Microsoft 'Money' Have you used it ?

Debt_Free_Chick

CopperPlate wrote:

Why not just use the cash flow function.

That's the thing

It allows you to forecast the cash you have at any point in the future, allowing for all the transactions already entered, plus all the regular bills you've set up in Bills & Deposits and all the amounts you've included in your Budget. But you must use these Money features (Bills & Deposits and the Budget) in order to get an accurate future forecast.

For all those using Money ... take a backup now. Then "play" with your new Money file to see how it works. Once you're done, reinstate the backup and enter all the transactions that have gone through since you backed up. Or if the new modified Money file works, then stick with that.

peawack

Turning_into_scrooge wrote:

sorry you're talking about writen cheques (debits) i was talking about cheques paid into the account which are credits, crossed wires If you voided the debit cheque then yes it would give a false amount of what you have left to spend. Bet the OP is twice as confused now lol:rotfl:

Absolutely ! Nevertheless, I've bought it now !
Some of you seem to be at an advanced stage anyway, and I'm wondering if you really need MS Money at all !!!

Turning_into_scrooge

peawack wrote:

Absolutely ! Nevertheless, I've bought it now !
Some of you seem to be at an advanced stage anyway, and I'm wondering if you really need MS Money at all !!!

I would be totally lost without it as i can spend hours on there arranging my money and whats going where lol I also have the latest version and have not found any bugs in it as other posters have, guess I've just been lucky.:)

CopperPlate_2

:rotfl: I thought I was the only one who played around for hours to see if the money got any more depending on when I paid my bills on Money Bill Planner!!

I would be totally lost without it, although that being said, I've automated so many things now, the accounts practically run themselves :rolleyes:

NeoVR2k6

I used money... then stopped using it, and im about to start again

the biggest PITA with it i find is you cant start a "month" on payday... im used to working that way with a old excel spreadsheet..

My other gripes with it are more my fault.. i wasnt very diciplined with the catagories.. i originally started using it to try to get perspective on what i was managing to spend my salary on.
also the fact it doesnt support UK banks automatically - more a irritation really, i did move from cahoot to A & L so i could download my accounts

kuohu

Yup another happy Money user here, and I use it daily. Couldn't live without it now

Turning_into_scrooge

NeoVR2k6 wrote:

I used money... then stopped using it, and im about to start again

the biggest PITA with it i find is you cant start a "month" on payday... im used to working that way with a old excel spreadsheet..

My other gripes with it are more my fault.. i wasnt very diciplined with the catagories.. i originally started using it to try to get perspective on what i was managing to spend my salary on.
also the fact it doesnt support UK banks automatically - more a irritation really, i did move from cahoot to A & L so i could download my accounts

Would yoube using the American version now by any chance? I haven't found any problem with the UK banks

MPH80

Turning_into_scrooge wrote:

Would yoube using the American version now by any chance? I haven't found any problem with the UK banks

I think the OP was referring more to the fact that most UK banks don't support the 'background banking' feature on Money. For those not initiated to Money - you have 3 options as to how to get the items on your statement into Money:

1) Enter them yourselves and reconcile against the paper statement when it arrives (or online each day if you prefer)
2) Use the 'statement download' feature of your bank - which downloads in a common format and then loads in.
3) Use the background banking in money which automatically connects and downloads the information for you.

The only bank (AFAIK) in the UK supporting the background banking feature is Nationwide. Even then - it only downloads your statements automatically.

Remember - the US version (and some US Banks) will not only let you download statements - but initiate transactions via Money too.

Having said that - it's a very useful feature. I do find it easier to work with than logging on to each bank to check the statement.

M.

CopperPlate_2

I re-jigged all my categories - some of the default ones were never going to be used. I've refined the whole thing now and I really think it's almost like a bespoke system. What I'd really like is the flexibility that designing your own reports can bring - the standard reports can be customised but never to the degree that I'd like! Maybe I'm expecting too much from a £30 software package!!

CopperPlate_2

I hated downloading the statements from the banks that offer it. I found that they named payees for me which didn't coincide with the payee names I'd given them, the whole reconcilation process was fraught with trouble and I gave up about three or four versions ago. Perhaps it's improved so I might give it another go now as I see that you can have "options" as far as naming payees is concerned.