...to ask for help organises/ keeping on top of family money!

[Candlefairy101]

I have written down our in and outs and thought about doing an excel sheet on the computer.

Did a little research and thought maybe an budgeting app may help but I have no idea which one.

There's myself, husband and 3 children, 6yr, 2yr and 1yr, I really don't have time to sit and go through receipt and I don't want to be questioning husband what's he's spending, not because he's done anything wrong, but so I can get an accurate account.

I'm sick of worry that I have no money!

Please tell me how you go about organising your finances, I don't want to spend ages trying an app out to then know it's not the best one to use!

Thank you!! P.s I didn't start a thread on money matters and thanks you who did reply but I understand I'll get more of a spectrum in Aibu

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I use a spreadsheet each month. It is really helpful. I put in my bank start balance, all our direct debits etc are listed, credit card payments, regular spending and it has a bit for other spending as well. it shows me how much is still to come out and how much will be left in the bank at the end of the month.

We have 1 account. All incomming money goes in there. We use a credit card to pay for everything but pay back without any interest on a weekly basis. At the end of the year the cashback pays for the house insurance. I buy everything. All food booze fags on the weekly shop. He has no reason to spend any more except on petrol. Any other expenditures (and there are plenty!) are all paid by ccard and paid off. I think cus there is only 1 account it simplifies things. I don't work now but even when i did it all went into the same account. I didn't have an issue with it. I never went without anything and we have a large savings pot and shares and hold 70% equity in our house in west london. Be sensible and stop spending for the sake of it. Save here and there, spend elsewhere. Eating out is a big spend that alot of people seem to be unable to forgo. It all adds up. A coffee. A magazine. A new top. More makeup. Blah blah blah. It can be done. Nobody wants to live like a peasant and i assure you we don't but equally nobody wants to worry about money all the time either. Its not a nice way to live.

@mrsd79 which credit card for you use? We have one but I'm not sure it is the best for cashback.

Its just a visa credit card. Go on the search engines on the money sites and see if there is a better 1. We have used it for years. Our system works for us. Not saying it would suit everyone at all. We embraced it and accepted it. We dont argue about money (just everything else!). We didnt say its my money you have your own etc. Its not nice and in my opinion not the right way to start a marriage. You united as 2 people together so that include the money too. No secrets.

Agree with above. I buy all food and drink needed during the weekly shop. Hardly ever spend money on food whilst out now. This has saved me over £200 a month and has seriously made managing finances so much easier, as there isn't much day to day/ad hoc spend to track.

Have you checked MSE website? Some great tools there to help with budgeting and tracking expenditures.

Most of MSE will recommend YNAB (you need a budget) app. It's probably a bit hard going to get straight into, the MSE budget spreadsheet is a good start point to think about what you have to spend, and on what.

I know I could use excel but I thought if there's an app where Dp can have it on his phone aswell connected to our joint account I wouldn't have to take all the responsibility IYKWIM?

One where you can see what bill is about to come out and make sure the money is in there because at the moment we are living hand to mouth and he is working all the hours sun, as a plumber and I as a SAHM, I know it's because we have just moved house, September, but I really want to take at least some of the stress away.

Does anyone use an app that is connected to their bank accounts?

Google spreadsheets can be shared with others.

I'd have a separate account for bills and spends if I was living hand to mouth.

Use your banks app? You can see all ingoings and outgoings and also I used the budget book app on android it's amazing. Unfortunately they don't have it on iPhone 😓

I also don't claim any sort of benefits because we never know from one month to the next what income DP has because he's self employed, so I worry about over payments etc, if we knew a regular income then things would be easier to work out.