Budgeting the easy way

I’ve given fair shots to Mint, Quicken Online, and pretty much every other personal finance tool that pops up.

But for our regular checking account, a spreadsheet that acts as a register going backward and a budget going forward is our perfect solution. We’ve kept it current for five years running.

All deposits are there going forward — as are recurring bills and budgets for groceries, gas and other expenses each month.

When we spend in a budget category, we decrease the remaining budget balance for the month when we add the expense.

Simple yet effective.

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3 responses to “Budgeting the easy way”

  1. Likewise, after several years of trying to find the most righteous productivity / todo application (including: Basecamp, Tada List, Things, GTD Tiddlywiki, Remember the Milk, and on and on), I realized that my favorite option is a sticky note or scribble in my notebook.

  2. Sometimes simplicity works best.

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