App/website for budgeting

lillypoo

Hi all

Can anyone recommend an app or website (preferably free) for budgeting please?

I have no clue about spreadsheets and have been doing it on paper for a few months, but it's doibg my head in as I get my pension on the last working day of every month but my part time job pays me every four weeks. 

Thank you

Brie

Have you tried using the statement of accounts here on the top sticky?  That at least will show you everything you need to consider for a budget.

Divingmad

Is this to use on a tablet or mobile? I have tried many that are available on the Google app store and most of them are free to a point, but may ask for payment to unlock extra functions or request access to your accounts to track your spending. 
I am currently using one called Bluecoins which is again free, doesn't need to access your accounts or anything. It does limit the number of lines on your budget to 30 (I think) and also if you are tracking money in multiple accounts it limits this to 10. It's a bit fidgety to set up but has some nice things for a free app.

enthusiasticsaver

I personally prefer doing my own spreadsheets but clear checkbook is free if you want tailored budgeting software.  Unless your finances are very complicated though it should be easy enough to do a spreadsheet. Everyone's budgeting needs are different so there is no one size fits all. 

If your pension gets paid on the last working day of the month you can do your bills for the beginning of the month just after that and you will get wages from your part time job at least once a month if paid every 4 weeks with one month a year having two salaries in the same month. Maybe have two accounts or an account you can split into different pots like Monzo or Starling.  Just sit down with a calendar to get the paydates for each income stream and arrange for direct debits and standing orders to  come out, move money into savings pots and savings accounts and then work out weekly amount for food, fuel, personal spends. 

Rob5342

I use a spreadsheet to work out how my pay with be distributed over the coming month, then when I get paid I put everything into my Monzo pots and use that to manage it day to day through the month. Starling do a similar thing with pots and it's well worth switching your bank account to one of them just for that feature.

One way to manage the four weekly pay is to get paid into a separate account, and then on the.last day of each month transfer that money into your main account. That way it's like being paid on the same day you get your pension, and once every year it will roll round and you get an extra months worth of pay to spend. With Monzo/Starling put you could put the pay into a pot when you get paid, and then transfer it out of the pot on the last day of the month.

For day to day spending have an account that is s just for spending and put your weekly budget into that, then it takes care of itself and all you have to do is check the balance in the app to see what you have left. With Monzo/Starling you only need one account and can put the rest of your money into pots.

There are other ways to do it of course, but that's good I do it and it takes virtually no effort.

lillypoo

Thanks everyone. I'm going to sort it out properly this morning. Thanks for all the info etc

lillypoo

@Rob5342 thank you. I'm with monzo. I'm now having one of those "why didn't I think of that ?" moments.  

outoftheviciouscircle

I know you asked for free but I started using YNAB in April. It costs £12.99 a month but has saved me in excess of over £1000 a month. Easy to use, can link to your banks directly if you wish. It has made me watch every single penny and I will certainly carry on paying for it until all my debt has gone.

EssexHebridean

Not specifically directed at the OP, but S general advice. 

If you are new to budgeting, always learn to do it manually first - apps can be great, but they will only work effectively for you if you already know exactly how the process works - and not only theoretically, but also practically and in your own individual circumstances. The risk otherwise is that an error can be created in the budget within the app or software that you may simply not be aware of, and this can cause issues when you suddenly discover you are short of funds to cover something vital. While errors can - and will - occur within automated budgeting regardless, you stand a far better chance of being able to first spot it, and second work out where the issue is, if you already have a robust working knowledge of how your budget should look at any given point in the month. 

Indout96

Dave Ramseys "Every Dollar" is both free and very good (no need for the paid version for what you need) you can rename all the sections and it runs on desktop / laptop but you cant get the app in the UK
https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar
You just need to ignore the fact it says $ rather than £ in the columns