https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 12 May 2026 09:02:59 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1235439 Fri, 22 Nov 2013 08:56:32 +0000 doodlepoodle 1235439@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@birdofafeather: I just downloaded Mint and will be having a sit down with the hubster this weekend. Don't be too jealous! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1233145 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:18:32 +0000 birdofafeather 1233145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: oh yeah, then for that, it's tough! i started a trial of YNAB, but it was tough for us to work out as I have business stuff and a inconsistent income, etc etc. we also don't have debt, but wanted to save and i had a huge issue figuring it all out. also i'm lazy because mint does that all for me!</p> <p>all that being said, i think once you figure out a system, you have to run with it! i'm so entrenched in mint that i make it work for us! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232964 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 13:50:37 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 1232964@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: not that I've seen, but every once in awhile it does go on sale. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232938 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 13:46:32 +0000 looch 1232938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>YNAB looks really interesting, is there any way to get it for free? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232906 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 13:41:51 +0000 doodlepoodle 1232906@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PurplePeony: huh, so mint works for a debit card, not just credit? We hardly ever write checks. All of our bills are automatic withdrawals and we pay for almost everything with our debit cards. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232623 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:55:30 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1232623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. High Heels: that is an awesome deal! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232573 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:47:44 +0000 PurplePeony 1232573@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like Mint but it's not a stand-alone solution. My issue with it is that you can't forecast account balances so you'll know how much money will be in X account on Y date. It only gives historical/current data. I use it in combination with an app called Balance Forecasting, which basically works like a checkbook register but you can put in recurring transactions, single transactions, and forecast out pretty far (2 years, I think?).</p> <p>I'll admit that I only loosely budget -- I try to keep certain types of expenses under a set amount for the month but have quite a bit of padding so I don't really worry about going over a bit or buying things that don't fall into those categories. But it is really nice to be able to get a snapshot of where I'm at whenever I want, so I know that I really should stop buying lunch during the week and bring food instead for the rest of the month or whatever.</p> <p>ETA: Mint works best for people who use credit/debit cards a lot. It automatically downloads your transactions when you log in and assigns them to one of your budget categories (May need to be adjusted manually, though, since it sometimes gets them wrong). You CAN input cash transactions manually, but obviously need to keep track of those yourself until you have a chance to enter them. The budgets you set carry over month-to-month, and you can decide whether to roll over any surplus or overage into the following month or to start fresh each month. You can also plan ahead for sporadic expenses, like car insurance if you pay in full every six months -- it just divides the total and deducts that amount from your available money each month, then "releases" it for spending the month the bill is due. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232559 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:44:07 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 1232559@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babyjmama: @Mrs. Lion: speaking of dave ramsey… today he's having a 6-hr flash sale! <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/store/cfbexclusive.html?ectid=facebook.daveramsey.11-21-2013" rel="nofollow">http://www.daveramsey.com/store/cfbexclusive.html?ectid=facebook.daveramsey.11-21-2013</a></p> <p>It includes The Total Money Makeover + Deluxe Envelope System + Bonus Guide for $19 (normally $42.85 - what a weird price..)</p> <p>The envelope system might be the way to go if your husband isn't into using cc's @babyjmama: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232555 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:42:10 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 1232555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babyjmama: I second and third others who mentioned You Need a Budget! I wrote a post/review about it awhile back - <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2013/01/25/you-need-a-budget/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2013/01/25/you-need-a-budget/</a></p> <p>It has helped me so much with our budgeting. Their philosophy is great - they have 4 rules that they abide by, which you can find on their website - <a href="http://www.youneedabudget.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.youneedabudget.com</a>. I love reading their blogs because it keeps me motivated and on track and mindful of our spending. You do pay for the software, but they have so many free resources on their site that is super helpful.</p> <p>Using YNAB has really taught me how to plan ahead, and anticipate expenses before they even occur. It's awesome! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232516 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 12:27:05 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1232516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@babyjmama: using mint to get started is probably a really good idea! Its hard to designate amounts if you have no idea how much you spend in different categories :) i would highly recommend taking the financial peace class. It helped me so so much. If you cant commit to a 9 week class, his total money makeover book is a really great overview! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232370 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:55:44 +0000 looch 1232370@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@birdofafeather: we've already done that work though, we have a monthly plan and we need to be able to set up categories with certain amounts. I also want to be able to "use" my budgeted amounts for future months, which I also can't figure out if the tool does.</p> <p>I need to read up on mint, honestly. My husband is keen to use it, but I am just not seeing the value.<br /> ! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232356 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:52:01 +0000 doodlepoodle 1232356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@fancyfunction: @birdofafeather: @looch: I haven't looked into Mint.com...we are kind of starting from scratch so I think maybe it might be a good way, if it shows you where your money is going? Then eventually we can plan ahead for the months? We really are going from ZERO budget. </p> <p>@loveisstrange: @mrskc: oh! So can you give a little description of how it works? I'm very interested in this...getting DH to commit to bringing me receipts will take an act of God tho ;-)</p> <p>@MamaMoose: I def see the point but it'll never happen ;) DH is against CC's and won't ever get one!</p> <p>@Mrs. Lion: looks like Dave and I need to get to know each other! I just read your post and will reread it tonight in more detail. Thank you!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232241 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:19:13 +0000 birdofafeather 1232241@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: i like mint because it helps you see where your money is going first. it can be hard to budget if you don't even know where you're spending the money in the first place. once you can see that, then i think it's easy and more realistic to make a budget. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232229 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:14:36 +0000 Mrs. Lion 1232229@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wrote a post on this a while ago that might help. The best way we have found to spend less money is to budget every single dollar for the month ahead of time. We pay our bills from the checking account and then take out all of our spending money in cash. Have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey? He has some great forms online, and i used them to create a google spreadsheet....i have a link to it in the post I wrote if you are interested :) <a href="http://www.hellobee.com/2013/09/05/budgets-made-easier/" rel="nofollow">http://www.hellobee.com/2013/09/05/budgets-made-easier/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232206 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:10:22 +0000 MamaMoose 1232206@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I actually think it's easier to budget when you use a credit card! That way every penny your spend can be tracked all in one place. Now, you have to have the control to only spend what you can pay off in full each month. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232196 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:07:12 +0000 looch 1232196@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have Mint and I don't like it, because either I am not using correctly or it doesn't actually allow you to "budget." it just tracks actual spend into categories, which isn't useful to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232192 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:06:04 +0000 mrskc 1232192@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I second You Need A Budget. If you can stick with it, it's wonderful! I've been budgeting with it almost a year now and it helps a ton with helping you see where exactly your money goes and limiting myself each month. It has an app too, so I try to stay on top of it by entering receipts as soon as I can. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232187 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:04:55 +0000 HLK208 1232187@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We give ourselves $100 every two weeks for fun money when we're being frugal (so far this year...it's lasted six weeks) but it really helped us to contribute more to savings. Our fun money was more like $1000 a week before which was dumb and unnecessary. It's more like $300 a week now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232182 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:04:29 +0000 loveisstrange 1232182@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>You Need A Budget. Its an app that you can put on your mobile, a PC or a Mac. It communicates between them to keep you current.</p> <p>You can also download your bank statements directly into it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232178 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:03:47 +0000 fancyfunction 1232178@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Have you tried Mint.com? I find it pretty helpful. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/budgethaaaalp#post-1232170 Thu, 21 Nov 2013 11:02:00 +0000 doodlepoodle 1232170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Okay. We live CC free, our cars are paid off, yet we still spend WAY too much money!!! I need help with a good way to budget. </p> <p>Bonus points if I can do it from my iPad/iPhone. I won't be diligent enough to do a paper budget. </p> <p>How do you know how much to budget for everything?? :-( </p>