# Simple Android Budgeting Apps



## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 4, 2016)

I'm about to take a massive reduction in hours in work and have never been that good with money, so need to get more organised.

I've downloaded a few, but they either don't seem to do what I want or are quite complex. Does anyone have any favorites they use?


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## aqua (Apr 4, 2016)

I'm a you need a budget lover. Totally transformed our lives


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Apr 4, 2016)

Looks intresting, but I'd be curious to see if anyone has got any free ones or at least ones that are just a single small payment.


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## aqua (Apr 4, 2016)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Looks intresting, but I'd be curious to see if anyone has got any free ones or at least ones that are just a single small payment.


Tbh YNAB used to be a one off payment. I'm happy to pay a yearly figure  (though haven't as yet as the version I'm using is supported until the end of the year) because I know how useful it is, but as a business model move I bet they'll lose new custom. I've never found anything that was so easy and simple to use though and I tried a lot


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## JamesRaymond87 (Jun 12, 2016)

There are many budgeting apps but I do all budgeting by myself


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## bendeus (Jun 13, 2016)

aqua - does YNAB link automatically to your online banking? I'd read that it only really sings when it's able to pull down and process information from your various accounts and was under the impression that it's still not able to do this in the UK.

(I really need a decent budgeting app myself as I'm absolutely shit with money)


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## aqua (Jun 13, 2016)

No it doesn't in the UK at all I don't think. I don't want it to anyway so haven't looked into it further myself.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 31, 2018)

Bit of a bump here, but found a new on recently that does link to all your bank accounts and credit cards and tags transactions for you. Can take a little while to set up so that things are tagged as you want them, but they are recurring, so say future Amazon orders will go in a category you want them in, but it's the first app I've found that will link up without a hefty monthly fee.


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## editor (Jan 31, 2018)

I've been looking at loads of these apps but never could commit to one. I need something that can sync to a Windows desktop/Chromebook too....


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## editor (Jan 31, 2018)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Bit of a bump here, but found a new on recently that does link to all your bank accounts and credit cards and tags transactions for you. Can take a little while to set up so that things are tagged as you want them, but they are recurring, so say future Amazon orders will go in a category you want them in, but it's the first app I've found that will link up without a hefty monthly fee.


Do we get to know the name of this app?!


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 31, 2018)

editor said:


> Do we get to know the name of this app?!



Ah bollocks. That would be helpful wouldn't it? 

www.moneydashboard.com

Don't know about syncing, but has a Web interface as well.


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## editor (Jan 31, 2018)

UnderAnOpenSky said:


> Ah bollocks. That would be helpful wouldn't it?
> 
> www.moneydashboard.com
> 
> Don't know about syncing, but has a Web interface as well.


I like the look of it but how much does it cost? The app has a pretty poor review in the Android store...


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Jan 31, 2018)

editor said:


> I like the look of it but how much does it cost? The app has a pretty poor review in the Android store...



It's free. Doesn't even have paid for options. It's the only free app I've found that links to your bank accounts.


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## editor (Jan 31, 2018)

aqua said:


> I'm a you need a budget lover. Totally transformed our lives


Is that this one? 
YNAB. Personal Budgeting Software for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android

How much does it cost?


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## editor (Jan 31, 2018)

I miss Microsoft Money. That did everything until the bastards discontinued it. The archive version doesn't link to bank accounts


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## 8115 (Aug 11, 2018)

I've started using YNAB, how do you track your expenditure?

I do desperately need a budget because even just doing the simple budget I'm way over per month. It's both horrifying and depressing but I need to face it especially as I really want to do more Open University courses.

Anyway I've done the budget I just can't see where the expenditure goes. Anyone?


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## aqua (Aug 11, 2018)

There's a plus sign at the bottom of the app and it goes there 

Have you watched the videos?


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## 8115 (Aug 12, 2018)

aqua said:


> There's a plus sign at the bottom of the app and it goes there
> 
> Have you watched the videos?


Thank you. No, I need to set some time aside to watch the videos.


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## aqua (Aug 12, 2018)

8115 said:


> Thank you. No, I need to set some time aside to watch the videos.


The videos make it tbh. Do as many as you can. Even years later I still hope in to some of them as a refresher. If you have any queries feel free to PM x


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## lazythursday (Aug 12, 2018)

I like the concept of YNAB but I found it tricky to use with an erratic income, and it seemed like too much hard work to endlessly reconcile with the bank. 

I really want something that's dead simple - that just allows me to track my everyday spending against a weekly/monthly target. Ideally with voice recording to make it less of a faff. But all the apps seem overcomplicated or difficult to use when you've just bought a coffee and it's raining.


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## aqua (Aug 12, 2018)

Ynab is really easy though. Reconciling takes seconds if you remember to put things in as they happen.


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## lazythursday (Aug 12, 2018)

aqua said:


> Ynab is really easy though. Reconciling takes seconds if you remember to put things in as they happen.


I liked it and I really tried to make it work for me - but it was a bit impossible. I get paid very erratically, in large amounts, so my cash levels can get as high as 8K and sometimes go well into the red when I'm waiting for invoices to be paid. I'd do things that YNAB suggests like budgeting for dentist and house maintenance monthly - but then when my cash levels got low I found myself forced to 'spend' that money in the app which was a bit frustrating as that meant I could no longer see how much money needed to be allocated there. And sometimes I do need to spend money when I haven't really got any - because I know it will arrive soon - and there didn't seem to be an easy way of doing that. 

It just seemed like overkill for me. I don't need to track all my direct debits and credit cards etc, I just need to focus on the main amount I have for spending every month and what I spend out of that.


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## aqua (Aug 12, 2018)

Ah I've just got into using goals which I think would do what you're needing. Bees' work is much like yours but bills, very rudely imo, seem to expect to be paid regularly. So the bills that happen later in the month I put a goal on to say X amount by X date (as not everything is monthly) then when his money comes in I know where it needs to go


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