To avoid a cash flow problem, it’s important to manage your personal finances. If you’re not an accountant, you may need some help with this. There are several areas of personal finances, including setting up a budget, paying bills, tracking personal and business expenses, and saving. Here are six free financial apps to help you manage your personal finances.
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Manilla
Manilla is the perfect name for this app as it is similar to a filing cabinet. However, in contrast to a regular filing cabinet, there’s no paper to deal with. Manilla digitally files bills and statements and lets you know when a bill is due to be paid, so you’ll never have to pay another late fee. This app also manages rewards programs by keeping track of your rewards points and their expiration dates.
SmartyPig
SmartyPig is insured by the FDIC and is designed specifically for saving. In order to use it, you must open a SmartyPig account, which is also free. All of your savings and checking accounts are linked to the SmartyPig account. With this app, you determine something you want to purchase in the future, such as a new car or house, and set up a savings goal for that item. It’s more motivating to save when you have a picture in your mind of something you really want. In addition, you can link directly to Facebook and Twitter to let your friends know about your plans.
Wally
Wally will eliminate the frustration and time wasted looking for a receipt. It has an InstaScan feature which allows you to scan receipts for future reference. Wally allows you to log expenses into categories, such as leisure and work. If some time as passed, you might not remember why you made a particular purchase. Along with each receipt you scan, you can give a reason for the expenditure. You can also track expenditures made using foreign currency.
Mint
In 2013, CNN Money featured Mint in an article entitled “Best Apps to Manage Your Money.” Mint helps you view all activity on your accounts as it happens. With Mint, in addition to monitoring bank and credit cards accounts, you can also manage investment accounts and loans. Mint will help you set up an appropriate budget based on your spending history. It will let you know if any of your balances are low, so you won’t find yourself having to pay overdraft charges. This app also allows you to view your account activity in chart and graph formats.
MySpendingPlan
MySpendingPlan assists with your personal budgeting. In addition, if you oversee the finances of an organization, you can use MySpendingPlan to manage the group’s budget and expenses. It has a section which allows you to download and print coupons and alerts you to various discounts.
Easy Envelope Budget Aid
Before computers and mobile phones, people would allocate set amounts of money for each expense and keep the money in envelopes. Easy Envelope Budget Aid or EEBA is the digital version of this idea. For example, you might put $300.00 in the grocery envelope each month. This app will track what you’ve spent on food, so you don’t exceed the monthly amount allocated.
These six apps will give you the tools you need to establish a budget, track your expenses, pay your bills on time, and start saving. However, an app by itself can’t keep you financially solvent. It will take initiative and discipline on your part to manage your personal finances.