Planning your home budget

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Planning your home budget

Margaret Thatcher said that every woman familiar with the problems of housekeeping is close to understanding the problems of governing a country. This is true, but only some would have a state with a stable budget, and some would have a country with a huge external debt. Not finding an answer to the age-old question "Where does the money go and what to do with it", I decided to adopt the experience of Western housewives: I began to do home bookkeeping and plan a budget.

Spreadsheet

I started with the simplest way: collecting receipts and entering data into Excel spreadsheet … She adds the sums herself, and you don't have to sit with a calculator.

Result. The way is simple. But dull Excel spreadsheet very much reminiscent of work. And no matter how you write it down, some two hundred rubles are still lost somewhere. Plus, it’s more of a way of counting what was spent, rather than planning a budget. And yet a start was made. After calculating how much and on what I spend, I got cold and decided to a) save and b) prioritize spending.

Envelopes

The next step was system "4 envelopes" … You choose four categories that you usually spend your money on. For example: "Life" (this may include rent, food, cleaning), "Credits", "Entertainment" and "Piggy bank". We take four paper envelopes and label them. In each envelope we put as much money as we are ready to spend on each category. Only everything is fair! You can not slowly shift out of the envelope "Life" in the envelope "Entertainment". Such a system is good just for its strict control over unreasonable spending. You have a choice: spend the Entertainment envelope in one evening or stretch the pleasure for a week.

Result. There was no way I was able to categorize my expenses.

Tell me, is the new dress "Entertainment"? Or "Life"? Plus, I regularly emptied the Piggy Bank.

Internet services

There are a lot of online services, you just need to choose the one that suits your family. Here are some examples.

Homemoney.ua

You can create reports by months and categories, keep records of debtors. There is a mobile version for phone and PDA.

- you can keep records in several currencies.

- all expenses and incomes have already titled categories and subcategories;

- boring interface reminiscent of the everyday life of accountants. Although, perhaps, for someone it will be a dignity.

Easyfinance.ru

The principle is the same: you can enter expenses and create reports, you can set your own financial goals for the future.

- the prettiest interface ever seen. I was captivated by the speedometer showing the state of finances today.

- the service does not allow you to create your own categories, but offers to use the existing ones.

There is a mobile version for iPhone.

Drebedengi.ru

- all family members will be able to record their expenses;

- it is possible to create your own cost categories;

- information about the plan limit and the current budget are displayed on the first page, there is no need to draw up special reports.

Online services are diverse, convenient, and almost always free. Their only drawback is that you need the Internet to work with them.

If you do not trust online programs or do not have constant access to the Internet, you can install a home accounting program on your computer.

Programs

AbilityCash

By default, most of the program's features are disabled, so the program seems simple. But each option can be expanded depending on the needs of the user. In this program, you can draw up a financial plan for a certain period of time. Currency rates are downloaded from the website of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.

everything, especially simplicity and functionality.

The program is free.

Family 10

Like other similar programs, it keeps track of income, expenses and debtors. If you have deposits in securities or precious metals, you can keep records of deposits and deposits.

you can attach scanned receipts and receipts.

price. All this pleasure costs $ 19.95

Greedyuga

The interface is simple and straightforward, there are reminders about late payments on a loan or debt. Income and expenses can even be contributed by SMS.

name and availability of technical support (via e-mail and ICQ).

multi-colored illumination of categories, from the variegation begins to ripple in the eyes.

The cost is 380 rubles. With incomes less than 10,000 rubles / month. can be used for free.

As practice has shown, the most important thing when maintaining a home budget is not where you enter the data, the most important thing is the regularity and participation of all the "wasters".

Therefore, when choosing a method of home bookkeeping, choose the one that will be most convenient for all family members.

Professionals count

Victoria, 22 years old, estimate engineer:

Do you have to borrow?

	Yes, every now and then.
	Rarely, but it happens.
	No, I never do.