It’s not you, it’s the app
It seems that budget apps come and budget apps go (think Mint). I’ve rarely met anyone that has used a budgeting app for a long period of time. The main reasons budgeting apps like Simplifi, YNAB, etc don’t provide long-term value is because:
They don’t track expenses correctly and the user has to constantly adjust categories. This is a big one. Let’s say I run by Costco and buy some food, a new winter jacket, a set of sheets for the guest bedroom, and then I grab a slice of pizza on the way out. That’s 4 different spending categories. The budget app looks at Costco and says “must be groceries”. Now I have to go in and correct the categories. A really dedicated person will do this for the first couple of months, then give up. As a result, the app may be close on total spending (because it knows how to add, like a calculator), but the categories are rarely accurate so the user can’t trust them.
They don’t treat every expense category as a savings bucket. Another big one. These apps assume that you make a certain amount each month and the goal is to make sure you don’t spend more than that amount. That’s a small part of budgeting. The real power of personal budgeting is to treat every spending category as a savings bucket. If you underspend in groceries for the month, save the difference. Then you can use it in future months when you might overspend. In some categories, like buying a car, you underspend for years before you have saved enough to buy the car. The month you buy the car you will overspend by a huge amount, but that’s OK, because you planned for it. Budgeting apps don’t work this way. They are very poor financial planning tools.
They require a large amount of commitment and dedication. OK, so this isn’t the fault of the app, but we humans can be a bit weak in the commitment and dedication areas. A notification from your budgeting app may work the first time, but gets ignored thereafter. What many people really need is a budget coach. What do coaches do? Teach, train, motivate and provide accountability. All things a budgeting app does poorly.
Bottom line, if you really want to manage your money wisely, set up your budget on a spreadsheet in a way that each category is a virtual savings account, enter each expense in the correct category every month (yes, takes a little time, but is the secret to personal accountability), and consider getting a coach to keep you on track.
Our free tools will help you get started, and we can also provide coaching. Let us know if you’re ready to change your personal budgeting approach.