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A life you love on a budget you can afford.

Here on TBM®, I provide you with simple, easy-to-follow solutions to help you budget your money, pay off debt, save more, and crush your financial goals. But more than that, I give you the tools to start doing the things that matter most to you, on a budget that actually works!

4 Free Budgeting Tools Everyone Should Know About

October 24, 2016
Budget Tips

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Taking charge of your financial life is so much easier with the right budgeting tools. Check out these four free budgeting tools that allow you to track, manage, and plan a budget designed specifically for you.

If you know my story, then you know I have a deep love and passion for budgeting. Creating a plan for my financial future was one of the best decisions I have ever made and it all started with a budget. Back in 2011, my budget consisted of just a piece of paper and a pen. Getting it exactly right is not an easy task. Luckily, there is some great budgeting software out there that can help you take charge of your finances.

The best thing you can do when it comes to your budget is to find a method that works for you and your family and stick to it. If you haven't found the perfect budgeting method yet, here are four free budgeting tools to help you find the perfect solution for your budgeting needs.

BUDGETTRACKER.COM

Best for busy people who have started a budget and just can't stick to it.

There is one thing that I love about BudgetTracker. If you are the type of person who doesn't like giving a third-party app your login credentials to track your spending, then this tool is for you. It's also a great resource if you are wanting to keep every aspect of planning your life in one centralized place. Not only can BudgetTracker track your spending, but it can also track other daily tasks life has to offer such as:

  • Shopping Lists
  • Tasks
  • Cooking Recipes
  • Workout Schedule
  • And so much more…

BudgetTracker can  track your accounts such as your account balances (banking, credit card, and brokerage activity), compare your interest rates, and track outstanding balances on your credit card.

Since there is no syncing your accounts or adding login credentials, you have the option of entering your transactions manually or batch downloading them from your financial institution. You can track recurring and non-recurring bills, tag each transaction with your own personalized category, receive email reminders of when bills are due and so much more.

There are two budgets you can create with BudgetTracker – a monthly budget or a weekly budget. They give you helpful budgeting support that's based on your recent bills and transactions, and they also give you the ability to set custom budgeting options.

One of their best features is the budget reports. They include graphs and let you see your flow of cash in a visual way.

You can sign up for a free account HERE.

  • Related: How to Budget When You Are Behind on Bills

BUXFER

Best for younger people who are just starting out on their financial journeys.

Buxfer is an online budgeting tool aimed at 20-somethings who are interested in starting their finances out right and who have future goals they want to reach financially. You have the option of entering your financial data in manually or using their top-notch security to sync your bank accounts. They now support over 10,000 financial institutions worldwide.

You can categorize your spending with customized tags and attach multiple tags for the same transaction. This is great if you need to split a transaction in two. For example, if you go to the store and get groceries and house items on the same trip, you can split the transaction to include the categories “food” and “home items.”

If you are struggling to make ends meet and are working on a limited income, their real-time alerts are a great feature that sends you alerts on your mobile device when you overspend.

One of the best features about Buxfer is their forecast function. Forecasts can estimate your future income and expenses based on your past spending, upcoming transactions, bill reminders, and budgets. This allows you to plan for larger expenses such as weddings or vacations. It can also foresee if and when your account balance drops below a particular limit which can save you from overdraft and minimum balance fees charged by certain banks.

If you are in college, have a roommate and need to share expenses, this is really easy to do with Buxfer. They call these IOUs which allow you to send money to friends or family for free. You can share expenses such as rent and grocery bills.

You can sign up for a free account HERE.

  • Related: How to Create a Budget (When You Really Don't Want To)

SAVVYMONEY

Best for people who are struggling with debt and saving.

There is one powerful resource that comes with this free online tool. SavvyMoney gives you complete and ongoing access to your credit score. Yes, absolutely free. This is a fantastic resource for people who are struggling to get out of debt and need help improving their credit score. It lays everything out for you. SavvyMoney explains what impacts your credit score and they give you real recommendations that might help you improve it.

At first, it's all about understanding your current financial situation. After you complete this in SavvyMoney, you can create a debt repayment plan based on what works for you. Just like with your credit score, they will give you powerful tips to help you control your debt and build a budget that works.

You can sign up for a free account HERE.

  • Related: How to Create a Plan to Pay Off Debt

CALENDARBUDGET.COM

Best for people who need to see their spending by date visually.

If you are creating your first budget, this is the budgeting tool I recommend. I have personally used this tool for almost a year, and I don't know how I would track my spending without it. I highly recommend organizing and planning your money according to your paycheck and CalendarBudget makes this super easy to do. Everything is organized on a monthly calendar where you can record your income, expenses, and regular spending habits.

You can see your bank account balance on any day in the future, plan ahead for major upcoming expenses, and create a plan to save more based on past information. All transactions are entered manually and can be added one at a time or batch added.

Budgeting your money is not just about budgeting your past spending but your future spending as well. You can do this by creating transactions on your calendar and saving specific amounts for recurring bills. These can be adjusted at any time for any given month. You can categorize spending by color and category which allows you to see your spending in a whole new way. It also keeps a real-time update of your budget, so you know what areas of spending that extra attention.

It reminds you when bills are due and encourages you to keep your budget updated. Here is a quote directly from their website that I think summarizes this free budgeting tool really well.

Let's face it; we think about money the same way we spend it, day-to-day, not summarized by month or in a long list of transactions. CalenderBudget, the free personal money management software tracks and forecasts your use of money in the same way you actually use it, day-to-day, on a calendar as financial planners have long recommended.

You can sign up for a free account HERE.

  • Related: How to Budget When You Are a Spender

There are too many free budgeting tools to name in one article, but I did want to mention a few more popular free budgeting tools.

Mint.com is a great tool if you want to have access to your budget on any electronic device. It works beautifully on a tablet, phone, or desktop.

YNAB (You Need a Budget) focusing on giving every one of your dollars a job. Their award-winning software will allow you to roll with life's punches so that you can stick to a budget no matter what.

EveryDollar is a fantastic tool even if you don't follow Dave Ramsey's financial advice. You can create unlimited budgets, which is great if you have a business. It has helpful visuals and an easy budgeting platform.

No matter what budgeting tool you decide to use, the decision to use one is always the first step. It might take some time to find the right budgeting method and tool that works for your particular situation, and that's OK. If the first attempt doesn't work out, don't give up. It took months for me to find a system that I could stick to, but I kept pushing because getting my financial life in order was important to me. Make managing your money a priority and start creating a budget today.

  • Up Next: 4 Must-Read Budgeting Articles For Beginners

What's your favorite free budgeting tool?

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Filed Under: Tagged With: BUDGET, MONEY, REVIEW, SPENDING

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Comments

  1. Crystal says

    October 25, 2016 at 9:07 am

    This is amazing. I’ve shared this post and will be checking out these tools later today.

    • kumiko Ehrmantraut says

      October 25, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      Thank you so much Crystal!

  2. Meghan says

    October 26, 2016 at 9:37 am

    Looking to start a budget too. This article is perfect!

    • kumiko Ehrmantraut says

      October 26, 2016 at 4:46 pm

      Thanks Meghan!

  3. Tia @ financiallyfitandfab says

    October 27, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Mint.com is my absolute fave! I’ve used it for a while and my clients typically use it. I’ll have to check out the other tools you mentioned though! I’ve used every dollar but wasn’t a huge fan.

    • kumiko Ehrmantraut says

      October 28, 2016 at 10:55 am

      I love Mint.com as well. My absolute favorite is calendarbudget.com. I use it every day to track my spending and it’s eye opening!

      • Gert says

        April 13, 2017 at 9:59 am

        Okay I’m connviced. Let’s put it to action.

      • owners ins co says

        May 17, 2017 at 7:43 am

        Liz PearsonPosted on November 22, 2012 at 3:50 pm | Yes, you can definitely use whole grain flour. Let me know how you like the muffins. I am not scheduled to speak in your area in the near future, but if that changes I will let you know. Have a great day and thanks for your feedback on my blog!

  4. sofia says

    April 11, 2017 at 8:03 am

    Hey Miko!
    I have been researching budgeting tools for a while now. I found out about YNAB and was going to get it and then I stopped by your blog to see if you recommend it. Now, I see there are so many other free options (YNAB is actually an annual paid plan now)..I really like the calendar budget yet I was wondering if you tried YNAB. I am looking for a one solution software rather than using more than one. I feel like if I use more than one tool I’ll get overwhelmed. Have you tried YNAB? and if so, do you recommend it?
    I am currently living paycheque to paycheque. I cut so many expenses but I tend to end up with a negative balance every month due to medical bills that are not covered by my insurance. Please advise. thanks 🙂

  5. Debora Lyng says

    May 7, 2017 at 6:18 am

    Thank-you for the information, it was a great reminder for this 60+ woman. Are you aware of any sites directed at/for seniors. I am a nurse case manager and have found many seniors have not prepared for this time in life. Many are in need of guidance. Would appreciate anything.

Hello, I'm Kumiko, but everyone just calls me Miko. Welcome to my blog, The Budget Mom. I am an Accredited Financial Counselor® , and mom to a rambunctious boy. Come along with me as I strive to live a life I love on a budget that I can afford. Read more about me.

RECENT YOUTUBE VIDEO

The Budget Mom

The Budget Mom
Back on March 1st, I did an Instagram Live all about closing out your budget.

This step and my "Where Did My Money Go?" Worksheets are the two things I get the MOST questions about.

What do you do with your budget after the month is over, and you’re ready to begin a new month? Most people don’t realize it, but your spending throughout the month gives you some incredibly helpful information.

One of the first steps to creating and sticking to a realistic budget is tracking your expenses. Your spending is the underlying foundation for creating a budget and ensuring that your budgets in the future are successful.

If you are not aware of where your money is going, you can’t make the best decisions for your dollars.

➡️ HOW I TRACK MY SPENDING: https://bit.ly/3aIe89I
➡️ HOW TO USE A BUDGET CALENDAR: https://bit.ly/2IzF2Vj
➡️ FINDING YOUR WHY: https://bit.ly/3aJUryj
➡️ THE BUDGET MOM'S FINANCIAL FREEDOM STEPS: https://bit.ly/3cfJXsp
➡️ HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THE CASH ENVELOPE METHOD: https://bit.ly/2vQJaO5
➡️ HOW TO CREATE A PLAN OF ATTACK TO PAY OFF DEBT: https://bit.ly/2wDETxF
➡️ HOW TO CLOSE OUT YOUR BUDGET: https://bit.ly/2Uz0UUW

ABOUT ME

Kumiko Love is a single mom who empowers women everywhere to regain control of their financial lives. An Accredited Financial Counselor with over nine years of experience in the finance industry, she founded The Budget Mom, a community of millions of women on a path to financial fulfillment.

She's also the creator of the wildly popular Live Rich Planner® and Budget by Paycheck® Workbook. Love has been featured on Good Morning America, the Today show, CNN, CBS, ABC and in USA Today, US News, World Report, Huffington Post, Money Magazine, Parents Magazine, the Washington Post, and Real Simple. She lives in Spokane Valley, Washington.

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