Microsoft money replacement
Have you been using Microsoft Money, but are now looking for an replacement/alternative?
Join the club.
I searched for months to find financial tracking software that works for me and have used everything on this page at one time or another.
Mint.com a free replacement that works great
- Mint.com is a FREE online alternative to Microsoft Money. I have personally tested and used Mint.com and recommend it as the best free alternative. Another free option would of course be to use a spreadsheet.
YNAB and other non-free alternatives
- You Need A Budget (YNAB) – In my opinion, this is the best budgeting software on the market… and they offer a generous 60-day free trial. Many PF Bloggers use YNAB to manage their finances.
- Mvelopes – Applies financial software technology to the traditional envelope method of budgeting and is another popular choice among PF Bloggers. They offer a 14-day free trial and their prices are as follows: Quarterly = $39.60 ($13.20/mth) – 1 Yr = $129.60 $10.80/mth) – 2 Yr = $189.60 ($7.90/mth)
- Quicken – Touted as America’s #1 Personal Finance software, Quicken offers a variety of products ranging from $0 (online version) to $99 (business version).
Google personal finance templates
I am not opposed to paying for software, but I am also not afraid to examine free tools to see if they meet my needs. There are a lot of useful templates Google Docs inventories, I tested many before deciding to create my own from a template. I especially like the rating system, which allows me to see which templates have been more useful to more users without having to waste my time trying each one.
- Manage Your Expenses – This section mostly gives you a choice between Family Budgets or Personal Budgets, but also has several spreadsheet templates for Wedding Budgets and even offers a Home Improvement Spreadsheet.
- Pay Off Your Debt – This section is currently offering payment calculators. Specifically there is a Credit Card Payoff Calculator, a Mortgage Payoff Calculator, and a Simple Loan Calculator.
- Grow Your Savings – This section offers several tools to help you get you manage and grow your savings account including registers, ledgers, & calculators.
What do I use?
I am currently testing the trial of YNAB. I have also used Mint.com, which is free… but mostly I just use a simple budget spreadsheet I created and keep in Google Docs.