Oh my glamorous, flibbertigibbert lifestyle....anyone know some good personal budgeting software?

[Gizmo]

It has come to this. No more partying the night away for Mr and Mrs Gizmo, gaily ordering the champagne and bejewelled elephants without a thought for the financial consequences.

No. We are both now facing the prospect of lunching with Mr Redundancy, and a little, ahem, prudence, is in order, at least until we find new jobs.

To make this easier I think I need to stop using the rather eccentric bespoke spreadsheet we have at home and invest in some Serious Tools. Can any of you experienced budgeters out there recommend something? It has to be able to track cashflow week to week, cope with the comings and goings from three different accounts and ideally be accessible from more than one computer.

I am aware that spending money on software to tell me how to budget may be truly (rather than Alanis Morrisette-stylee) ironic, but I just feel a slightly panicky need to take control, so who's up for an exciting conversation about personal finance software?

Erm, not sure - I use 'microsoft money' but all I do is use it like a rolling bank statement. I have a 'statement' set up for our current account, savings account and credit card.

Each night I enter everything that's been spent so I can see how high the credit card is getting so that I can avoid clothes shops if it's necessary! I will also have a pretty accurate idea of what the bill is going to be (it gets paid automatically by DD so it's not like I can underpay if it's big).

Every month, on the current account one, I enter in everything that will go in and everything that will go out so I can see a 'theoretical' balance at the end of the month (i.e. how much spending money we have left).

This is just because I like to be on top of things - I don't know how people can just spend, spend, spend without knowing their financial status as it were!

I have to say I sometimes don't know my status but I always tend to assume it's bad...

I have periods where I really do try, but have always lapsed back into half-assed financial control. The good news (if there can be any...) about facing the prospect of no job is that I now have an inescapable reason to DO SOMETHING. I just want to be sure it's the right thing and I'm not wasting money.

I also use Microsoft Money - got it from Amazon for about £20. You can link it up to your internet bank accounts etc, but I tend to just enter my outgoings on a weekly basis for each account so as I know where I am. You can set up all your direct debits on there so they enter into the account sheets automatically.

Will it show you your status week by week as you look forward?

Another thing I'm interested in is being able to set aside separate savings pots for various one off big bills. There's nothing like an unexpected car service bill for causing financial doom and panic chez Gizmo

Oh yes, and just to complicate my life a little more, we run Macs at home.

I'm married to an engineer, can you tell?

Macs is a problem, gizmo. I looked into it quite extensively during one of my more financially neurotic phases, and found that the popular packages (Microsoft Money, Quicken) are PC only.

FWIW, a low-tech option is a nice online banking system (Nationwide is the one we use), a nice excel spreadsheet, and a switch to cash for day-to-day expenditure. So I work out how much we needed for weekly spending money and then take out that amount once a week. Finding you've only got £4.23 in your purse and three days of the week left to go is a fab disincentive for a quick trip to Starbucks.

Do I get any credits for 'lunching with Mr Redundancy' LL?

Did Mr Redundancy pay for the lunch...?

Nope, and I can't claim it on expenses either

But I think Frogs' point about switching to cash is a good one and should introduce a long overdue note of sanity in my life.

We're working on an excel spreadsheet right now, but it was designed by DH aeons ago, and he has largely forgotten how the IF functions that drive it work, so every time the damn thing does something unexpected, I have to make him sit down and burn synapses until he remembers. This is not good for marital relations in the Gizmo household - tech support needs to be at the end of the phone and be paid to make patronising comments, in my book.

I would quite like a glamorous flibbertigibbert lifestyle.
Can you give me some recommendations on how to do it please?

No idea on software but we have just sorted ourself out and finally paid off our cards last week. I have now turned over a new financial leaf and am know exactly where I am.

I use online banking which helps. Then I have a trusty Excel spreadsheet where I have put down all the bills, mortage etc and worked out what is left. That is then split down into savings, food, entertainment, car, Christmas, clothes, birthday, miscellaneous & a "luxury budget" for DH & I. Most of these go into e-savings accounts linked to the main bank account so I can just transfer things over. The food & entertainment is taken out in one go at the beginning of the month but we have been a bit rubbish and have nearly blown it, so will have to be really careful until the end of the month. Next month we are going to take it out each week in cash instead and see if that works.

The only spanner in the whole thing so far is DH who keeps forgetting about yearly subscription things he took out until they come out of the account. But this is only month 1 so it could go all wrong shortly !

No LL, is that the key? It doesn't look very glamourous.
Seriously though, DH works all hours and all my friends are either completely broke or up to their eyes in new baby so no one is doing anything exciting.

oooooh HUGE article in the times yesterday on budgeting (slightly poncetastic going on about local fishmongers etc yawwwwwwwwwwwwwwn), but I think they are doing a feature every day

will link

I have a vague feeling it doesn't involve agonising over cashflow, PinkMartini.

Also LOADS of canapes.

We use Microsoft Money and also use the budgeting facility within it. Really useful hwne you're trying to work out where on earth it all goes - it's amazing how all the small amounts add up over time

Ah yes, but when I introduce Microsoft products to the Mac it gets a furball...

Hmm - in that case I'd probably go for the cash + spreadsheet option (but it's a shame, because the budget option is presumably what you're really after). What about getting a v cheap laptop, purely to run Microsoft software?

Times article, but tbh, it has annoyed me on second reading! ha. But she says use cash

Ah no, LL, this has become norm for school pick up round here.

Bit of a bugger to dismount gracefully from the Cheyenne when wearing it, though.

She is a bit annoying, ain't she, Olive? But nowhere near as bad as the other professional whinger who writes in the times about being a landlady...can't remember her name now...