Budgeting Apps

Today on Mesa Money Minute "Budgeting Apps"  I'm Donna Morrall, a Certified Financial Planner with Clear Waters Financial Network.  Do you have a budget?  In my youth, my budget was to get my paycheck, pay my bills and stop spending when I ran out of money for the month.  In graduate school, that sometimes meant having to cash in my aluminum cans to buy my last weeks groceries.  What that worked at the time, it's definitely not optimum.  And now there are lots of apps for your smartphone that you can use to easily set and track a budget.  Many of them are free or available for a small monthly fee, and some are quite costly so shop around.  I'm currently using Mint, but which one you prefer will depend on how you think about your budget.  Other well known ones are PocketGuard, Clarity Money, GoodBudget, YNAB, and EveryDollar.  Your bank may even offer a virtual wallet or budgeting app.  Whether you use one of these apps, a spreadsheet or another approach, budgeting for saving and spending will go a long way towards making your financial life less stressful.  Don't forget to create an emergency fund and then put aside something for the future.  The future will arrive all too fast.  I'm Donna Morrall.  Mesa Money Minute is produced at KAFM Grand Junction, CO and is for educational purposes only.  For more information, visit mesamoneyminute.com