Budgeting Apps

I’ve been thinking about Joy and Josh’s post yesterday and I just wanted to share a budgeting app that I have found to be helpful. It’s a simple tool for budgeting called Every Dollar.  The app is free and very easy to use. It only takes about ten minutes to set up a budget on Every Dollar. There’s a fee-based version that allows you to link the app with your bank account so you don’t have to enter transactions on your own, but it’s not necessary. In the beginning, I think entering transactions on their own is the best way to learn to budget. Josh and Joy have inspired me to help my kids set up a budget on Every Dollar this summer. They may not do it perfectly the first time, but it will be a good start!

There’s another budgeting app called Mint, which is very popular. This is a more comprehensive app that will track all your spending and investments, and it does link to your bank accounts for free, which is a huge plus.  But for teaching basic budgeting, I think Every Dollar is the best place to begin.

I also enjoy listening to financial podcasts, and I figure it can’t hurt for my kids to overhear me listening to them from time to time! Three of my favorites are Dave Ramsey, Clark Howard, and Afford Anything.

Anyone else have any suggestions for teaching kids to budget?

Cozi Calendar

Just wanted to share a calendar app that we have been using for several years now. It’s a calendar that is specifically tailored to families, called Cozi.

What I like most about it is each family member can enter their own appointments on a shared calendar. It can be accessed by any device (iphone, android, tablet, computer, etc.). Each family member is assigned a color, so it’s easy to tell at a glance who is doing what/when. As our kids have gotten older, we’ve started requiring them to schedule their own appointments (such as doctor, dentist, tutoring, etc.).  Since their organizational skills are still developing, we need to be aware of when these appointments are scheduled, just in case there’s a problem with the time they chose, and also so we can remind them of the appointment if necessary (we try to avoid those missed appointment fees at all costs!).

Cozi also has other helpful features: individual to-do lists, contacts, reminders, and shopping lists. These are all very helpful, but the thing I like most is the shared calendar that everyone can access and manage!

I love to learn about calendars and organizational apps that people find useful. I’m an organizational junkie! I’m especially curious about calendars that are helpful for college students. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!