Best app to help me budget

skaps

Hi
I need to get better at budgeting. I have heard about online apps like Tandem and Starling and not sure which is best for my needs. I want my husband and I to have access to what is going on with our accounts so we can both be more responsible for budgets. We have some joint accounts and seperate credit cards and some joint.
Thanks in advance

Willing2Learn

Lots of people on MSE use Emma or Yolt. I use neither, as I am a YNAB Classic user.

findingthisdifficult

I use an app called debit and credit, it allows me to view 2 accounts for free or I can pay a yearly fee to have unlimited accounts. This app can be shared with other users, it allows you to put in all of your transactions and creates reports on what you spend your money on or where you spend your money? it also predicts your future wealth and you can set budgets for different categories.

getmore4less

Budget is planning in advance what you are going to spend.

You don't need apps to do that.

Tracking spending comes after setting a budget not before.

Iwantanewlife

i use a spreadsheet free from this website to set my budget in advance, then i use the Monzo account for its budgeting pots, so all my money goes into a halifax account, all the bills come out on pay day, then i have standing orders per line of my budget that are transferred to my monzo pots. I cannot rave about it enough! i can actually say its changed my life and the way i look and manage my money!

BettyBoof

I think getting an app to help you budget is a great idea. I have been using the original YNAB for a long time and as dramatic as it sounds, it was life-changing for me in how I manage our family budget.

Until you start to record every single spend you don't have a true picture of where your money is going. By tracking the money you ACTUALLY spend and not just what you plan to, your budget is up-to-date and flexible. YNAB has helped me save for holidays, put money aside for car costs etc. and I feel completely in control of our money. Highly recommend it!

La_escocesa

Another vote for YNAB here. It completely changed my life too. It's amazing knowing exactly where every penny is going and what is allocated where. It's also irrelevant where the money is held (my account, his account, joint account) as the categories in YNAB show where everything is going.

It's not just about the app but by watching their videos about zero based budgeting and doing their classes you'll see how it all works. You can try it free for 34 days and by then you can decide whether it's for you.

little_green

Personally I use a self created spreadsheet (probably similar to the free one on here) using Google sheets. It's free to use and can be accessed on pc or phone which I like.
Tried some apps but most have a category limit for the free versions anyway.
I track all my spends.

EssexHebridean

Before you start to use any sort of app or similar to help you budget, you first need to learn HOW to budget, and then how to live within that budget. Without that grounding, you don't have the understanding to spot if and where things are going wrong, if they do, and that can be dangerous.

As an easy place to start, consider using the SOA calculator that we point people to on here to list all your income and expenditure, and then live by that for a while while you refine it and discover all the stuff you've missed! You can use good old pen & paper for keeping track of things as you go along, and the SOA calculator will let you save and edit. the link for the SOA calculator can be found in my signature, or in a "sticky" post at the top of the board.

First learn the basics, and then, when you understand how it works, and are confident you can manage without an app, progress on to using one if you still feel you want to. (You may well feel at that stage that you're not prepared to pay for something you can perfectly well do for yourself, for free!)

DD265

I like YNAB. About a year ago I switched from the classic (pay once, desktop version) to web based, which I do prefer. It has goals that I can set and I find that motivating.

As has been mentioned, you can create a spreadsheet to help you do it. The zero-based method of budgeting works for me; every penny gets budgeted, even if it's to a 'slush fund' category.

I also feel a lot more in control now. In fact my bank balance is the highest it's been in a long time (after my bills have gone out) yet I know what I can and can't spend; a lot of it is set aside for annual bills.

Louoffofsparkle

I like my starling account as the money I spend registers straight away. Plus it lists direct debits the day before they are due. It helps me keep track much easier.
That being said if I wasn’t actively budgeting and keeping an eye on things then it wouldn’t help much.