this post was submitted on 02 Nov 2023
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Pretty much just gone back to a spreadsheet.
insights about spending up and down per category and automatic categorization was pretty nice.
Budget targets were nice.
I've been meaning to look around for something self hosted or FOSS.
https://actualbudget.com/
I just set this up myself a few days ago, though because it doesn't sync for non-EU banks, I haven't gone further yet.
It’s awesome. I recommend not linking bank accounts anyways and doing all transactions manually. Helps with keeping track with your budget better, imo.
Problem is when you procrastinate because manually importing transactions and correcting them is just annoying enough to make it a hassle. Then the transaction batch gets too large and you can't remember details anymore so you give up and don't track your budget at all.
That's been my experience in the past at least.
This. I went back to my XLS because it’s much easier to manage and massage the data.
I did like some parts of Actual Budget, and incorporated them into my spreadsheet.
I use a spreadsheet. I have a macro for categorisation but you could probably do it with vlookup instead.
I like using a spread sheet because I'm not locked in to anything, and neither is my data.
If you like using spreadsheets you should check out Tiller.
https://www.tillerhq.com/
I tried it and saw its promise, but I don't love spreadsheets.
I have my spread sheet set up just how I want it, based on what I am looking for in a money management tool. I've come to accept that no other tool will do what I want as well as the thing I set up myself.
How are you entering transactions? Manually?
Each month I download a spreadsheet of transactions from my bank's website. I only manually set categories for things not previously seen.
I also have a robust spreadsheet that has enough VLOOKUPs to choke a supercomputer. Mint was just an aggregate for all my financial institutions that I could then export from the site and into my spreadsheet. I'm willing to pay for this aggregate service, just not a lot.
I can export spread sheets from my bank website and then have them automatically processed. I do it once a month, and it's only a couple of minutes to do. I can understand the appeal of an aggregate service but I don't find it helpful in my case.
I personally use Budget with Buckets and it's working quite well.
I just sync my file to a common server for my backup and syncing.