Creating and living within a reasonable budget is important at any time. During the current global crisis, it’s even more important.
In the past, budgeting meant using spreadsheets and formulas. If you weren’t wired to love that stuff, you could get a headache pretty quickly and thus decide to give up.
Today, there are apps to help you with every aspect of budgeting and living within your means. Below are some of our favorites.
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Personal Capital
You can use the basic version on your Android or iOS device completely free. More than two million people use this app to understand their financial habits, analyze the fees associated with their retirement plan, and get personalized suggestions for allocating their assets. Try it here.
You Need a Budget (YNAB)
One of the easiest and most popular budgeting apps, YNAB, is available on the web, Android, and iOS. It teaches you the four rules of budgeting, helps you design a budget and stick to it. The report of where your money is going is easy to understand, even if you’re not a spreadsheets and graphs person. YNAB free for college students (one year).
Money Patrol
In addition to helping manage your finances, Money Patrol monitors your upcoming bills and recurring charges. You can track your student loans, personal and business accounts, investments, mortgage, car loans, and more! Free to try for 15 days.
Mint
If you’re looking for a succinct and easy-to-understand overview of your finances, Mint is for you. Available on the web, iOS, Android, you can track your accounts and spending as well as use the information to plan your budget.
Trim
This last one is a bit different. Trim isn’t technically an app; it’s an AI assistant. One of the biggest things Trim does is bill negotiations. Cable and internet bills often have weird fees attached to them. Trim’s AI works to lower those bills. It will even help you look for cheaper insurance.
Added bonuses: Trim will cancel unused subscriptions and services, provide a debt payoff plan, and offer expert advice on how to get lower interest rates. Plus, you can automate your savings.
Which of these fabulous ways to get control of your budget will check out?
