A funny thing happened to me this week.
On Tuesday, a friend from work announced he was looking for an apartment for him and his fiancée. They live outside the city, and he wants to live closer to their work.
That same moment, I thought, "I still live in a shared apartment... I'd really like to move out to my own place." This was followed by a thorough web search for affordable and nice-looking flats and studios. The whole day, I was fixated on finding a new place to live.
The next day I woke up thinking about it again. Then it hit me: why did I want to move out? The place I live is great, a 15-minute walk from work, my flatmates are wonderful people and I have room for all my stuff. It really didn't make sense. It would just be an extra expense.
But seeing my friend actively looking for a place reminded me that, ideally, I'd want to live on my own. To have pets and a bit more freedom. But I don't really need it.
So that's the moral for today: Think things over and try to sort what you need from what you want.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Satisfaction vs. Money
What makes you happy?
People sometimes think that frugality means not having any fun. That you need to close your wallet forever and ever as sacrifice to the Frugal Powers That Be. That you must memorize your budget and recite it whenever you intend to make a purchase.
As fun as this ritual might sound, it's far from the truth.
The one question that I ask myself before any purchase is a simple one. Do I need this or do I want it? If it's a true need, it's a matter of finding the best value for money. If it's a want, there is another question. How happy will this purchase make me?
People have many different interests. Sometimes even too many interests. How can you maintain your gadget hunger, your bookshelf, your DVD passion, your dining habits, your perfume collection without going utterly and completely broke?
The truth, sadly, is that most likely you can't. If every time you go out you give in to the urge to buy a couple of new DVDs, and books, and collectible toys, and this, and that, your budget will fail. Miserably.
What should you do then? My suggestion, as usual, is prioritize. Yes, just like I said in the procrastination post, ask yourself what's more important. What, from your habits, makes you happier? Is there anything that you've regretted buying before? Splurging on things sometimes means you end up buying stuff you don't use or like.
I enjoy buying electronics and I have an obsession with notebooks, toys, stickers, papers. Last year I bought a Nintendo Wii on a whim, and also a PSP. I have more papers and stickers than I will ever be able to use. But what's more important to me, the thing that makes me truly happy is buying a couple of books every now and then.
So this is what I do: I think two, three times before buying any stationery items. I tighten my spending and save up the cost of an electronic I set my desires on.
But I figure into my monthly budget the cost of two books.
Two, I've figured, is enough to keep me entertained for a month. Maybe you need 10, maybe you need 5 DVDs, 2 CDs and one new game. Pay attention to your habits, to what makes you happiest, and acccomodate for that expense, not more nor less. Well... less is something I'll be talking about further on, but if you have trouble keeping your desires in check, this is a good way to start.
So tell me, what habits and purchases makes you happiest? ;)
People sometimes think that frugality means not having any fun. That you need to close your wallet forever and ever as sacrifice to the Frugal Powers That Be. That you must memorize your budget and recite it whenever you intend to make a purchase.
As fun as this ritual might sound, it's far from the truth.
The one question that I ask myself before any purchase is a simple one. Do I need this or do I want it? If it's a true need, it's a matter of finding the best value for money. If it's a want, there is another question. How happy will this purchase make me?
People have many different interests. Sometimes even too many interests. How can you maintain your gadget hunger, your bookshelf, your DVD passion, your dining habits, your perfume collection without going utterly and completely broke?
The truth, sadly, is that most likely you can't. If every time you go out you give in to the urge to buy a couple of new DVDs, and books, and collectible toys, and this, and that, your budget will fail. Miserably.
What should you do then? My suggestion, as usual, is prioritize. Yes, just like I said in the procrastination post, ask yourself what's more important. What, from your habits, makes you happier? Is there anything that you've regretted buying before? Splurging on things sometimes means you end up buying stuff you don't use or like.
I enjoy buying electronics and I have an obsession with notebooks, toys, stickers, papers. Last year I bought a Nintendo Wii on a whim, and also a PSP. I have more papers and stickers than I will ever be able to use. But what's more important to me, the thing that makes me truly happy is buying a couple of books every now and then.
So this is what I do: I think two, three times before buying any stationery items. I tighten my spending and save up the cost of an electronic I set my desires on.
But I figure into my monthly budget the cost of two books.
Two, I've figured, is enough to keep me entertained for a month. Maybe you need 10, maybe you need 5 DVDs, 2 CDs and one new game. Pay attention to your habits, to what makes you happiest, and acccomodate for that expense, not more nor less. Well... less is something I'll be talking about further on, but if you have trouble keeping your desires in check, this is a good way to start.
So tell me, what habits and purchases makes you happiest? ;)
Monday, July 27, 2009
What's in your kitchen?
How big is your pantry?
Do you know everything you have in there?
When I was a child, my mother would ask my help in making grocery lists. I'd look in the fridge and go in the pantry to check everything we had and what we needed. To be honest, I hated being trusted with the responsibility - if I overlooked something, it would be my fault.
But it taught me a lesson for life: Always know what you have. Yesterday I was putting together an inventory of my kitchen, and I found something that upset me a bit: I bought a bag of whole wheat flour, to make the bread from yesterday's post. What I didn't know was that I had an unopened bag of white flour bought about 2 months ago.
Oopsy...
Of course, it was small and inexpensive, so I brushed it off. I'll just keep both flours for the next time I make bread. But it just reinforced the notion that you MUST have a clear idea of what's in your kitchen.
And this is what I'm doing about it:
I've written down all the things I have in my kitchen (divided into two sheets: fridge and cupboard), with categories for easy finding. I put it on GoogleDocs for those times when I want to stop by the store on my way home. My spreadsheet is a weird mix of Portuguese, English and Spanish, but what can I say, my mind works like that.
This way, whenever I get a recipe that I'd like to make, I can easily check the spreadsheet and make a quick list with what's missing. And it's easy to update, too!
How do you keep tabs on the things you have? ;)
Do you know everything you have in there?
When I was a child, my mother would ask my help in making grocery lists. I'd look in the fridge and go in the pantry to check everything we had and what we needed. To be honest, I hated being trusted with the responsibility - if I overlooked something, it would be my fault.
But it taught me a lesson for life: Always know what you have. Yesterday I was putting together an inventory of my kitchen, and I found something that upset me a bit: I bought a bag of whole wheat flour, to make the bread from yesterday's post. What I didn't know was that I had an unopened bag of white flour bought about 2 months ago.
Oopsy...Of course, it was small and inexpensive, so I brushed it off. I'll just keep both flours for the next time I make bread. But it just reinforced the notion that you MUST have a clear idea of what's in your kitchen.
And this is what I'm doing about it:
I've written down all the things I have in my kitchen (divided into two sheets: fridge and cupboard), with categories for easy finding. I put it on GoogleDocs for those times when I want to stop by the store on my way home. My spreadsheet is a weird mix of Portuguese, English and Spanish, but what can I say, my mind works like that.This way, whenever I get a recipe that I'd like to make, I can easily check the spreadsheet and make a quick list with what's missing. And it's easy to update, too!
How do you keep tabs on the things you have? ;)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Cooking Sundays
Sunday is cooking day for me.
I like to cook, but I'm not so good at it. I try to make nice recipes every now and then, and sometimes it's a complete failure (I won't even go into how much I fail at making decent, fluffy white rice). Sometimes I just don't have the exact ingredients, sometimes I substitute something wrong. I like freestyling, but I still don't have the hang of how to improvise.
These are today's foodstuffs, with the adaptations made:
Whole Wheat Bread (recipe link!)
What I did differently:
1. I don't have measuring spoons, so I eyeballed all quantities other than cups.
2. I did not use bread flour at all. My pantry is not the biggest and I'm not the most prolific baker, so I only have all-purpose whole wheat flour.
3. I scaled it down to 1/3 of the original recipe. I cook only for myself and don't eat bread all that often, so one loaf was more than enough.
4. Something I do every time I make bread: I kneaded it inside the bowl. I don't have a big kitchen, and though I COULD clean out a spot of the counter for kneading, I feel like it's just not worth the hassle.
And you can see how gorgeous it turned out! Even while making it I could see that the texture was lovely. This was the first time I heard of the trick of brushing the top of the baked loaves with butter to prevent hard crusts, and it really works!
This is the easiest bread recipe I've ever tried, and it's delicious too! The amount was just right for the loaf size I wanted.
Ricotta Stuffed Peppers (recipe link!)
What I did differently:
1. I used plain puréed tomatoes instead of sauce.
2. When adding the tomato, I also plopped on a bit of shredded Grana Padano cheese (Stupid move: the cooking time that follows is too long, and scorched the cheese. Next time I'd wait until there's only about 5 minutes left and add the cheese then.)
3. No eggs, no romano cheese, red pepper instead of green. Very simple: I just didn't have these things at home, and they didn't have individual green peppers at the store.
4. I cut the recipe in half, and used one big pepper. This allowed me to overstuff it, which is good for a hesitant vegetable eater such as myself.
Roast Broccoli (recipe link!)
What I did differently:
1. Used frozen veggies - both broccoli and cauliflower (sure it didn't turn out as awesome as the original recipe must have been, but I'm more interested in practicality than perfection).
2. I only made enough for about 2 or 3 portions (like I said before, I cook only for myself).
3. Used Grana Padano cheese instead of Parmesan. It costs half the price, and it's delicious too.
4. Added chopped walnuts.
5. After sprinkling the cheese and walnuts, I turned off the stove and put the pan inside for a few minutes - just enough for the cheese to melt.
These recipes worked perfectly for me. What recipes do you recommend? ;)
I like to cook, but I'm not so good at it. I try to make nice recipes every now and then, and sometimes it's a complete failure (I won't even go into how much I fail at making decent, fluffy white rice). Sometimes I just don't have the exact ingredients, sometimes I substitute something wrong. I like freestyling, but I still don't have the hang of how to improvise.
These are today's foodstuffs, with the adaptations made:
Whole Wheat Bread (recipe link!)
What I did differently:1. I don't have measuring spoons, so I eyeballed all quantities other than cups.
2. I did not use bread flour at all. My pantry is not the biggest and I'm not the most prolific baker, so I only have all-purpose whole wheat flour.
3. I scaled it down to 1/3 of the original recipe. I cook only for myself and don't eat bread all that often, so one loaf was more than enough.
4. Something I do every time I make bread: I kneaded it inside the bowl. I don't have a big kitchen, and though I COULD clean out a spot of the counter for kneading, I feel like it's just not worth the hassle.
And you can see how gorgeous it turned out! Even while making it I could see that the texture was lovely. This was the first time I heard of the trick of brushing the top of the baked loaves with butter to prevent hard crusts, and it really works!
This is the easiest bread recipe I've ever tried, and it's delicious too! The amount was just right for the loaf size I wanted.
Ricotta Stuffed Peppers (recipe link!)
What I did differently:1. I used plain puréed tomatoes instead of sauce.
2. When adding the tomato, I also plopped on a bit of shredded Grana Padano cheese (Stupid move: the cooking time that follows is too long, and scorched the cheese. Next time I'd wait until there's only about 5 minutes left and add the cheese then.)
3. No eggs, no romano cheese, red pepper instead of green. Very simple: I just didn't have these things at home, and they didn't have individual green peppers at the store.
4. I cut the recipe in half, and used one big pepper. This allowed me to overstuff it, which is good for a hesitant vegetable eater such as myself.
Roast Broccoli (recipe link!)
What I did differently:1. Used frozen veggies - both broccoli and cauliflower (sure it didn't turn out as awesome as the original recipe must have been, but I'm more interested in practicality than perfection).
2. I only made enough for about 2 or 3 portions (like I said before, I cook only for myself).
3. Used Grana Padano cheese instead of Parmesan. It costs half the price, and it's delicious too.
4. Added chopped walnuts.
5. After sprinkling the cheese and walnuts, I turned off the stove and put the pan inside for a few minutes - just enough for the cheese to melt.
These recipes worked perfectly for me. What recipes do you recommend? ;)
Friday, July 24, 2009
Of Grains and Chickens
There's a saying in Brazil that goes, "Grain by grain, the chicken fills its crop." It's used to illustrate perseverance and patience against obstacles - slowly but surely, the chicken will be well-fed by eating teeny tiny grains.
But there's another lesson to be learned: Something very small, repeated over and over, can become quite big.
A few months ago, while reading my favorite personal finance blogs (check them out, they're all on the blog roll to the right!), I came across a few posts about savings. They'd give tips on how to reduce bills by 10 to 20 dollars each month. My thoughts upon reading these kinds of posts were, "why would anyone go out of their way to save only $20 a month?"
If those were your thoughts as well, my question to you is: what amount of money is it worth going out of your way for? $50? $100?
Let's take $100 as a base, since its 3-digit status makes it look important.
Let's say you have a monthly bill of $50, and you come across a way to pay $20 less per month. "Pfft," you say, "I don't want to go through the hassle of canceling those extra channels on my cable, I DO watch them every other full moon."
Fine, fine. Now you have a $30 run to the late-night shop to pick up items you absolutely need, but didn't bother to grab at your discount store of choice. "Ah, I'm only going to spend a few extra bucks anyway." And there goes another extra $5.
Now comes the big one: your biweekly supermarket stop. Shopping around is too much of a hassle, so you just go to this one big place that sells everything you need at a slightly higher price. "I always shop there, it's no big deal. It's not as expensive as it looks." You pay $120 for stuff that would have cost you $90 by going to 3 different shops and a fresh fruit market.
In the three previous paragraphs you had the opportunity to spend *slightly* less, but it didn't really seem like a big deal.
Now let's add up, shall we? If you had saved $20 from the cable bill, $5 from the last-minute items and $30 for groceries, you would have $55 extra RIGHT NOW. And you know what would happen if these situations repeated just once more in the same month? That's right: you'd break that magic 3-digit mark.
Also, let me tell you something else: even if you manage to reduce your spending in just $15 per month, that's $180 per year. Imagine reaching the end of the year, what wonderful Christmas present could you get yourself (let's not be selfish: maybe even for a loved one) with those savings? (I would probably just buy a ton of books. :D)
Thankfully I've seen the error of my ways, and I now treat all savings equally. You should probably do so too!
But there's another lesson to be learned: Something very small, repeated over and over, can become quite big.
A few months ago, while reading my favorite personal finance blogs (check them out, they're all on the blog roll to the right!), I came across a few posts about savings. They'd give tips on how to reduce bills by 10 to 20 dollars each month. My thoughts upon reading these kinds of posts were, "why would anyone go out of their way to save only $20 a month?"
If those were your thoughts as well, my question to you is: what amount of money is it worth going out of your way for? $50? $100?
Let's take $100 as a base, since its 3-digit status makes it look important.
Let's say you have a monthly bill of $50, and you come across a way to pay $20 less per month. "Pfft," you say, "I don't want to go through the hassle of canceling those extra channels on my cable, I DO watch them every other full moon."
Fine, fine. Now you have a $30 run to the late-night shop to pick up items you absolutely need, but didn't bother to grab at your discount store of choice. "Ah, I'm only going to spend a few extra bucks anyway." And there goes another extra $5.
Now comes the big one: your biweekly supermarket stop. Shopping around is too much of a hassle, so you just go to this one big place that sells everything you need at a slightly higher price. "I always shop there, it's no big deal. It's not as expensive as it looks." You pay $120 for stuff that would have cost you $90 by going to 3 different shops and a fresh fruit market.
In the three previous paragraphs you had the opportunity to spend *slightly* less, but it didn't really seem like a big deal.
Now let's add up, shall we? If you had saved $20 from the cable bill, $5 from the last-minute items and $30 for groceries, you would have $55 extra RIGHT NOW. And you know what would happen if these situations repeated just once more in the same month? That's right: you'd break that magic 3-digit mark.
Also, let me tell you something else: even if you manage to reduce your spending in just $15 per month, that's $180 per year. Imagine reaching the end of the year, what wonderful Christmas present could you get yourself (let's not be selfish: maybe even for a loved one) with those savings? (I would probably just buy a ton of books. :D)
Thankfully I've seen the error of my ways, and I now treat all savings equally. You should probably do so too!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Procrastination, and thoughts on how to overcome it
For disappearing acts, it's hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work. ~Doug Larson
Weekends sitting around the house, hours spent watching random TV shows, surfing your favorite social bookmarking tool searching for anything interesting. Meanwhile, your house is a mess, cobwebs grow on your projects and that heavy dinner from last night is starting to magically transform into weight gain. Are these symptoms familiar?
Congratulations, my friend, you have encountered procrastination at least once in your life. Wikipedia has a very nice article on that, and I suggest taking a look at it for further insight.
What I want to share with you today are a few ideas on how to reduce procrastination and increase productivity on your personal projects.
{{Soon after you wake up, take a few minutes to think about what you'd like to accomplish on that day.
You can do this during the shower, breakfast, whenever you're alone and able to focus. You don't need to plan it out, just think of what you'd like to do. Finish that crafts project, write a couple of pages of that novel you've always wanted to finish, cook a nice dish. I work during the day and only arrive home at around 7pm, but I try to keep it in mind during the whole day. That way, I'm ready to start as soon as I settle down.
{{Ask yourself why you need to do it.
Will it bring you money? Knowledge? Improve quality of life? Help you towards another greater goal? Always remember why you're doing what you're doing, and how it's important for your current situation.
{{Prioritize prioritize prioritize.
No, I'm not telling you to spend hours with a spreadsheet evaluating the details of each project (I use the term "project" very loosely here). Do the math quickly in your head. What's more important, exercising or organizing your finances? Cleaning the freezer or the pantry? Finishing that scrapbooking project or reading your emails? Only you can say what's important.
{{Once you have your priorities, jot down a tasklist.
Break projects into short, manageable tasks. If you have one giant task, such as "write a 100.000-word novel," it will seem impossible from the get-go. Break it into short tasks: outline the story, then the characters, refine, research. No task is too small.
{{Don't fit entertainment into your daily plan.
You don't need to be reminded to be tired and need a break - it will happen naturally. I used to budget time for things like "watch a movie", "play videogame." And you can probably guess it: these were the only tasks that got done. And I even ended the day feeling like I had accomplished something for having worked on a "task!" Work on what you want, and when you're tired give yourself a 10 to 20 minute break doing something fun and rewarding.
{{If you feel like you've hit a wall in one project, skip to the next priority.
Sometimes you're just tired of looking at the same thing. If you have to look at that scrapbook for another minute you might cry. Why not take a look at that pantry then? This is the advantage of having a clear priority list in your head (or in a post-it, or a notebook): you can stop working on something and not feel like you're wasting your time.
{{If you're a people-person, find a buddy to motivate you.
Procrastination is universal, and some people work better knowing there are others who are looking forward to the end of a project. Maybe you can find a beta-reader for your novel. Maybe your child can't wait to see the finished scrapbook. Things like this can really motivate!
{{Be sensible.
Just because you are starting to manage your time more productively doesn't mean you should take on a million new projects. If you already have too many projects, freeze a few until you finish the ones you've already started.
{{And lastly: don't overwork yourself.
Keep your goals in mind, but don't set unrealistic deadlines. Chances are you'll either burn out or give up on the project.
Here are a few links that showed up on my Twitter feed recently, and inspired me to write this post:
10 Techniques to Successfully Overcome Procrastination (Psychology Today)
An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day (Harvard Business)
10 Ways to Give Yourself a Procrastination Inoculation (Zen Habits)
Dost thou love life? Then waste not time; for time is the stuff that life is made of. ~Benjamin Franklin
How do you tackle procrastination? ;)
Weekends sitting around the house, hours spent watching random TV shows, surfing your favorite social bookmarking tool searching for anything interesting. Meanwhile, your house is a mess, cobwebs grow on your projects and that heavy dinner from last night is starting to magically transform into weight gain. Are these symptoms familiar?
Congratulations, my friend, you have encountered procrastination at least once in your life. Wikipedia has a very nice article on that, and I suggest taking a look at it for further insight.
What I want to share with you today are a few ideas on how to reduce procrastination and increase productivity on your personal projects.
{{Soon after you wake up, take a few minutes to think about what you'd like to accomplish on that day.
You can do this during the shower, breakfast, whenever you're alone and able to focus. You don't need to plan it out, just think of what you'd like to do. Finish that crafts project, write a couple of pages of that novel you've always wanted to finish, cook a nice dish. I work during the day and only arrive home at around 7pm, but I try to keep it in mind during the whole day. That way, I'm ready to start as soon as I settle down.
{{Ask yourself why you need to do it.
Will it bring you money? Knowledge? Improve quality of life? Help you towards another greater goal? Always remember why you're doing what you're doing, and how it's important for your current situation.
{{Prioritize prioritize prioritize.
No, I'm not telling you to spend hours with a spreadsheet evaluating the details of each project (I use the term "project" very loosely here). Do the math quickly in your head. What's more important, exercising or organizing your finances? Cleaning the freezer or the pantry? Finishing that scrapbooking project or reading your emails? Only you can say what's important.
{{Once you have your priorities, jot down a tasklist.
Break projects into short, manageable tasks. If you have one giant task, such as "write a 100.000-word novel," it will seem impossible from the get-go. Break it into short tasks: outline the story, then the characters, refine, research. No task is too small.
{{Don't fit entertainment into your daily plan.
You don't need to be reminded to be tired and need a break - it will happen naturally. I used to budget time for things like "watch a movie", "play videogame." And you can probably guess it: these were the only tasks that got done. And I even ended the day feeling like I had accomplished something for having worked on a "task!" Work on what you want, and when you're tired give yourself a 10 to 20 minute break doing something fun and rewarding.
{{If you feel like you've hit a wall in one project, skip to the next priority.
Sometimes you're just tired of looking at the same thing. If you have to look at that scrapbook for another minute you might cry. Why not take a look at that pantry then? This is the advantage of having a clear priority list in your head (or in a post-it, or a notebook): you can stop working on something and not feel like you're wasting your time.
{{If you're a people-person, find a buddy to motivate you.
Procrastination is universal, and some people work better knowing there are others who are looking forward to the end of a project. Maybe you can find a beta-reader for your novel. Maybe your child can't wait to see the finished scrapbook. Things like this can really motivate!
{{Be sensible.
Just because you are starting to manage your time more productively doesn't mean you should take on a million new projects. If you already have too many projects, freeze a few until you finish the ones you've already started.
{{And lastly: don't overwork yourself.
Keep your goals in mind, but don't set unrealistic deadlines. Chances are you'll either burn out or give up on the project.
Here are a few links that showed up on my Twitter feed recently, and inspired me to write this post:
10 Techniques to Successfully Overcome Procrastination (Psychology Today)
An 18-Minute Plan for Managing Your Day (Harvard Business)
10 Ways to Give Yourself a Procrastination Inoculation (Zen Habits)
Dost thou love life? Then waste not time; for time is the stuff that life is made of. ~Benjamin Franklin
How do you tackle procrastination? ;)
Monday, July 20, 2009
Managing money, a recommendation.
2008 was a huge year for me. I moved out of my mother's house - directly to a foreign country. I went from financial dependency to paying my own rent and expenses in a city where I'd never even been before.
Being a naturally paranoid person, I just couldn't stand the idea of being out of money. Or in debt. Or living paycheck to paycheck. And it was then that I started checking Personal Finance blogs for every piece of help and advice that I could get.
This is one recommendation that worked wonders for me - and keeps helping me everyday with my money and my tranquility:
BudgetPulse.
It's a very simple and intuitive tool to manage your money. And it's fully manual, meaning that you don't have to stress out about sharing private account details with unknown websites or software (knowing the Internet as I do, giving passwords and other important information to websites is something that makes me very uncomfortable).
With BudgetPulse, you can add in your accounts (I only added two accounts: Bank and Wallet, but you can add as many as you like), income and expense transactions, along with categories, subcategories, notes and other things. You can set budgets for each category, and its main view shows a chart with your current situation in relation to your total budget for the month - individual budget charts can be found in another part of the site.
These are all the functions I actually use. And then there's monthly, quarterly and annual charts, importing and exporting data and a lot of information about the accounts.
I've been using BudgetPulse for the best part of a year, and it helps me put my spending into perspective. I reviewed my money habits recently and noticed a bit of overspending in a couple of categories. I was able to tighten my budget by about 7%. Maybe not a lot, but that means more savings!
Being a rookie in personal finance, this is the recommendation that most improved my dealings with money. What is yours? :)
Being a naturally paranoid person, I just couldn't stand the idea of being out of money. Or in debt. Or living paycheck to paycheck. And it was then that I started checking Personal Finance blogs for every piece of help and advice that I could get.
This is one recommendation that worked wonders for me - and keeps helping me everyday with my money and my tranquility:
BudgetPulse.
It's a very simple and intuitive tool to manage your money. And it's fully manual, meaning that you don't have to stress out about sharing private account details with unknown websites or software (knowing the Internet as I do, giving passwords and other important information to websites is something that makes me very uncomfortable).
With BudgetPulse, you can add in your accounts (I only added two accounts: Bank and Wallet, but you can add as many as you like), income and expense transactions, along with categories, subcategories, notes and other things. You can set budgets for each category, and its main view shows a chart with your current situation in relation to your total budget for the month - individual budget charts can be found in another part of the site.
These are all the functions I actually use. And then there's monthly, quarterly and annual charts, importing and exporting data and a lot of information about the accounts.
I've been using BudgetPulse for the best part of a year, and it helps me put my spending into perspective. I reviewed my money habits recently and noticed a bit of overspending in a couple of categories. I was able to tighten my budget by about 7%. Maybe not a lot, but that means more savings!
Being a rookie in personal finance, this is the recommendation that most improved my dealings with money. What is yours? :)
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