Good Budgeting Software?

[No SUBctitute]

TRFers are brilliant....and obviously good with their money :-) so I thought I would ask this here.

Does anyone know of some good budgeting software that would do the following things:

-Software hosted on your computer and NOT web-based
-Can download credit card charges into the software as purchase entries, and then can mark each entry as the appropriate budget category
-Can add cash and check transactions manually to be integrated with all the credit card transactions

Those are the main items. Thanks!

[Moondoggy]

Good luck OP, however the ridiculous amount of money I have spent on watches tells me I have zero monetary skills.

[Andad]

I would ask my accountant?

[colpol]

I’ve done all my budgeting on an excel spreadsheet for decades

All you need is a money in & money out sections
Total up the sums via a formula. Then money in minus money out = funds left

It’s like buying a book which tells you how you save money ……. !!!

[Maleg]

Originally Posted by Andad

I would ask my accountant?

In the US that would blow the budget.

[brandrea]

I’d use excel and create that way you can create your own spreadsheet. It would be a little more work but it would give you maximum flexibility

[56scooter]

Have you looked at Quicken? It offers various plans depending on what details you are looking for!

[Maleg]

Originally Posted by 56scooter

Have you looked at Quicken? It offers various plans depending on what details you are looking for!

Isn’t quicken subscription only now? The OP is looking for a desktop only option.

[Krash]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I’d use excel and create that way you can create your own spreadsheet. It would be a little more work but it would give you maximum flexibility

I believe there are excel templates you can download, too.

But I agree. I’d start with excel.


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[Wcdhtwn]

I did a few google searches, this is kind of a topic for me as well, and found this blog: https://forums.redflagdeals.com/ther...-more-2614223/

Sadly, it looks like the best known personal finance software options have all gone subscription based/SaaS/Cloud model. There are a couple of option on the blog but none I’ve heard of… which doesn’t mean they are good or bad, just I’ve never heard of them.

In reality… even with Excel you’re likely using a cloud based software program. I track everything on Excel now… but don’t have names of companies or account numbers on the sheet. A hacker might see dollar amounts, but not know where to go to get their hands on it.

[Maleg]

Originally Posted by Wcdhtwn

I did a few google searches, this is kind of a topic for me as well, and found this blog: https://forums.redflagdeals.com/ther...-more-2614223/

Sadly, it looks like the best known personal finance software options have all gone subscription based/SaaS/Cloud model. There are a couple of option on the blog but none I’ve heard of… which doesn’t mean they are good or bad, just I’ve never heard of them.

In reality… even with Excel you’re likely using a cloud based software program. I track everything on Excel now… but don’t have names of companies or account numbers on the sheet. A hacker might see dollar amounts, but not know where to go to get their hands on it.

I use an old version of Excel on a desktop in my home office. I still have the CD if I need to reinstall. I maintain an air gap with connected systems. While a lot less convenient than a connected system, it’s far more secure and not subject to the costs or risks associated with subscription platforms.

[Blansky]

What's a budget?

[Maleg]

Originally Posted by Blansky

What's a budget?

It’s that thing you do when you buy a new watch and your wife asks why you didn’t pay the light bill.

[Kowaco]

Quicken is the best


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[Krash]

Before retiring, I managed an annual $35 million budget at work using Excel. But I had one woman assigned to that, and it was a full time position for her. She was a maven when it came to excel.


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[Maleg]

Originally Posted by Krash

Before retiring, I managed an annual $35 million budget at work using Excel. But I had one woman assigned to that, and it was a full time position for her. She was a maven when it came to excel.


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It took me a Saturday to set up Excel for everything I manage. It’s not a $35 million budget, but there’s a lot of bits and bobs that I track and manage. It’s not a lot of effort for a lot of capability.

[Easy E]

Originally Posted by Krash

I believe there are excel templates you can download, too.

But I agree. I’d start with excel.


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I advise extreme caution with free templates. Vet the source.