[pizzaman]

What do you use for personal budgeting?

Do you use a specific software program? If so, what and pros and cons of.
Do you just use and self made excel spreadsheet? Care to share?
Do you use a piece of paper and pencil?
Or nothing at all.

 

[Dave Kerwin]

I don't have a physical budget, but a mental one.

I am tight on spending, and I cut out 90% of the fat in our household spending two years ago when my wife stayed home with the kids.

 

[Yetti]

I don't have a physical budget, but a mental one.

I am tight on spending, and I cut out 90% of the fat in our household spending two years ago when my wife stayed home with the kids.

I've been on the simular budget for 24 years or so. the wife does the books and shopping. once in a great while I can slide one past her, but its rare anymore.

 

[steveo]

i would say 80-90% of my budget is for beer, steaks and hookers.

 

[Dave Kerwin]

I've been on the simular budget for 24 years or so. the wife does the books and shopping. once in a great while I can slide one past her, but its rare anymore.

I run the books in my house, after the kids are older she probably will.

I have a lot of friends who use google speadsheets to to their budgeting.

 

[Mr.Green]

Dave Ramsey.

I use envelopes.

 

[MISHOWJEEPER]

I use a wallet. when it's empty I don't spend much....:sonicjay:

 

[WSU JK]

Wife is a CPA and was a comptroller for a company up in Port Huron. Needless to say, any Excel-based spreadsheets she develops make the rudimentary budgets I try to put together look like cave drawings.

 

[TFin04]

Self made spreat sheet. It's more for tracking everything, although I do set goals on there and create ways to achieve them.

I list my income, a breakdown of expenses, and balances in all my different accounts on the front page. The other pages are a self made check register where I track each account individually.

It's nice to be able to see exactly what I have, what I owe, and what my trends have been. I can see if I'm spending too much in one area (going out to eat, etc) or if I can afford to buy something else in another (more truck stuff). Nothing too fancy but it works for me.

I think I spent about an hour or so creating it.

 

[Sol Goode]

Excel

It has everything you need

 

[BlooMule]

Don't have one.
Can't afford shit, so I don't buy shit.

 

[Dave Kerwin]

Don't have one.
Can't afford shit, so I don't buy shit.

But you get money and spend money.

The smart way to do it, which I will eventually get on board with myself, is to "pre-spend" the monthly money. Have a place for every dollar before you get it and therefore before you spend it.

This way you will see clearly where you can cut back or pay down debt more or whatever. And you will not have any unnecessary spending because ever dollar already has an assinged destination.

 

[bj house]

But you get money and spend money.

The smart way to do it, which I will eventually get on board with myself, is to "pre-spend" the monthly money. Have a place for every dollar before you get it and therefore before you spend it.

This way you will see clearly where you can cut back or pay down debt more or whatever. And you will not have any unnecessary spending because ever dollar already has an assinged destination.

But what if you underestimated how good that lap dance was really going to be

 

[Blue XJ]

excel fle, but i don't really follow it, i just buy what i want, i can keep track of about how much i spend in my head.

 

[MISHOWJEEPER]

But what if you underestimated how good that lap dance was really going to be

X 273647845895959497453890578

 

[Chiefwoohaw]

Qicken. . . . we like it.

 

[zjguy721]

Excel for tracking bank statements, 401ks, property valuations, etc, but just a piece of graph paper for monthly bills. Pay the bill, check it off the list, date it, review it monthly to see they were all paid. I include in that a monthly deposit into savings account, offset by the months that there are extra bills (insurance, taxes, etc). Like Kerwin said above, if you have it budgeted ahead of time, you don't miss it.

 

[Mommabear]

I've used Quicken for years and I've been very happy with it. I check online banking just about every day and balance every time I update quicken. Bills come in and I input them into bill pay at the bank for the date they are due and then manually input them into Quicken. Bit convoluted for that but I've seen some issues with Quicken bill pay messing up so I prefer to do it in reverse.

 

[BlooMule]

But you get money and spend money.

The smart way to do it, which I will eventually get on board with myself, is to "pre-spend" the monthly money. Have a place for every dollar before you get it and therefore before you spend it.

This way you will see clearly where you can cut back or pay down debt more or whatever. And you will not have any unnecessary spending because ever dollar already has an assinged destination.

I must be really smart, my money is pre-spent by about a year now...

 

[smasheromalley]

repost