So, my web host fell off the face of the earth and isn't returning my emails. I hope they followed the included link back here and saw my last post. I also hope they see this one: I will continue to email your sorry behinds daily until I get a response. Your customer service STINKS.
I'm feeling quite well today. Not too much coughing and boy, does that feel good. What a clear, non-phlegmy chest you have Grandma! All the better to send scathing letters of discontent to horrible web hosts, my dear!
I'm also annoyed at the web in general (with the exception of Bloggityville, of course) because I keep hearing about cool personal budgeting sites like Mint.com and then finding out they're useless for me down here in Australia because they link up automatically to your bank accounts and hello? They are not looking beyond their own borders for that. And also, I actually have a problem with budgeting websites that even require that. Does anyone know if there's a good, clean-interfaced site (oh, be still my beating, aesthetically-pleased heart, Mint) that is a straight out 'plug in your own figures manually' kind of deal? I've tried a few and thought I'd hit a good one with Expensr, but for some reason I haven't been able to log in today and it's rather annoying. No scratch that, I just tried again and it is working. But chime in with your suggestions anyway. I love the whole 'this is how much you have left in this category' part. And Expensr is more of a record keeper and 'at a glance' budgeting system - nothing too complicated. Which is perfect for me because I need to save my energy for all the quick email retorts.
It is looking increasingly likely that I have lost June 2008 - December 2008 content, nearly 100 posts. This has gotten right under my skin. I don't think there'll be any resolution.
Meh.
6 comments:
I posted recently about Pear Budget, which I have been using for the last month plus.
It requires manual plug in of receipts, which most people don't like but I do, as a checks-and-balances method of keeping my spending low. I did not want to link my bank account electronically to an online site.
The first month is free but after that it is $30 a year or $3 a month. Well worth it in my opinion.
Hi Meredith!
I've had a bit of a play with Pear Budget before...I'm probably still in that trial period actually. It was really good, but I happen to be married to the most adorably frugal person alive, and his natural train of thought would go something like - "Thirty bucks a year for something you could do for free?!!" LOL. That's just how he is. And I kind of agree with him.
Mint.com looked WONDERFUL but then there was that whole 'link with your bank account' thing and like you, that was a deal-breaker (as well as being careful with money, Talented Hubby is also extremely net-security concious).
Maybe I should pop back in and do some more playing before the trial runs out though - it *was* a great site...
ive never used an online budgeting thing.. i made my own spreadsheet that i use.
it has 'month', 'quarter', and 'year' sections on each month's page, and 'estimate', 'actual', and 'difference' columns in each section, so i can see at a glance how much over/under budget i am each month, or for the whole year/quarter.
i also put a month calendar at the bottom of each page so i can easily see how many weeks there are this month so i know how many sets of paycheques/groceries/etc there should be each month.
and the best part is i can have as many/few categories as i want, and set it up to show me totals exactly how i want.
That's the conclusion I've come to as well Sarah :) Do you think you could send me a screenshot of yours (blank out the figures if you like) so I can glean ideas?
A budgeting progrthat links directly to your bank account?? does that mean putting your account numbers etc out in "the web"? Because that's a BIG no-no as far as I'm concerned.Too many hackers out there for my personal comfort level. The expensr one sounds much more realistic to me.
Yeah - it connects somehow so that all the transactions that would normally show up on, say, a bank statement, come up automatically in your budgeting program. It makes my shackles go up to, hence my need to search for one that doesn't do that. I'm also a visual person though, and that link I shared to Mint.com make my heart go pitty-pat, LOL.
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