Where’s all my clamz?
I have been into Expensr.com lately. It’s a money-management site that lets you track your expenses and see some pie charts and stuff that tell you where your money is going. “I know where my money is going.” No, you don’t. I am fanatical about tracking where my bones end up, but I was still […]
I have been into Expensr.com lately. It’s a money-management site that lets you track your expenses and see some pie charts and stuff that tell you where your money is going.
“I know where my money is going.” No, you don’t. I am fanatical about tracking where my bones end up, but I was still surprised at the things Expensr is telling me about myself and my spending habits. You don’t need to import data directly from your bank if you don’t want to, either. I’m entering my stuff in manually just because it further reminds me of how stupid it was that I bought those movie nachos.
You can also tag yourself with qualifiers, then look and see how you measure up against other people who are “in their twenties” or “paying off debt” or “live in Virginia” or whatever. I have learned from this that I am twice as well off (considering) as people in my age range who live in NYC. Also that my rent is a little high for where I am. Also that I spend too much money on other people’s weddings. Guess which one of these I was already keenly aware of.
Anyway, you can enter as many accounts as you want. I’ve got everything from checking, short-term savings, credit cards, and even my 403(b) on there. I like seeing totals right in front of me so I can’t hide from my own debt. It turns out it’s inspiring where I’d thought it’d be defeating.
I am in love with you, The Internet.
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Susan Howson
Susan Howson is managing editor for this very website. She writes THE BEST bios.
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Can you automatically import stuff from your bank?
I am so lazy with that crap. Like I realize the financial benefit of doing it, I just can’t bring my self to do it consistently.
You download whatever that file is that your bank probably provides. I think it’s like a text file and you can upload it to Expensr. I operate on so much of a cash basis (I’m involved in organized crime)* that it’s silly for me to pull it from the bank because it would just be like “withdrawal, withdrawal, withdrawal.”
You can also just estimate. Like “this week I spent maybe $60 on groceries.” You’re not getting graded, you can do whatever you want!
*JKJKJK
I’ve been using and enjoying mint.com as of late myself. Not only does it track spending and accounts but tells you of deals it knows of that can save you money.
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Good work Susan. Everyone should be doing this.
Expensr isn’t the only game in town however. If you have any Bank of America account, they have free online expense/portfolio tracking that imports all the information from credit cards, investment portfolios, and other loans/accounts into one easy to manage portfolio. You can classify expenses and investments, track them over time, budget, and set investment goals. It’s fun to track your net worth (as long as it’s growing).
They also have a system to track your airline/credit card rewards accounts, which is a pretty handy tool as well.
Quicken software is also pretty good at this. However, you have to download all your account information (BORING!).
BUT can you enter it manually? I have a fiance who has the Bank of America jam, and it wouldn’t be accurate for me since I am Cash Only for the most part. Also tags, man. TAGS!
Cash? Who uses cash anymore?
Susan does. She even has separate compartments in her wallet for the different sources of said cash.
She’s crazy, that one.
See, told you I kept track of my clams.