10 Budget Tools, Accounts and Apps That You Actually Need
Being a financial blogger I have test out, been invited to and experimented with a ton of different programs, apps
*This post contains affiliate links. I may make a commission at no cost to you and all recommendations are my own.
Saving and Investing
Building smart, secure savings is very important. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of accounts and apps out there that aren’t worth your time and money. Here are my favorite recommended ways to save.
Did you know the average savings account through your bank is only paying you around .03% in interest? That’s like pennies…if that.
When it comes to building savings you deserve so much more and there are so many better options it’s just that people don’t know about them! I want to talk more about the accounts that are going to pay you compounding interest at closer to 2% (or more.)
The Savings Builder Savings Account
The Savings Builder savings account still blows my mind. For only $100 you can open a savings builder account and if you deposit only $100 per month, you can rack up an interest rate of 2.45% — and that’s compounding interest. That means they give you money at a 2.45% interest rate for any money you contribute. Once you have gained interest with them, they give you more money on the interest you’ve already earned! They pay you for the money they give you!
Learn more about the Savings Builder
High Yield Savings Account
Opening a High Yield Savings Account is a great idea for when you are just starting to build your savings. It allows for more frequent monthly transactions and still gives you an interest rate of 1.55%!
Learn more about High Yield Savings Accounts
Money Market Savings Account
A Money Market Savings Account is great and gives you an interest rate of 1.85%. The main difference here is that you are not allowed as many monthly transactions as a High Yield Savings Account.
While Money Market Accounts are great for earning more in interest, I suggest that if you are able to save at least $100 per month, the Savings Builder Savings Account is the better route. If you are unable to commit to that amount, but still want to earn interest on your savings, then Money Market is a great way to do it.
Learn about Money Market Savings Accounts
Motley Fool Stock Advisor
One of the scariest things for people is the word “investing.” So many people want to start investing because it can yield such huge results. But who do you invest with? How do you get started? What does diversifying your investments look like?
It can all be too much to handle that people don’t even make the leap into investing. Well, I’m here to tell you, that would be a huge mistake.
With The Motley Fool Stock Advisor, you can start investing with the best financial advisors. You’re not having to dig a name out of a phone book or ask your Uncle Al. These investing geniuses are doing such a great job that their clients have an average return of over 300% !!
It’s only $99 per year to gain access to the best investment tips and advisors and you have a 30 day trial period, so there is literally no risk! Learn more.
Acorns Investing
Not everyone is a huge fan of the Acorns app, and I totally understand that. Acorns
I see it as a great tool to help you save literally every penny, make some money and make budgeting a lot easier.
Acorns
This is extremely helpful when it comes to tracking your expenses because you are able to use whole, rounded numbers. As a bonus, you’ve also saved a little pocket change. Get $5 to start with Acorns.
Does saving spare change actually make a difference?
YES! For the last few months, just by having my round-ups on with Acorns I have saved $270 in spare change alone in the last 6 months.
By age 72, it’s projected that I will have earned over $66,000 — just from saving spare change!
See my plan to turn $50 into $150,000 with Acorns.
Budgeting and Debt Payoff
Of course, any financial blogger is going to encourage you to start a smart budget and get yourself out of debt. Here are my 4 best recommendations that will help you do these things.
Debt Snowball
The Debt Snowball is Dave Ramsey’s super simple debt payoff method that has worked for millions of people over the years. This is the plan we used to pay off over $6,000 in 6 months and what we stuck to in order to become completely debt free (except the mortgage.)
Budget Bundle
Getting started with a budget can be confusing. Personally, I prefer starting with a good old fashioned pencil and paper.
That’s why I created my Fun Sized Budget Bundle. It is the basic budgeting system I use to plan our budget, pay off debt, organize sinking funds and meal plan on a budget.
If you are a hands-on person like me, if you need to be able to erase mistakes and visually see all of your finances in front of you, then you don’t want to miss this handy little bundle.
Learn more about the Fun Sized Budget Bundle
Envelope System
When you are starting to budget, creating a cash envelope system is such a smart idea. For example, if you have a $150 grocery budget for the week, you would take this money out of the bank and put it into an envelope marked, “Groceries.”
If you need to do $50 in car maintenance, this would also go in an envelope marked, “Car.”
The envelope system is a very simple, hands-on way of managing your money and can help you ditch credit cards by paying in cash.
If you are a recovering shopaholic, like me, then working with cash envelopes is one of the smartest ways to help you manage your over-spending tendencies. Being more hands-on with your money really makes you aware of how much you’re spending and how much you have left.
EveryDollar Budget
The EveryDollar Budget app, designed by the Dave Ramsey team, is a great way to help track your spending along with a partner.
The EveryDollar app works just like a regular budget in the sense that you enter your paychecks, subtract your bills, and plan your spending. The only difference is that instead of doing everything on paper, you’ll have it all at your fingertips in the app.
This works really well when you are budgeting with a partner or spouse because you are both able to track your spending through the app. That means if both of you make trips to the gas station in one week, you can each visually see how much money you have left in your gas budget.
Check out the EveryDollar app.
Rebate and Savings Apps
There are so many rebate apps or savings apps out there that it’s hard to know which ones actually benefit you and which ones don’t. I’ve broken this down into my 4 favorite apps and I will explain why I think these are a little better than the rest.
Trim
Trim is an awesome app that can instantly find
I was informed that I could be saving money on my internet payment each month within 20 minutes of signing up for Trim. This made me super excited because I had always felt I was paying too much!
The best part is, Trim will handle all
Dosh
Dosh is probably my favorite rebate app because it requires absolutely nothing from you in order to save money.
Other rebate apps have you scrolling through adds and discounts in order to select savings that you want. This can be more tempting than helpful. When seeing all of these rebates people might be more likely to purchase items they wouldn’t normally just because they are excited about the discount.
You will instantly be refunded money on any qualifying purchases you make with Dosh. No need to scroll ads or take pictures of receipts.
This way you are getting rewarded without really knowing it or feeling tempted to purchase something you wouldn’t have normally purchased.
Get $5 for signing up with Dosh.
Honey
Honey is similar to Dosh in the sense that it gives you beneficial savings on any purchases you were already planning to make online.
If you are getting ready to check out at an online store, Honey will ask if you want to check the internet for any coupons or savings first.
I still encourage everyone to be careful when online shopping because it can lead to thoughtless spending. Honey is a tool to make sure you are getting as much savings as possible on your planned purchases.
There we have it…
There you have it folks. My top recommendations. Of all the things I will talk about or mention, these areas are my absolute most recommended ways to save money, budget smart or get out of debt.
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