Budgeting

You have made the decision to create a personal budget and the next stage is finding the right software to suit your needs. Below are some guidelines to help you choose the right financial software, along with the possible pitfalls when using free software.

Why make a personal budget? Making a personal budget is simply about making a log of all your expenditures and all of your income so that personal future income can be allocated towards expenses, savings and the repayment of debts. Once all your bills are paid, your bottom line is the amount that is left over for you to enjoy or invest, or the reverse is how much enjoyment you have to cut out of your life before you are in serious trouble financially! Some people have a lot of debt, and the only way to get back on track and get a clear picture of their finances is to make a budget where past spending and debt are considered to create a personal budget.

What features do I need for my personal budgeting? When choosing personal budgeting software, decide what features you require. If you have not made a budget before, keep it simple as the more complicated the budget system is, the less likely you are to stick to it! You do not need to list each and every item purchased, but can put them all into one category, e.g. car, food, etc. When choosing budgeting software, look for a program that can do the following:

• Manages cash flow
• Keeps bank accounts, credit cards and savings information in one place
• Creates charts and reports showing your budget activities so you can visualise how you are spending your money and can track progress
• Creates schedules and alerts
• Manages debt
• Gives savings recommendations/sets up spending goals
• Has bills calendar/bills tracker
• Creates budget/budget calculator showing areas to cut back on and generates a spending plan

Where can I buy personal budgeting software? There are numerous personal budgeting software programs available either as downloads or discs that are installed on your computer. Search online to find software that will suit your needs and read up on the many reviews that are available about each particular package. You might, for example, choose to buy a bookkeeping package which includes budgeting functions. If available, download a free trial version first before deciding on purchasing a particular program. Compare prices, designs and features and see if there are any offers or coupons available when buying online.

Is free web-based personal budgeting software safe? These free sites host all your data online. The pros of this are these sites are great if you cannot afford to buy a program, or if your computer fails, your data can be accessed from any computer by using your password. There could be drawbacks however, as there is the possibility of security issues as not everyone would want to keep their personal data on somebody else's server. If you are just getting started with creating a personal budget, do not get overwhelmed by the task ahead. Once you have made that step and got started, the results will be extremely rewarding when you see your spending clearly set out before you, which will help you to achieve your financial dreams!