Today my husband gets paid so it is the start of a new spending plan. Since the last spreadsheet didn't work out, I'm trying 2 new things: another spreadsheet and Quicken.
I think I may have figured out a way to roll unused budget amts over to the next month by creating a YTD budget report instead of a monthly budget report.
We shall see. Since DH's cholesterol and BP were a bit high, we will be curbing our dining out spending which will have a nice effect on our finances.
A new spending plan
April 6th, 2007 at 05:10 pm
April 7th, 2007 at 09:07 pm 1175980057
June 14th, 2007 at 12:54 pm 1181825661
I don't think I've ever posted a reply to a blog before, but I guess there's a first time for everything. This caught my attention because I had a similar dilemma not long ago, and I finally figured out a solution. Do you use Pocket Quicken in conjunction with Quicken, by any chance? The Budget feature in Pocket Quicken (for Palm) is totally separate from the desktop Quicken Budget feature, and is much better. And through trial and error, I figured out how to make it carry balances forward. I have all of my "subaccounts" listed as categories (food, transportation, etc.). I then split my deposits into the various categories. So when my husband gets paid, I record the deposit as a split, with so much going into food, so much going into transportation, etc., until the entire paycheque has been budgeted. I then select "Year to Date" in the budget tab, and as I spend money I record it into the appropriate category in my Palm (which I ALWAYS have with me, so it makes it easy!). It then shows me how much I have left in each category to spend. This is essential for me, because I also use an air miles credidt card for all of our purchases and bill payments! And the "balance" showing at the bottom of my budget reflects the difference between what is in my savings account (earning interest!), and what is charged on my credit card. This has really been a lifesaver for me in terms of budgeting, because it allows me to see, in real time, how much I have to spend at any given time. It was well worth the $30.00!
HTH! Good luck.
October 14th, 2010 at 09:54 am 1287050094
October 28th, 2010 at 07:03 am 1288249433
May it work...........
October 30th, 2010 at 11:55 am 1288439730
November 9th, 2010 at 05:22 am 1289280138