If you’re like most people, you struggle to keep track of your finances. It probably isn’t for lack of desire, but rather because it is very difficult to keep track of our money when it’s in a digital form. This is primarily because it’s easy to forget what exactly we have budgeted and also what we have spent in each category of our budget.
Here are three apps for your phone that are designed to help you decide where you money goes within your budget, keep track of your spending habits, get warnings and reminders, and even to help you save a little money.
YNAB
YNAB is short for “You Need a Budget.” Their goals are to help you reach financial freedom with the following rules by using their app:
- Give every dollar a job
- Embrace your true expenses
- Roll with the punches
- Age your money
This app allows you to manually import your expenses or it can track your bank account and credit cards if you prefer. You can try it for free for 34 days.
Mint
Somewhat similar to YNAB, this app helps you track bills, payments, and every swipe of your card. You can create personalized budgets on the app and share accounts with your spouse, children, or anyone else who has access to your money so that you both know what you’re spending and whether or not you have money to make a purchase.
Trim
Labeled as “An Assistant Who Saves You Money,” Trim analyzes your spending, sends you notifications of large transactions, and can even help you negotiate lower bills for things like cable. Do you keep getting charged for subscriptions you don’t want? Trim can help you identify and unsubscribe from those in a few seconds. You can also choose to use automated savings and debt payment features within the app.
