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Budgeting package advice please
downshifter
Posts: 1,122 Forumite
Dear all
I wonder if anyone could recommend a good budgeting package that I could try please. I've tried YNAB but the one month trial period is not enough, I also quite like Goodbudget which is simpler and works better for some things but it can't seem to cope with my odd income and ways of doing things.
Having kept a spending spreadsheet of my own over the past year I know an average of my income and expenditure under different budget lines. However, in terms of forward budgeting, there are two main problems - one is that my income varies each month - one income stream can fluctuate between £200 and £900 for example, and the other thing is that some income arrives twice a year, some 4 X a year, some monthly and some weekly. These systems tend to assume a fixed monthly payday from one source and I feel I'm trying to fit what I do into them rather than the other way round.
A further complication is that I want to be able to take out £100 a week cash, use it for that week's housekeeping and petrol, then sweep the remainder into a physical cash envelope to keep in the house. There are several things I need to pay cash for at home (window cleaner, man who cuts the grass etc) so like to build up a bit. However this throws those budgeting systems out considerably.
Has anyone any other suggestions I could try? It doesn't need to be complicated with apps etc, a spreadsheet that works and that I can keep in Dropbox to see wherever I am is fine.
Thanks
DS
I wonder if anyone could recommend a good budgeting package that I could try please. I've tried YNAB but the one month trial period is not enough, I also quite like Goodbudget which is simpler and works better for some things but it can't seem to cope with my odd income and ways of doing things.
Having kept a spending spreadsheet of my own over the past year I know an average of my income and expenditure under different budget lines. However, in terms of forward budgeting, there are two main problems - one is that my income varies each month - one income stream can fluctuate between £200 and £900 for example, and the other thing is that some income arrives twice a year, some 4 X a year, some monthly and some weekly. These systems tend to assume a fixed monthly payday from one source and I feel I'm trying to fit what I do into them rather than the other way round.
A further complication is that I want to be able to take out £100 a week cash, use it for that week's housekeeping and petrol, then sweep the remainder into a physical cash envelope to keep in the house. There are several things I need to pay cash for at home (window cleaner, man who cuts the grass etc) so like to build up a bit. However this throws those budgeting systems out considerably.
Has anyone any other suggestions I could try? It doesn't need to be complicated with apps etc, a spreadsheet that works and that I can keep in Dropbox to see wherever I am is fine.
Thanks
DS
0
Comments
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I think money dashboard is great.0
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Excel - it can cope with anything.Totally Debt Free & Mortgage Free Semi retired and happy0
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I've been lurking around this site and thought I could offer something here so thought I'd register and make my first post!
I have a spreadsheet I threw together to handle my own finances & budgeting that might work for you since I quite like the flexibility of Excel and am uncomfortable with the idea of handing over bank login details to third parties.
Anyway its probably a little overkill for what you want to use it for (I generally over-engineer things) and is designed to be used on a PC. If you want a copy I can PM it to you.0 -
You have a cash flow issue not a budgetting one.
MSMoney is still probably the best feature set
as long asyou don't want app integration.0
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