Top 5 Sites to Help You Build a Fool-Proof Budget

Almost everyone would agree that it is important to have and stick to a budget, but actually sitting down and creating a budget is hard to do. However, there are a number of online tools that can be accessed quickly and easily to help you create your own budget so that you can take charge of your finances. Here are the top five website that can help you get control of your finances.

Dave Ramsey

Known for his aversion to debt, Dave’s Gazelle Budget Lite is a free tool that can help you start your budgeting adventure. Enter in your monthly net income, and the tool makes suggestions on how much you should be spending in various categories. This will give you a great baseline to start from. Dave also has a debt snowball tool which can help you pay down your debt quickly and efficiently.

Mint.com

Make the most of your smart phone, and take advantage of your high speed internet by using Mint.com. Rather than just updating your status on Facebook, you can track all of your finances in one place – right from the palm of your hand. Mint is free to join, so you can start tracking your finances immediately.

The wonderful thing about Mint is that it can create a budget for you and track all your expenses and income. You set the amount you want to budget, and Mint will track all your bank accounts to show you up to the minute updates on your spending habits. If you find yourself with a negative cash flow, identify spending categories that can be eliminated such as cable television or your home phone provider. Mint is the leader in personal budget tracking, and you need it now.

PageOnce

Another free smart application, PageOnce combines all accounts and all bills as they come due. Receive e-mail reminders as due dates approach so that you never miss a payment. Knowing your balances and reviewing your spending on the fly is half the battle in staying on track in your budget. PageOnce allows you to get a total snapshot of your finances instantly with just a few clicks.

BankRate.com

This site contains all things financial from loan and investment information to simple budgeting. Bankrate.com indicates 7 simple steps to create a successful budget to get you started right away. Successful budgeting is all about creating a framework for how your money will be spent, then planning to live within that framework. This is a great place to start for those new to budgeting who are looking for a simple way to get started.

The Motley Fool

Motley Fool is known for its investment and personal finance advice. This site has a great article to get you started titled “Budgeting for Lazy People”. It outlines the steps that you need to take in order to create and implement a successful budget. Five outlined steps should get your finances under control and help you live successfully within your means.

This article was written by Dixie Somers. Dixie is a freelance writer and frequent blogger. Her three girls and husband inspire her writing about home, family, and finance topics

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Tags: Dixie Somers, finance websites, personal finance

Category: Money Basics