few years ago. Very rudimentary. As my Excel skills developed, I tweak it and add things as I learn. Now I’m trying to add dashboards to my workbook.

  • Reply Revanche December 22, 2009 at 10:05

    I’m trying to learn how to make Excel work FOR me and not against me. It’s a … work in progress. Slow slow progress. But I use spreadsheets all the time for recordkeeping, just in a lame, hobbly sort of way.

    I’ve used PearBudget, Yodlee and Mint, all of which have their good points but have trouble really sticking to them. I’m going to give Mint another try, though, as Yodlee’s bugginess is really annoying.

  • Reply Betting on the bank « Musings of an Abstract Aucklander May 16, 2010 at 20:45

    […] me? I’m pretty laissez faire with my finances. That’s why clever tools like Budgetpulse and the like don’t do it for me – they’re just too much work! I set out a rough spending plan, […]

Leave a Reply to Revanche Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.