What to you use to track your finances?

[biervoormij]

I have been using the program quicken for over 30 years. In the past each time I bought a new computer I would buy the latest version of quicken and load my past data in the new version. I think it is time to upgrade my computer but looking at quicken they have gone to a subscription type of service where I would have pay a fee each year to keep using quicken. 

 

Do you use something that keeps track of all your financial accounts in one place and would you recommend it? I am thinking it might be best to convert to using a spreadsheet.

[proton]

My wife does that!

[Morch]

I don't, really. Easier that way. One of the nicer things living in Thailand is that the margins are wider, less worries.

[biervoormij]

3 minutes ago, proton said:

My wife does that!

I don't have that program but have heard that the subscription fee is much higher than what quicken charges but a wife has many more features that quicken can't support.

[Rigsby]

I only use this for personal use and it does exactly what I want, plus it's free.

 

https://moneymanagerex.org/

[BritManToo]

I'm paid a pension every month, then i spend it.

No need to track anything.

[foreverlomsak]

Excel Spreadsheet, designed specifically for my needs (future only 10 years, history is not retained longer than 6 months), containing 5 Thai bank accounts and 2 UK, fluctuation in exchange rates, elements to calculate account interest, also UK and Thai (if it happens) tax predictions.

[bignok]

Sickbuffalo.inc

 

Expensive

But free farm girl

Upgrade yearly for new girl

[jaideedave]

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm paid a pension every month, then i spend it.

No need to track anything.

Same here BMT..Like you my pension gets transferred here every month and I use it all.My nest egg is separate from that.

I'm fortunate enough to have no debts so its smooth sailing.

 

BTW..are you mending okay since the H&R incident?

 

[Stocky]

MS Money Sunset edition

[kinyara]

Whatever format/categories Quicken presents the financial information you provide it with, just set up your own spreadsheet to do the same. You do the hard work providing the information, not the dedicated financial program.

[KhunLA]

No need to track anything ... it arrives in my bank, after a few months, I withdrawal it, spend it, or try to.   At end of the year, what ever is left, actually about 40% of it, goes in the wife's retirement/oops fund.

[Rimmer]

43 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Excel Spreadsheet, designed specifically for my needs (future only 10 years, history is not retained longer than 6 months), containing 5 Thai bank accounts and 2 UK, fluctuation in exchange rates, elements to calculate account interest, also UK and Thai (if it happens) tax predictions.

 

I also use Excel, all encompassed inside one work book.

 

We used it for monthly management accounts when I was running multiple operations in SEA and later when I ran my own business, no big numbers to crunch now, it is easy to set up, easy to use and very flexible, back up copy kept on a thumb drive. 

 

I think it is the best there is.

[OneMoreFarang]

Excel

[Rimmer]

My Excel top sheet looks like this and links through to other pages where necessary and automatically puts cumulative totals per years.

 

Really easy to set up

[Lacessit]

LibreOffice, free spreadsheet software with any Linux operating system. Just as good as Excel for my purposes.

 

I record my incomes as I get them.

I calculate my expenditures at the end of each month. Total at end of the financial year..

Every financial year, I total up my various assets, which change as I move in and out of investments. I have no liabilities.

At my current rate of expenditure, I will be down to just pension income at age 105.

[biervoormij]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback it has been very helpful.

 

I will start working on exporting some of my data to spreadsheets. I think I will delete most of it but think I should keep the cost-basis on my investment accounts. I will also try the program that @Rigsby was so kind to share.

 

Thanks @Rimmer for an example of how to track my spending.

 

@Lacessit hope you make it to that age where you are only living on a pension. 105 would be impressive.

 

I don't get a pension so the idea of spending all my money in one month would be one great month but the next month I would have to join the flying from a condo group.

[Mike Lister]

1 minute ago, biervoormij said:

Thanks everyone for all the feedback it has been very helpful.

 

I will start working on exporting some of my data to spreadsheets. I think I will delete most of it but think I should keep the cost-basis on my investment accounts. I will also try the program that @Rigsby was so kind to share.

 

Thanks @Rimmer for an example of how to track my spending.

 

@Lacessit hope you make it to that age where you are only living on a pension. 105 would be impressive.

 

I don't get a pension so the idea of spending all my money in one month would be one great month but the next month I would have to join the flying from a condo group.

FWIW I also use spreadsheets to track monthly expenditure and to help me budget but I don't do it at the Macro level like Rimmer, instead I track things at the transaction level, eg Cash withdrawal, debit card purchase, etc and then add some detail as needed, that way, the balance on my spreadsheet equals my account balances. I think trying to track micro level details such as how much I spent at Big C, how much for a meal etc is too laborious and after a while you'll probably drop it, unless you're really dedicated. I think you have to go back to the purpose as to why you need the spreadsheet, in my case it's to  A) make sure I don't overspend in the course of a month and B)make sure the different pots of money I have total an amount that grows every month and isn't reducing. Knowing how much you spend at Lotus, on telephone and food at villa isn't that useful, except perhaps as a one of exercise from time to time, it's the bigger picture that's important.

[HappyExpat57]

I use a combination of Excel spreadsheet and Outlook Calendar. Outlook is set up to remind me of income tax which I pay quarterly, property taxes semi-annually, and other such reminders.

[ukrules]

My brain

[Moonlover]

4 hours ago, Stocky said:

MS Money Sunset edition

I'm still using the original MS Money, bought on CD in the UK in 2001. It runs perfectly well on Windows 11.

 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Moonlover

[briley]

Stay with Quicken - only problem in Windows 10 is that the window opens blank, you have to change the window size to see all the details. Quicken works in multiple currencies, nothing else I tried does that satisfactorily.

 

If Microsoft finally breaks quicken it will work on a Virtual machine - there are at least 2 that are free and you can install WinXP and everything works fine.

[ChrisP24]

18 hours ago, Lacessit said:

LibreOffice, free spreadsheet software with any Linux operating system. Just as good as Excel for my purposes.

 

I record my incomes as I get them.

I calculate my expenditures at the end of each month. Total at end of the financial year..

Every financial year, I total up my various assets, which change as I move in and out of investments. I have no liabilities.

At my current rate of expenditure, I will be down to just pension income at age 105.

 

I tried software many, many years ago and found it too tedious, it was Andrew Tobias' Manage Your Money back in the 1990s.  Excel is much more flexible, you can lay out your own spreadsheets in the way that best aligns with how you mentally view your finances. 

 

And then later I migrated to Libre Office, which as Lacessit states is a free office suite that includes a spreadsheet that's functionally equivalent (and cross-compatible with) Excel.  It also includes counterparts to the other MS Office software.  It works fine with Windows. 

[sammieuk1]

A small calculator but down to fingers this year 🤔

[couchpotato]

Just curious why people want to track every cent/baht they spend. Seems counter productive having a program/spreadsheet to do this, but each to their own I guess.

[longball53098]

I have used this software "Home Bookkeeping" for about 10 years now. Has always worked for me.

 

https://www.keepsoft.com/hbk/windows_hbk_about.php

[Lacessit]

11 minutes ago, couchpotato said:

Just curious why people want to track every cent/baht they spend. Seems counter productive having a program/spreadsheet to do this, but each to their own I guess.

IME people who keep track of what they are doing stay solvent all their lives. It's the ones who live from paycheck to paycheck who end up dead broke.

Fussbudgets like me arrive at airports a couple of hours early, to allow for contingencies. We check the oil level and tire pressures on our vehicles every week.

We're the ones who are unstressed. We are never at an airport counter pleading to be let on a flight when boarding has closed, or stranded by the roadside.

[lopburi3]

Was also a Quicken user after Microsoft ended Money but have lost access with new computer/Win 11 and do not want subscription system so moved to below about 6 months ago and it seems to work well - can off line load data file from banks and works with all currencies.  

https://moneydance.com/

 

Note:  a prime reason for using this software is that it works fine with dark mode in Windows (old eyes can actually read it).

Edited November 26, 2023 by lopburi3

[ChaiyaTH]

One earns too little if needing to track personal expenses IMHO. You simply know what you earn or average earn and then you can set a budget that should pay all bills, goes to investing / saving, and the rest is history.

 

Sleeping alone already costs us 1/3rd of life in total, why on earth would one waste time on this. If feeling the need to track things, it should be time, people would be shocked.

Edited November 26, 2023 by ChaiyaTH

[foreverlomsak]

16 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

FWIW I also use spreadsheets to track monthly expenditure and to help me budget but I don't do it at the Macro level like Rimmer, instead I track things at the transaction level, eg Cash withdrawal, debit card purchase, etc and then add some detail as needed, that way, the balance on my spreadsheet equals my account balances. I think trying to track micro level details such as how much I spent at Big C, how much for a meal etc is too laborious and after a while you'll probably drop it, unless you're really dedicated. I think you have to go back to the purpose as to why you need the spreadsheet, in my case it's to  A) make sure I don't overspend in the course of a month and B)make sure the different pots of money I have total an amount that grows every month and isn't reducing. Knowing how much you spend at Lotus, on telephone and food at villa isn't that useful, except perhaps as a one of exercise from time to time, it's the bigger picture that's important.

Agree, I use mine for future predictions of bank balances i.e. income vs expenditure (using a monthly average and estimates of "special" expenditure like new car, etc.) to try to ensure I never go broke in the long term, it is so easy to say it's only an extra drop from the ocean.

It was really important while I was not on a pension, now I know what I'm going to get each month, so budgeting is easier, underspend what you get and it goes towards inflation proofing your savings, and yes I'm one of the UK "frozen" pensioners.