Getting more organised financially - how am I doing? Any suggestions?

MysteryWealth · 29 July 2024 at 12:26PM

TL:DR
Getting my financials organised. Spreadsheet budget until I get laptop app that is better (do not like YNAB). Already kind of sorted statement of income and regular outgoings, looking at controling non-regular outgoings better. Any advice or suggestions on mangaing this completely? I am not really happy with my bank interactions (download statements in csv then have to manipulate it to get something useful).

OK I have a poor relationship with money and have stuck my head in the sand too much. My partner has for at least a year set up a budgeting excel spreadsheet but she is not comfortable with excel. I am very comfortable so I have downloaded our joint account and my personal acount from the respective banks, a full year statements in csv format.

These I have sorted and filtered roughly at first to gain a quick statement of regular expenses and my income / incomings. I missed a few things so I am going to redo this. My idea is then to create my own budgeting spreadsheet. I have downnloaded the MSE one but did not like it. Too much bumf in there for my liking.

Anyway, we already have my partners spreadsheet with everything allocated. There are spends that are not covered as they vary. For example we had a few unexpected expenses so our monthly bills account ran out and we both put more in to cover it. We also occasionally pay with our own personal accounts for things that should go into the joint. Can't really explain but I need to work on that because it all means I have less money than I should if you get me.

My thinking is somehow putting sub budgets of pots of money for things so I allocate my money completely. I am looking to clear more so I can up my pension contributions. I can end up with 16% employer contributions if I increase mine but I can not do this without creating that pot of surplus.

I also have an employee share save scheme that is extremely generous that is definitely a good thing to get into as well. I am early 50s and need to maximise my money for the future retirement.

This all is in the future as I need, right now, to get on top of my personal spends and our joint budget. My first thought has been technology. App based but there is nothing out there. I once had quicken and MS money (back in 1998) but I was not in a position to need it back then. I think I would want something like that but nothing like it now I think. It seems to me that too much is either web based apps or US centric apps or just adds too much or is linked to banks or bank like account consolidation companies (I think Monzo or Starling Bank apps). I would ideally like a way to see my money situation quickly and with a simple app on my laptop. That is information from various banks and also from an ISA I have (that I need to really close or do something with).

I also think that a lot of this could be managed by a spreasheet with just say a monthly statement download from my accounts and perhaps pension too. Any advice?