Keep tabs on spending with five budget apps

By Jack Wallen January 9, 2013, 12:19 AM PST

Image
1
of 10

Keep tabs on spending with five budget apps

Duck Software's Budget Tracker

ntThis gallery is also available as a post in the Five Apps Blog.

ntIt’s tax time, which only serves as a reminder, to many of us, how disorganized our expenses are. No matter how hard we try, spreadsheets and accounting tools don’t always do the trick. For some, another application is necessary u2013 one that will help you not only see the immediate, but also the big, picture. By taking advantage of such a tool, your business expenses can be better managed and not turn into a nightmare at the end of the year.

ntnn

ntBut what apps are out there? Sure you could set up a CRM or ERP tool to help you tackle this task, but when you need something easier, more user-friendly, and faster to get up to speed on, a more singular-minded app is necessary. I have found five such apps that might help you out.

ntFive Apps

nt1. Duck Software’s Budget Tracker

ntDuck Software’s Budget Tracker is one of the simpler tools on this list. This particular take on these tools doesn’t offer a lot of bells and whistles. What it does offer is a simple to use tool that will assist you in tracking your monthly spending by date and category. Not only will this give you an immediate glance into how your monthly budget is going, it will help you see the big picture, so you can develop a better budget. This tool offers custom fields, monthly print out, a solid help tool, and more.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Duck Software's Budget Tracker 2

ntDuck Software’s Budget Tracker is free to use.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Mint 1

nt2. Mint.com

ntMint.com is one of the on-line tools that offers quit a number of outstanding features. With Mint.com you can create an account in seconds, connect to your account from your desktop or your mobile device, see all of your finances in one place (using a single password), and more. What is unique about Mint.com is that it is a read-only service. You cannot make add or remove funds from Mint.com on your mobile device – so your account is safe.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Mint 2

ntAnd what’s best, is that Mint.com has an outstanding budgeting/expense tool that allows you to set budgets and print out reports based on those budgets. Mint.com automatically organizes your spending into categories for you, so you don’t have to bother going through every detail in your account; fast and simple. Mint.com is free to use.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Xpenser 1

nt3. Xpenser

ntXpenser is another web-based tool that offers access from nearly any device. With Xpenser you can enjoy features like: Expense submission and approval, export and print, tracking (expenses, receipts, mileage, and more), analyzing and organizational tools, import bank statements, integrate with QuickBooks (and other such software), Schedule C reporting, manage multiple accounts and taxes.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Xpenser 2

ntXpenser offers three different plans: Individual (One user $9.00 per month), Small Business ($9.00 per user, per month), Enterprise (100-3000 employees, contact for pricing).

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Budget Tracker 1

nt4. Budget Tracker

ntBudget Tracker is another on-line expense solution. This tool allows you to track your accounts, track spending, and schedule income. With Budget Tracker you will find tools to compare interest rates on various accounts, track outstanding balances on credit cards (next to available cash balances in bank accounts), manually enter transactions or batch download them, track recurring bills and non-recurring items, tag transactions with categories, make use of email reminders, scan in receipts, auto record income, split income into multiple categories, tie income and bills into your calendar, and much more.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Budget Tracker 1

ntBudget Tracker is free to use.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Ora Time and Expense 1

nt5. Ora Time and Expense

ntOra Time and Expense is an Adobe Air application and works as an easy to use tool for tracking and generating: time sheets, expense reports, and invoices. Ora was the winner of the Adobe AIR Developer Derby Best Business HTML Application and stands as a great example of how such a tool can be easily used and elegantly displayed. Ora features include: PC or Mac, task timer, webcam scan receipts, mileage and hotel expense wizards, timesheets, and reports. It can also create invoices in HTML, Excel, CSV, or XML, customizable timesheet, reports, and invoice templates.

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

Ora Time and Expense 2

ntOra is a great tool for the individual or small business who needs fast, easy access to these features. Ora is free to use.

ntBottom line

ntIf you’re an individual, SOHO, or small business, you should be keeping track of your expenses. With the right tools, this task can not only be easy, but help to make your small business more profitable. Give one or more of these tools a try and see if your expenses become more organized and helpful for your small business’ bottom line.

ntAlso read:

ntt10 ways to stretch your small business IT budget

nttTrack your finances from your mobile with Mint

nttTracking your performance as an independent IT consultant

ntCredit: Images by Jack Wallen for TechRepublic

By Jack Wallen

Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.

Account Information

Contact Jack Wallen

Your message has been sent
|
See all of Jack's content

For retail businesses, the POS system is arguably their most important IT system. This TechRepublic Premium guide, and the accompanying checklist, will help you successfully secure a POS system for your business enterprise. From the guide: ACCESS CONTROLS The first line of defense in any POS system is the control of both physical and network ...

The space industry is witnessing a profound transformation, driven by new technologies and the greater participation of the private sector. From satellites to weather, agriculture and communications to space connectivity, industrial IoT devices and scientific, government or space exploration missions, the potential is vast. TechRepublic Premium presents this spacetech glossary to help you understand the ...

This policy from TechRepublic Premium sets forth guidelines for the use of the internet, as well as internet-powered communication services, including email, proprietary group messaging services (e.g., Slack) and social networking services in business contexts. It also covers Internet of Things use and bring-your-own-device practices. From the policy: SAFE BROWSING • Use a modern, supported ...