How to track your spending
Gather a month or two of bank and card statements, give every purchase a category, and add up each one, in a notebook, a spreadsheet or Simple Balance.
Learn
Money basics
Plain guides to tracking your spending, budgeting and saving. Each one says why it matters, how to do it with any tool, and how to do it in Simple Balance.
Start at the beginning12 guides, about 65 minutes of reading in all
Start here
See where your money goes, sort it into categories, and make your first budget.
A list of budget categories, with examples
Home, food, getting around, health, family and fun: the budget categories most households need, what goes in each one, and why to start with about ten.
How to make a budget
Start from what you take home, list your fixed bills, and set a number for each category from what you really spent. Then check your budget every week.
Budgeting
Different ways to plan your money, from giving every dollar a purpose to saving ahead for big bills.
What is zero-based budgeting?
Zero-based budgeting means deciding what every dollar you have is for, until no money is left without a plan. Your bank balance doesn’t go to zero.
What is envelope budgeting?
Cash in labeled envelopes, and when one is empty you stop. How the envelope method works, how to do it without cash, and how to keep track of cash you do spend.
What are sinking funds?
A sinking fund is money you set aside a little each month for a bill you know is coming, like car insurance in June or gifts in December.
How to budget with irregular income
When your pay changes from month to month, from freelance work, tips or commission, plan around your lowest month and the money you already have.
Keeping it accurate
Habits that keep your numbers right: checking your account, handling a credit card, and finding charges you forgot.
How to balance your checking account
Match your record to your bank’s statement line by line, allow for what’s still on its way, and track down any difference. It takes about ten minutes a month.
How to budget with a credit card
A card purchase is spending the day you make it, though the money leaves later. How to budget so the bill is never a surprise, and why to pay it in full.
How to find and keep track of your subscriptions
Go through a year of bank and card statements and list every charge that repeats. Then decide on each one, and keep the list from growing back.
The bigger picture
How to tell whether you’re getting ahead, and how to get ready for the things you can’t plan for.
What is net worth, and how do you calculate it?
Net worth is what you own minus what you owe. How to add yours up, what to leave out, why it can start below zero, and why the trend matters most.
How much should you have in an emergency fund?
Three to six months of expenses is the usual answer. What counts as an emergency, how to work out your own number, and how to build the fund a step at a time.