Let’s face it – many of us do not enjoy money management. Balancing a checkbook, keeping financial records for a business, and sticking to a budget are not high on our lists of fun things to do. However, it must be done – managing your finances responsibly and accurately is a very important aspect of running a business. That’s why I want to talk about some of the great bookkeeping, budgeting and other money management tools available.
Budgeting
Here are some great resources that can help you create a budget and stick to it.
For your computer
Mint - http://www.mint.com/
One of the best free ways to manage your money, Mint brings all your financial accounts together online, automatically categorizes your transactions, lets you set budgets and helps you achieve your savings goals.
There are also Mint apps for both Androids and iPhones – check them out at http://www.mint.com/how-it-works/anywhere/.
For your mobile
Easy Money (Android) - http://www.handy-apps.com/main/EasyMoney.aspx
EasyMoney helps you track your daily expenses quickly and easily using a simple yet powerful user interface designed specifically for the AndroidTM powered smartphone.
SplashMoney (Blackberry) - http://www.splashdata.com/splashmoney/blackberry/
Manage your money anytime, anywhere. Connect to your online bank from your desktop computer or wireless handheld and download transactions directly into SplashMoney. Create budgets and then track and analyze your spending with customizable reports and charts. Synchronize your handheld with your desktop computer to stay on top of your finances whether you’re at home, on the road, or in the office. Includes free desktop companion software for Windows.
Spend for (iPhone) - http://itunes.apple.com/app/spend-budgeting/id284946258?mt=8
Keep track of your money with Spend, a quick and easy-to-use personal budget tracker. Spend travels with you on your iPhone or iPod Touch and does not require internet access, so you can enter your purchases before you even leave the mall or grocery store!
Bookkeeping
Here are a few resources that can help you manage your business finances by keeping track of hours, projects, clients, and invoices.
For your computer
FreshBooks - http://www.freshbooks.com/
Financial record keeping is easy, fast, (and perhaps even fun), with FreshBooks. Billing and time-tracking are both very simple. Your data is safe, secure, and accessible to you as well as easy to export any time you want it. You can check out the FreshBooks Tour page (http://www.freshbooks.com/tour.php) for a detailed overview of the program.
Zoho Invoice - www.zoho.com/invoice/
Zoho.com offers a comprehensive suite of award-winning on-line business, productivity & collaboration applications. Customers use Zoho Applications to run their business processes, manage their information and be more productive while at the office or on the go, without having to worry about expensive or outdated hardware or software.
For your mobile
Bookkeeping (iPhone/iPad/iPod) - http://bookkeeping.warby.com/
A Universal iPad/iPhone/iPod App. Visit the website I linked to for an overview of all the many capabilities of this app.
Cashbook – Expense Tracker (Android) - http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/finance/cashbook-expense-tracker_eqbo.html
This app offers a quick handy way to track expenses, income, mileage, sales, and receipts for your business. It is also great for tracking your personal cash flow and balance from anywhere and at any time.
FreshBooks for your Blackberry - http://www.bookkeeperapp.com/
This free app allows you to quickly enter time, send invoices and view clients from anywhere.
That’s all I am going to share in this post, but there are plenty of other tools out there. Feel free to leave a comment and share the tools that you use to manage your finances.
Editor’s Note:
There is a lot of useful bankruptcy information at TotalBankruptcy.com that can assist you in making important financial decisions.
These tools really works and give us some time to enjoy. Thanks to suggesting.
I wanted to let you know about a new site that lets you manage your finances online: http://www.money64.com What’s different about this site is, first, you do NOT need to link your bank accounts! Secondly, we can do custom programming and reports for you.
Great list of apps.
I’m looking for something new so I’ll have to check these out. I’ll start with Book Keeping since I am switching from Blackberry to iPhone soon.
Thanks for the listing!
Libby, thank you for all of the information. This time of year is chaotic for finances anyway, and I’ve been searching for a good budgeting app for the iPhone. I’ll check out Spend for iPhone and see if it’s something that will make my life easier! I’d love to find one with a user-friendly interface…
Hi Jill,
Yes, this time of year can be pretty hectic with finances, I agree! I hope you like the Spend app and find it useful. I personally prefer to manage my budgeting and bookkeeping stuff on my computer rather than my phone, but it really is convenient to have a way to do it on the go when you need it.
Hey Libby,
I’m loving all of these cool apps. Too bad I’m not actually disciplined enough to use them!
As with any good practice, you need to make a habit out of it. And I’ve yet to do this with day-to-day budgeting.
Hi Marlee,
I am in the same boat as you, I need to get in a better habit of day-to-day money managing. I tend to be kind of a yo-yo budgeter – I will be very good about sticking to a budget for a while but then I get too comfortable with it and start to slip off the wagon a bit…
Thanks for commenting!
I can really recommend Spend for (iPhone). This app have made me concious about my spendings.
Hi Mani,
I am glad to hear that you use and like the Spend app, its great to hear the feedback. Thanks for commenting
One more tool: http://milemarx.com/ for automated mileage reimbursement logs.
Thanks for sharing that link Tan, great tool!
Comments on this entry are closed.