With a new year comes a new list of resolutions on how "you" are going to make this year better than the last. One of my goals is to manage my finances better. So I've enlisted the help of Excel, coupons and Mint to help me with my task. How is Excel going to help me? Glad you asked. Excel is perfect for budgeting because you can keep track of your spending fairly easily with the help of a few formulas. For others who aren't so great with formulas - Excel also offers several different budgeting templates - no hard work required, just open and plug in your financial stats. Coupons are coupons, pretty straightforward just clip and use at your leisure.
And my final helper is Mint, personal finance software. Mint is "the best free way to manage your money" (www.mint.com) the site allows you to put all your accounts in one place SAFELY. It automatically categorizes your spending making budgeting a breeze. The site also offers alerts on your accounts and helpful graphs to further drive home your spending habits. It can also keep track of budgets and/or saving goals that you have set for yourself. My year is already off to a better start than years past. Everyone knows the first step in changing a habit is understanding your habit now, that way you can see where you are coming from and plan where you want to go. Take your financial future in your hands today!
