Our Debt Free Family

Commit. Plan. Take action.

  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • FREE FB GROUP
  • FREE DEBT REDUCTION TOOLS
  • GET OUT OF DEBT
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / 5 Simple and Free Budgeting Tools You Could Be Using

5 Simple and Free Budgeting Tools You Could Be Using

November 8, 2017 | 2 Comments

free budgeting tools
When it comes to handling your personal finances, budgeting can be extremely difficult. In fact, some people spend money learning how to budget or better handle their finance. What you may not know is that there are some great free budgeting tools out there that can help everyone.

Free Budgeting Tools

When you’re looking for budgeting tools, remember that not everyone thinks the same. So, your budget may need to be a bit different than your mother’s was. These five budgeting tools are free and really easy to use:

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are one of the easiest ways to set and keep track of your budget. By entering your monthly income and expenses into a spreadsheet you can see where you have the opportunity to cut some expenses. Of course, to have a budgeting spreadsheet you’ll need to have Microsoft Excel or a similar application. However, if you don’t have access to the program, you can access Excel for free through Google. You can also access Excel and a computer at your local library (though you’ll want to be careful about logging any personal information on those computers).

Check out this FREE expense tracker spreadsheet.

Envelopes

As far as free budgeting tools goes, this is one of the most hands-on. To budget with envelopes, you will have to write down a budget and have a set amount of cash for each of your expenses. For example, if you spend $400 per month on groceries you would put $400 cash in an envelope marked groceries. This will insure that you don’t go over your budget and, for many people, makes them realize how much they are spending.

Pay in Cash

If you’re not into separating your money into envelopes but still want to budget and become more aware of your spending, think about paying in cash. After you’ve put money in savings, pay everything else throughout the month in cash. Many people who pay in cash tend to better stick to their budget and turn away from unnecessary purchases. Paying in cash is a great budgeting approach for many people.

You can also participate in fun savings challenges like the 52 Week Money Challenge with your change if you pay in cash regularly.

Balancing Your Checkbook

Not many people carry around checkbooks anymore but if you’re having trouble with budgeting it can be a great tool (and it is free). Balancing your checkbook requires you to stop and write down everything that you spend. It will let you take a look and realize if you are within your budget or not. Like many of the free budgeting tools mentioned above, it helps you gain awareness of your finances.

There’s an App For That

Last but not least, technology has made it easier for you to budget as well. When it comes to finance, there are a plethora of apps out there designed to help you better yourself. One of the best among them is Mint. If you’ve not heard of it, Mint is a finance app created to help people budget, monitor their credit, pay off debt and save. You can monitor your accounts, your spending and even your savings all through one single app. It is definitely one of the best free budgeting tools out there.

When it comes to budgeting everyone is different. Have a free budgeting tool you’d like to share? Leave it in the comments!

Photo: Six Dollar Family

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Trackbacks

  1. Don't Let People Christmas Shame You - Our Debt Free Family says:
    November 29, 2017 at 2:19 pm

    […] this post may seem a bit humorous, planning and budgeting are extremely important pieces of your personal finance puzzle (whether it’s the Christmas […]

    Reply
  2. Dear Best Friend, Here Are The Reasons I'm Not Loaning You That Money - Our Debt Free Family says:
    September 25, 2017 at 1:44 pm

    […] Identify places they may be able to trim. Talk with them about areas they may be able to scale down on (i.e. clothing cost, eating out, grocery bill, electricity, and water). Then help them decide on a way to track their spending and budget. (There are plenty of helpful apps and other tools.) […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Join Our Newsletter
  Thank you for Signing Up
Please correct the marked field(s) below.

1,true,6,Contact Email,21,false,1,First Name,21,false,1,Last Name,2


 

Helpful Resources

The Free Checklist for a Strong Financial Plan

U of Tennesse Debt Repayment Plan Basics

Vertex 42's Debt Payoff Calculator

Savingadvice's Helpful Debt Forums

Jackie Becks Debt Blog

Our Most Popular Articles

How Alice and Scott Paid off $200,000 in Student Loans

Learn How Christine Paid off $500,000

Use the Debt Snowball to Create a Payoff Plan

Do Nothing and Save Money with the Paribus App

Thanks To Our Advertisers

Get the tools to start living debt free! Learn more…

Can investing help me get out of debt? Get Stock Advisor for less than $.28 a day!

 

Need a title loan in Jacksonville, Florida? Go to 1-800 Loan Mart. Fast and easy applications.

Copyright © 2021 Runway Pro Theme by Viva la Violette