Planning a budget is the first step to taking total control of your personal finances, but that in itself is never enough. You’re going to have to discipline yourself against impulse buying, properly recording your income and expenses on the go. Ordinarily you would have to do this on sheets of paper, which could eventually get misplaced. But with the help of technology, that won’t be the case any longer.
Here are five apps you can download to your phone to help you create a budget, and then track all your expenses as time goes on:
Mint
Available on: Android/iOS (Free)
This is one of the most popular personal finance apps out there. It gives you a real-time report of all your finances. It categorizes and tracks your spending as you record it. Then it alerts you when you are nearing the limit of your budget. Mint also provides you with saving advice.
The interface is simple and it presents data in charts and graphs.
Spendbook
Available on: iOS ($1.99)
Spendbook allows users add income and expense transactions quickly, with a swipe down. You can also add pictures of items you have bought or the receipts. It allows you view daily or monthly expenses as charts.
Level Money
Available on: AndroidiOS (Free)
This apps effortlessly answers the question of what you can spend each day by quick calculations. Once you connect it to your bank account, it calculates your recurring expenses and makes suggestions based on the results.
Level Money uses data from your spending habits to suggest what you can spend in a given period of time. It also has an autosave feature that lets you rollover your money as savings into the new month.
HomeBudget with Sync
Available on: Android/iOS ($4.99)
This is a budgeting app for the family. It has a family sharing feature that allows users sync income and expense details across multiple devices. Users can create a budget, manage income amounts and categorize expenses over time. It also uses infographics to help users track their spending habits.
Digit
Available on: Android/iOS (Free)
Digit is proof that, sometime, oversabi is not a bad thing. Its selling point is that it helps you discover money that you can save, and saves it for you, instead of letting you spend it unnecessarily.
It scans your income and spending pattern and based on the results, transfers a certain amount to savings. This way, interest is being accumulated. Digit runs itself on some of the interest it makes for you, from your savings. It basically forces you to save money that you ordinarily would have wasted.
*Oversabi refers to the act of doing more than you’re asked/expected to do.
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