Creating a budget may sound like a deceptively simple way of managing your finances but it can be a highly effective way of monitoring your spending and achieving your financial goals. From increasing your savings contributions to cutting out overspending, a personal budget app can transform your financial management.
To get started, take a look at these three helpful personal budget apps to use in 2021:
1. PocketGuard
Not only does PocketGuard connect your credit, savings, and checking accounts to ensure your budget takes everything into account, but it also identifies recurring income and expenditure. If you’re paid on the same date every month and pay your bills by Direct Debit, for example, PocketGuard will pre-empt the transactions and update your available funds accordingly.
As well as being one of the most useful budget apps out there, PocketGuard is also free to use, which means you won’t have to adjust your budget to access the app you need! If you want to embrace budgeting in 2021, PocketGuard is an app that’s certainly worth having.
2. YNAB
You Need a Budget, or YNAB, brings the zero-based budgeting system to life and ensures that you account for every cent you earn. Connect your bank accounts and set financial goals to help you streamline your financial management via the app. YNAB doesn’t just provide a place to store and monitor your budget, it also helps to improve your personal finance skills. You’ll gain access to budgeting advice, free workshops, and more when you sign up.
However, YNAB is only free for a 34-day trial period (students get up to 12 months of membership free of charge). After this, you’ll need to pay $11.99 a month or $84 a year for your subscription. Although YNAB is a great app for experienced budgeters, zero-based budgeting does take some getting used to. However, if you want to make every dollar work for you, YNAB could be everything you need.
3. Honeydue
Honeydue is a relatively new personal budgeting app but it certainly meets the needs of its users. Designed for couples who jointly manage their finances, you can view bank accounts, credit cards, investments, and loans in one, easy-to-use dashboard. Although each user can choose how much they share with their partner.
As well as setting goals, receiving notifications about upcoming bills and implementing customized spending categories, couples can also chat via the app too, which makes it fun to use. If you share your finances with someone else and you want to take a more proactive approach to your personal budget, Honeydue is a free app that gives you all the tools you need.
Why Use a Budgeting App?
The vast majority of us commit to saving more and spending less on a regular basis but, all too often, life gets in the way and our financial goals get neglected. When you download a budgeting app, however, you have all the tools you need to create and maintain a realistic budget that works for you and your lifestyle.
