I’ve been trying to get my finances in order for a while. I’ve been looking up different software to help me budget, but I can’t find privacy respecting software besides Firefly III, which is self hosted. I usually try to find a few options then evaluate from there, but was wondering if you guys had any recommendations to throw in the mix!
As long as you are fine with self hosted, another option is Actual.
Seconding Actual. I’ve been self-hosting it for a while. You can also just use it as a standalone application on Windows and Linux. I update every week or so manually(you can also set up bank autosync or upload files exported from your bank), then I export a copy and back that up on an external HDD and upload to Filen.
Thirding Actual, I will admit I was using Mint for way longer than I should have for convenience, and moved to Actual after Mint shut down. If you only have a few accounts, it’s not that terrible to download transactions as QFX files and import them once a month when paying the bills. I haven’t tried SimpleFin or anything automated, but that would get you even closer to the experience of Mint.
I actually have a whole chart for this! To be fair, it’s based on how similar things are to YNAB (you need a budget). Theres a fair amount of single Dev vibe coded bull shit in there so check the section that has the year it was founded and how many Devs it has to verify if you’re concerned about that.
I personally use Actual Budget, open source software, free if you self host and don’t want automatic import.
some related communities I came across:
I just posted the chart from the YNAB alts 🤣
Not to detract from the recommendations and finding what works for you, I do recommend starting with a simple spreadsheet first. You don’t have to stick with it, but it’s a good start.
Benefits are you get use to logging your transactions, and you can do this manually or by CSV import. Not only can it do the math for you, but you can use multiple formulas to summarize various things.
For instance I enter all my recurring bills into the sheet per month, and it calculates my money both on what has posted (how much do I have today) and end of month (how much is left at the end).
I also categorize the transactions then table it. How much have I spent on groceries vs dining out? What percentage of my income is that? That’s where you really start seeing where your money is going and you can start making educated decisions on where you spend.
I’ve seen a bunch of these kinda apps on F-Droid, etc.
But I can only remember this one called Minus
This reminds me I need to have another look at Ledger, Beancount, et al. More info at https://plaintextaccounting.org
Why does something like that have to be network connected? If you need software at all, I thought that was what spreadsheets were for. Otherwise the basic idea is to be frugal with expenditures and have some mental awareness and preparation for any big upcoming ones. Of course the hope is that if you’re slightly careful, you can keep your expenses lower than your income. That’s become harder in recent years.
If you’re dealing all in cash this makes sense, but for those with multiple bank accounts, keeping track of everything without software is burdensome. I can’t imagine copy/pasting each transaction from my banks website into a spreadsheet. Computers are better at math than humans, they should be doing the calculations, not me.
A notepad
No disrespect, you honestly first need to understand the theory of budgeting and then you can practice.
Trying to find a program to assist you is really just something to distract you.
All you need is a free excel type program.
The physical action of looking at your bank statements and transcribing that data into your excel budget by hand enforces spending discipline and spending awareness.
Once you have everything in order and you are able to prove to yourself that you are financially stable, then integrating program assistance makes sense.
I completely disagree, to be honest. I don’t understand how making a budget has a necessary prerequisite of manually inputting and categorizing transactions into a spreadsheet, or how that builds character in a way that’s relevant to saving money. I want a program because my finances became more complicated recently and I don’t have time to input my transactions from my bank into a spreadsheet and categorize them every day.
Lol, I started writing a six paragraph replay and had to delete it.
You are probably financially literate enough where my statements above is just common sense to you and you don’t feel it is necessary to do extra work for something you already have a handle on.
To others just starting out, they may not know anything about personal finance or money. My statements above is a great starting point.
To someone who may be bad with money they need to practice a budget and the act of transcribing data forces them to digest and comprehend their spending decisions. If their budget is automated it is easier to overlook spending or disregard transactions because they are not engaged with their budget or spending habits.
I don’t mind that you have a differing opinion. Everyone’s finances and level of competency is different. But you have to start somewhere I guess.
I did write my initial post like Im starting from nowhere. I do appreciate trying to get me in on the basics!
