The Best Money Software and Budgeting Websites for Free
Looking for up-to-date financial software and money applications for FREE, without any hidden fees or costs? Here are some top free sites for budgeting, organizing and financial management.
1. Mint.com Free Personal Finance Software - featured on ABC News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and received the Time Magazine award for best website of 2010. I access and easily keep track of my transactions, from checking, savings, loans, credit cards and even investment accounts.
I create a monthly budget, and change on a daily, weekly or monthly basis if necessary. I have created custom goals, to save for retirement and to get out of debt faster. I signed up for the mobile and/or email alerts, which tells me when I go over budget or complete a goal.
I downloaded the mobile app for Free and login daily from my iPhone. It's absolutely secure and safe, no login required for seeing my bank information and no money transfers, therefore keeping my money HACK PROOF.
2. MySpendingPlan Free Personal Finance Software - recommended by The Wall Street Journal, and excellent customer reviews. I can manage my money with the "whole picture" personal planning tools. I've saved money by printing grocery, and health or beauty coupons, and finding cheap gas locations and online deals.
3. Manilla Free Online Account and Bill Organizer - recommended by The New York Times, CNN News and USA Today. This site is new and just recently released but I LOVE IT. It is a bill organizer and keeps track of all your "paperwork".
Once I added all my bills, it puts them in order of due date and shows what bills need to paid and when. It sends me alerts when a bill is going to be due and once the payment has posted.
It also manages all my loyalty and airlines rewards points balances. It even keeps track of my subscriptions to magazines, clubs and newspapers.
4. PerkStreet Financial - I love this checking account because it PAYS ME over 2% cash back with no hidden fees or charges. They feature PowerPerks which pays an additional 5% cash back at certain retailers, restaurants and stores.
I changed banks and use this as my primary checking account, which earns me lots of rewards. They have over 37,000 fee-free ATM locations across the US. I can make deposits and withdrawals anytime I need, and the customer service is unbeatable. They make me feel like a person and not just numbers on a sheet of paper.
Budget Software and Apps
5. IngDirect - Online Checking, Savings and Retirement Accounts. I never have to pay for a checking account again.
I even made $50 for opening a new account and using my debit card 3 times. They offer an excellent interest rate on your checking and savings account - this bank is currently being bought out by Capital One. Not sure if I like this idea.
6. SmartyPig - Simple Prepaid Cash Rewards Card. Recommened by CNN News, USA Today and Fox Business.
For anyone who prefers to have a prepaid Mastercard for making purchases and paying bills. This card gives you CASH BACK, up to 10% on all your daily purchases.
It's like a free online piggy bank, track your goals and savings rewards. There are no cash loading fees or maintenance fees.
7. BeFrugal.com - Online rewards, deals, discounts and cash back. If you love shopping online like I do, then you will love this site. It offers instant cash back for all your online purchases.
You can search by store name, for free shipping codes and daily deals. They also have printable coupons for restaurants and grocery stores.
8. BudgetPulse - Free Personal Online Budget Software. Recommended by CNN News, and Kiplinger's Monthly Finance Report.
This site features the ability to import your financial documents from Quicken, Microsoft Money, Bank Statements, Spreadsheats and Adobe pdf. If you don't want to link any accounts, you will love this site.
It won't download any bank account or personal information. It still has excellent budgeting and custom goal tracking. It also works GLOBALLY.
9. ReadyForZero - Get out of debt software. This is a fairly new online debt software program. It is exclusively used for tracking loans like, mortgages, credit cards and car loans.
The program keeps track of your progress and offers you access to all their tips and financial tools. Check out a few of the screenshots here.
10. ImpulseSave - Get your green back savings tool. Unlike the ReadyForZero software mentioned above, this online software is exclusively for savings! It turns impulse buys, into impulse saves.
All you have to do is decide if that cup of coffee or snack from the vending machine is really worth your money. If you decide to keep your money instead of spending it, jump on your mobile and text "I saved $5 by not getting a snack" or something like.
Then Impulse Save will transfer your money from your checking account to a savings account. You can put it towards a goal of your choice, like "a weekend getaway" or "the evil credit card". Trust me, it's addicting and becomes a very fun competition with yourself. Read more about it here.