You may have thought that you’d never see a day when Postconsumers would be touting the benefits of a smart phone other than to tell you a great place to recycle them for a good cause. In fact, we’ve even in the past given you tips on how to reduce your smart phone usage. Now, don’t get us wrong. We certainly believe that the “noise” of the media and the constant use of phones, smart or otherwise, leads to a level of stress and a reduction in daily satisfaction. However, most things in the world can also be used for good. This includes your smart phone, particularly when you’re using it to help get your budget, spending and shopping habit under control.
We’ve recently started using several budget apps on the iPhone specifically that have helped us be more aware of our daily, weekly and monthly budgets and where we’re spending our money that may not be the best place to spend money. Here are our reviews of the two budget apps that we’ve found to be the best.
My Weekly Budget: My Weekly Budget is a simple app that doesn’t require you to do anything but enter a few clicks each time that you make a purchase and it tracks your weekly spend. Each week you enter the amount of money that you have budgeted to spend that week. Then, each time you make a purchase, you simply enter the amount of the purchase in and quickly assign it to a category. At any point in the week, you know if you’re in danger of over-spending and where you need to adjust. At the end of the week, you know if you were on target, over or under budget and you can see where your money went. You can roll over any money that you didn’t spend into the next week, or you can (more wisely) move that money into your savings account!
Ace Budget: The Ace Budget App is a monthly budget app that can help you to keep track of where your money goes every month. Once you’ve set your monthly budget spend target, you can then set your spending goals for any category you want. Ensure that you don’t overspend on shopping by setting a shopping budget for the month and then tracking it by entering purchases. You’ll also get a visual graph about how much of your money was spent in which categories. At the end of the month, you’ll know (and see) exactly what got spent where.
Sometimes, the mobility and power of a smart phone isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In our minds, any tool at your disposal for improving your budgeting skills is a great tool. Now, just make sure that the money you’re spending on that smart phone and your smart phone plan are within your budget, too!
Do you have an iPhone or smart phone app that you think actually helps you to be a better Postconsumer? Tell us about it by liking Postconsumers on Facebook.
Need more assistance in learning to let go of the consumer media’s impact on your life, take control of your finances and find the satisfaction of enough for today? The Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook is a 30-minute web course that walks you through a series of specific questions and then presents a personalized how-to plan for becoming a postconsumer. Launch your evaluation for free right now.
