Help me with budget software!!

March 19, 2008 3:36 PM

I need help finding a mac-friendly budgeting software to assist in getting my act together! (I've tried mvelopes and iBank!) More details inside...

I'm having trouble finding a budgeting software that meets my needs. I use a mac at home and a pc at work and I have an iphone. (Home is where I will be doing the majority of the budgeting).

I have tried mvelopes before and I loved the accountability of having to move money if I overspent in one category, but it didn't work with Wells Fargo and did this weird double entry thing where I would have to delete entries once it went from pending to final.

I looked at iBank and loved the fact that it would be compatible with my iphone and the aesthetically pleasing interfaces, but when I went to set it up it wouldn't allow my to import anything from Wells Fargo or Bank of America. Some people said I had to call to get the financial institutions to grant access, but that seemed like a pain in the butt and kind of weird to me since no other program I've ever used had me do that.

A basic excel spreadsheet is out since I'm not handy with excel by any means.

I would love something that is internet based so I can access it from home/work.

Suggestions? Thank you in advance!!

posted by nataliecay to work & money (8 comments total)

mint.com
wesabe.com
quicken.com

I know banks are trying to get into this game, so you might try calling Wells Fargo themselves to see if they have anything, or if it's planned.
posted by rhizome at 4:02 PM on March 19, 2008

I've been using yodlee.com for this, and it's working reasonably well.
posted by u2604ab at 4:09 PM on March 19, 2008

I use ChaChing. It's pretty good.
posted by icebourg at 6:07 PM on March 19, 2008

Haven't tried it out yet, but Buxfer might be cool. It's hooked up with Google Gears so you can use it offline, too.
posted by cdmwebs at 6:17 PM on March 19, 2008

I use Budget by snowmint software. They have both a Mac and a PC version, although no iPhone support at this point.

Instead of just being a glorified check register, Budget is based on the "envelope system" of budgeting and forces accountability and planning your spending. I've been using it for 4 years now and it's totally changed the the way I spend money. I really can't recommend it highly enough. I will say that the interface does have a little bit of a learning curve, but if you stick with it, once you understand it, you'll never want to go back.
posted by dyslexictraveler at 10:27 PM on March 19, 2008

I'm using iBank 3 now with Bank of America. I did need to call an 800 number to get OFX access enabled, but it was quite painless (took maybe 30 seconds). Wells Fargo would likely be similar.
posted by zachlipton at 11:38 PM on March 19, 2008

I have been using Buxfer (mentioned above) for a couple of months and am pretty happy with it, so far. It allows you to categorize a transaction as "pending", then recategorize it as "paid" when it goes through.

It also synchs up with quite a few US banks. I don't use the synch feature, so I can't really comment on it.
posted by syzygy at 7:05 AM on March 20, 2008

If iPhone support is important to you, it might be worth waiting a few months (making due with a spreadsheet or something) until the SDK apps start rolling out. I'm guessing that ChaChing will make one, but I haven't seen anything to that point.
posted by cschneid at 9:27 AM on March 20, 2008