The holidays are quickly approaching and you know what that means, uncontrollable spending because who can’t resist slippers with reindeer on them or peppermint flavored EVERYTHING?! Naturally this leads to being broke. Being very broke, but I have a cure for you! Over the last few months I’ve done some serious budgeting with like, every budgeting app in the app store and I’ve narrowed it down to the top 3 budgeting apps for colegiettes like you!
1. Goodbudget
My grandma always told me envelope budgeting is the best form of budgeting you can do, but who has the time or effort to keep 7 envelopes around with them everywhere filed with cash and coins? I know I don’t, so Goodbudget came in to save the day! The easy to use interface allows you to open up as many “envelopes” as you would like, put in a monthly, weekly or annual income, and fill the envelopes with the income. Every time you make a purchase, input the exact amount in the envelope you want and they app will adjust accordingly. It also tells you how much money ahead or behind you are in coordination with the point in the month so you know when to see a little and when you can splurge!Cost: Free for iOS and Android
2. Mint
This app is popular if you have a big bank because (drum roll please) it syncs up with all your accounts (banks, mutual funds, 401(k), and IRA’s), so you never have to worry about manually inputting numbers in! You can divide up your money into sections, similar to Goodbudget, and overtime you make a purchase it pulls the money from one of the sections. You can see all your money in real time and works best with debit and credit cards. A bonus of Mint is that your spending habits are analyzed and it finds areas where you can save, and you can set “low-budget” alerts for when a section is running low.Cost: Free for iOS, Android, and Windows
3. Mvelopes
Another for of envelope budgeting (can’t you tell this is totally the way to do it), Mvelopes starts with asking some questions about your financial goals and helps you think about your money long term, Your bank accounts do sync like in Mint, but the way money is sorted is closer to Goodbudget in that everything is pulled from an “envelope.” Another awesome perk of Mvelopes is that it separates spending from total net worth, so you’re never spending the total amount of money in your savings or checking.Cost: Free for iOS and Android