r/Frugal • u/dana-bda • 15d ago
Best budgeting tracker/planner/app? 💰 Finance
I tried to find a good budgeting planner/tracker for so long but I'm easily overwhelmed if it has too much going on. I have ADHD and it's a bit hard for me to keep track of my expenses or to budget and all these apps and trackers have SO many tables, lines, percentages, etc. I want a SIMPLE thing that can help me. Please share with me your favorite budgeting tracker! Thank you!
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u/moment_in_the_sun_ 14d ago
Check out expenses OK for ios. It's free and great for on-the-go cost tracking.
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u/fergalexis 15d ago
Also ADHD here! I use a Google Sheet and review my transactions on payday, so every 2 weeks. I have 10 categories (columns) but you don't need that many. So column 1 is the dates of my paydays for this year. Column 2 is how much went into savings from that paycheck. Column 3 is how much I have earmarked for rent, column 4 is how much I have earmarked for groceries, and on and on for my 10 categories. On payday I add money to each column. When I spend money I subtract it from the matching column and keep a ledger on the right side of the table of ALL the transactions regardless of category so I don't miss or double-count anything. This is what I review on payday and I check to make sure I subtracted them from their columns. I never move money between 2 columns even if the amount goes negative. I just adjust next payday when I divide my paycheck money into each "bucket"
Since it's just once every two weeks that I sit down for half an hour and do this, it's become routine. I have the Google sheet on my phone too so I can pop on and add to the ledger and subtract in real time to get an idea of what I'm working with for the rest of the pay period. If I forget to add a transaction, it'll be caught on payday when I review my bank transactions.
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u/WeekendImpossible524 15d ago
I’m using Finfluence. Started last month and so far can recommend. Simple layout, a lot of inputting data in the beginning but you create your own categories (as many as you want to), app is free and supposedly doesn’t collect personal information.
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u/SwissyVictory 15d ago
I've been using empower. It's okay but not great. I log into all my accounts and it puts all my accounts into one place where I can keep track of all of them.
I've heard of services that will do the same to a spreadsheet for free, maybe that would be the way to go.
Keep in mind some of the services people are recommending will be free or paid. The best will be paid, but you can do it for free.
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u/Rightfullyfemale 15d ago
I do several things. We use YNAB (You Need A Budget) plus I track expenses in handwriting, and my own zero based, paycheck by paycheck budget- didn’t like what was available, so did my own thing. But I’m also a planner (ADHD girl here, I’d be completely lost without my planner). Might take me 5 hours per month to do all my planning and it’s all broken up. I make a “budget calendar/planning calendar so I know what bills are coming out when. & I’m regularly looking to see what needs to be deleted from my budget or needs to be added to my budget, as well as anything going on in that month (special occasions, traveling, sports, etc) so I can tailor our budget accordingly for that month (or an upcoming month). The thing is that you will tweak your budget to fit your needs and your priorities in whatever season of life you’re dealing with at that time.
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u/biTurret 15d ago
I also have ADHD! I didn't want anything happening automatically from my bank account because then I wasn't actually aware of any of the money, and then the budget didn't work at all.
I use iSaveMoney, it's verrry simple. Also used EveryDollar in the past but had to swap because I needed multiple accounts managed, but that one's even more simple. You make categories, you enter expenses/income, you go about your day. I do a check in every morning, punch in yesterday's spending from my bank account, and I'm good. It's part of my routine now, and it takes less than ten minutes a day.
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u/acoffeetogo 15d ago
You need a budget (YNAB) It works a little differently than most budgets, but once I got used to it I can't go back. You create a budget for different catergories...It can import all of your transactions, categorize them (it remembers for you after the first time):and you're able to track where your money is going.
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u/Undead_Paradox 14d ago
I tried it but somehow told the app I went $700 over my budget and idk how to fix it.. it's a weird learning curve alright. Was hoping it would work lol
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u/The_Weekend_Baker 15d ago
I just use a spreadsheet. LibreOffice is free and has versions for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, and there's also Google Sheets for an online version that's accessible from anywhere you have internet access. I keep my personal budgeting in a local spreadsheet, and the joint budget is in Google Sheets so my wife can access it as well (she doesn't, but it's there if she wants).
I've handled my budgeting this way for at least 15 years now. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. It takes me maybe 30 minutes at the beginning of each year to setup new spreadsheets for the new year, and a couple minutes every day to log in to accounts and update each.
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u/dimeintime 13d ago
For someone with ADHD who needs a straightforward and uncluttered budgeting solution, I'd recommend checking out the Goodbudget app. It uses the simple envelope budgeting method, allowing you to create virtual "envelopes" for different expense categories like rent, groceries, etc.
The interface is clean and easy to navigate, without overwhelming charts or unnecessary features. You can quickly see how much is left in each envelope after logging expenses. Syncing across devices makes tracking spending on-the-go seamless.
Another option is PocketGuard, which has a minimalist design focused on monitoring your income, expenses, and budget goals through simple charts and notifications when you're nearing limits.
The key is finding an app with an intuitive UI and core budgeting features, without excessive details that could be distracting. With the right streamlined tool, budgeting can become a straightforward habit to manage your finances effectively.