What do you use
Find a Conversation
What do you use
| Tue, 12-27-2005 - 2:39pm |
I know many use the computer to do their "budgeting" (I prefer Family Spending Plan)....can some of you sahre what you use and why you use it and if you like it? Thanks...D~ in CT


I just posted mine in another thread: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-mlsupport&msg=14492.2
We use Quicken. I used Microsoft Money '97 when it first came out, but I only made a half-hearted attempt at using it properly. I'd let my bank statements build up for about six months and then, when Dh was on a business trip, use each night to balance my accounts. Of course, this was before you could download data direct from the bank, so I had to enter 6 months of transactions from my register and then balance them with the statements, and of course there were always transactions I hadn't recorded, and I'd get all stressed out. When Money 2000 came out, Dh wanted to upgrade, and I was adament that we weren't going to upgrade. Reason being that I didn't want him to see what a rotten job I was doing. ;-)
Quicken came free with my husband's laptop, and that's why we use it. We upgraded recently to Quicken 2006, and I do enjoy using it. The good thing is that Dh's laptop leaves the house with him each day for work, so I cannot stress over it each day. I just have to let it leave my mind until the weekend. Then I sit down, download my transactions, and I'm finished balancing all my accounts in 30 minutes tops. Can't beat that! :-D
Pat :-D
We have microsft excel on my computer...I am just clueless when it comes to using it? My husband knows the ins and outs but he is never home (work)....any advice?
D`in CT
Pen and paper work well also, at least until you can play around with Excel (or another program) and figure out the ins and outs of them. Figure out how much money you have coming in (salary and any other income you may have such as alimony or child support, etc), and then write down your monthly expenses, taking into consideration money usually spent on clothing, movie rentals, starbucks coffee, etc. Anything you normally spend on. If the money going out is more than what is coming in, try making some adjustments.
Maybe you could move down to a less expensive phone or cellphone plan, or find less expensive internet. Shopping carefully for groceries is a great way to save money also.
As for the programs, could you check with your library and see if they have instruction manuals or a "How to use..." computer program for you to check out?
Pat
I posted in another thread too. But I found Microsoft Money hard to understand. I don't know though some people really like it, it just didn't seem very user friendly to me. I use a combination of Quicken and Excel.
Quicken, I use to track my expenses and see where money is leaking away. Excel I use to plan for the future. I find that I am better able to see where my money is going and where I want it to go in the future by working it that way.
As far as learning Excel, if I remember correctly there are some on-line tools that you can look into almost like classes that shouldn't cost much if anything and if you still have the Excel disk that you installed on your computer there should be a learning session on it as well.
Although if paper works for you and your having a hard time with Excel, I would just stick with paper. I find that if I use whatever is easiest for me then I am much more likily to stick with the budgeting thing.
I use Microsoft Money 2004 version and Excel spreadsheets for tracking debt repayment progress over the years.
I am one of those who like MSN Money but I agree with the poster who said that it doesn't seem very user friendly especially in the beginning.
Kassandra
Kassandra
"It is said that life has its peaks and valleys. The challenge is to accept them equally and experience them