So I’m considering just using excel to keep track of all my expenses and income, but is there a better solution? What do you use to track how you spend money? I want something from which I can freely export the data if need be so excel is tempting.
So I’m considering just using excel to keep track of all my expenses and income, but is there a better solution? What do you use to track how you spend money? I want something from which I can freely export the data if need be so excel is tempting.
Just a spreadsheet, nothing fancy. Right now using Google Docs but it could easily be some other spreadsheet app (LibreOffice, Microsoft Office, etc.).
These sort of things just need to be something you understand and follow for your own use. Way back I started out trying to track finances with Quicken but in the end I found it way too complicated for what I needed and hated the idea of my data being locked in their specific format. And I didn’t even need any of the fancy stuff like syncing with bank accounts/credit cards.
Mine is pretty simple, the main columns represent each month of the year, top group of rows represent different income sources, followed by a group of rows representing non-discretionary expenses, followed by a group of rows representing discretionary expenses. Then totals at the bottom. Works for me.