MS Money - Anyone use it?

Amnesia180

Hi All..

I recently stumbled upon a thread that mentioned the use of MS Money.

Does anyone actually use this program, or similar programs to manage their money? And are they any good?

Any recomendations?

Many thanks!
Amnesia

dunstonh

I have used it for about 13 years now. It hasnt been updated for a while but thats possibly because there has been so little difference in the previous 3 versions and when something works well there is little you need to change about it.

There is an open source money management program called money manager EX. http://www.thezeal.com/software/index.php?Money_Manager_Ex

It is free (as its open source). It is a bit more simplified than MS Money but if its just money management you want then its worth looking at it.

note to mods: above link is for open source software not commercial.

Amnesia180

And would you recomend the open source one?

What does MS Money do that I may need?

I just want to be able to managed my money, and my savings. See where I'm spending, and where I could cut down etc.

I'll check out the open source software tonight.

Thanks,
Amnesia

angelatgraceland

I have used Quicken uk version. Didnt get on with MS money at all-Quicken is easier.

patwa_2

Another free one (I think) is AceMoney.

I used to use MS Money, but I then lagged with keeping the information up to date so...

Maybe now that Uni is starting up again in September I can once again start managing my money again too.

H.

mussgo

I have used MS Money for years (it was pre installed on my first computer), I find it extremely useful.

I have all my accounts there and have fine tuned it to suit me..... for example I now transfer money to my purse account from where it gets gets spent ....for ages these were just cash withdrawals that then just vaporised!!!!!

Once my wages go in I then enter all my monthly outs ahead of time (there is a line showing the current date) so I have 2 figures easlily seen ... the current balances plus what is not earmarked.

My mortgage is there too and any interest rate change is then added and I can view it to see the effect it has on my final payment date!! There is loan amorphorisation there that i have played with!

My current MS Money is 2004 wtere is also an inventory list, I have never used this but might be if interest! I dont use it to its full potential but I do recommend it!

Treading_Water

Hi
i've not used MS money, but I do use Quicken.
It allows me to keep a continuous check on my Income and spending, along with keeping a record of upcoming bill and expenses - including things like vehicle tax and Mots due. Also every month when I get my bank statements I check everything off against those and add anything I've missed - I then have an accurate historical record. The only thing I don't do is keep a record of all my cash spending as the op does - I just put it down to general household.

FBThree

I've used Quicken for donkeys years, but I reached a problem back in May, which no doubt, can also be reached in other software. Basically the file gave up the ghost and refused to open. I think I reached an internal limit on e.g. the number of transaction records it can hold, or the number of times you can access it. Even when I recovered back to an earlier file I could only access that one a few times before it too, refused to open. I ended up having to recover a file, and then sit there, using loads of "copy reports" into Excel to catch historical data. A real pain because I really liked the way of tracking spending on things, e.g. the house, over the years.

I'm now working on a new file dated from June forward. I suppose it does mean I keep things real and immediate.

Gillian1912

I have used MS Money ever since we got a computer.

I have all our bank & savings accounts and our one credit card set up on there so at any time I can see exactly what our financial situation is.

I keep all card receipts and regularly enter them so I always know where I am. Like Mussgo, I have all our outgoings (direct debits, standing orders etc.) listed as well as expected salary amounts. Once the salary goes in, I enter all the bills due before the next pay day and as well as the current balance, the sheet tells me what the balance will be once those bills have been taken.

This, coupled with on-line banking, means I keep a close eye on our money and can easily move money between accounts so, if I have some to spare I move it into a savings account before it gets a chance to get spent!

Nick_C

I do all this in Excel

McSaver

I use MS Money (2002) myself, Got it free because it can with my PC that i bought brand new in 2002. Its not a bad programme to use to keep track of your finances, It means I dont need any bank statements from the bank so its saves trees.

The lastest UK version is 2005, they decided not to do 2006 and 2007 for the UK, unless you insist buying the US version.