-         Rufus Wainwright

Sound familiar? Hey, it’s no fun when the ends don’t meet. Where does it all go? No, the bank isn’t stealing from you. In fact, most Canadians can easily state how much they make each year, but would be lost if asked how much they spend annually.

Try it. Keep receipts for a week, add them up and periodically test any given week against that total. Oh, you don’t always get a receipt? Well, it isn’t really the paper that’s important, it’s the number you want. Ok, you have an app to remember the number(s). Now what?

Well, there is a revolution in analytics today, so what if you could run analytics on those numbers you’ve been collecting? The benefits of personal budgeting have long included peace of mind, satisfaction and a healthier bank account. Today’s free online budgeting software is easy to use and can accommodate any kind of income or purchase you make.

Tips for Finding and Using Free Online Budgeting Software

As in most things, you get what you pay for, but only as much as you pay for. Here, we’re talking about free personal financial budget software, so you will need to do some investigation, trial and error. To begin, go online and search free online budgeting software and then pick a site. Get the company or service name and search online. Look for complaints, reviews or comments. And remember, using reviews on the company’s own website is a little like asking General Motors if they make good cars. Expect them to say nice things about themselves. Expect upset customers to leave evidence of their frustration online as well.

Create a ‘trial’ experience, online or downloadable. Try it. Does it meet your expectations? Would you say it’s easy to use? Does it offer you flexible ways to budget, tips or advice of any kind? Use it for a "trial period” and see if you like it. Is the software an outcome based budgeting system? Does it claim to be the best personal money management software or software for paying off your mortgage faster? Does it offer irregular income management or family budgeting software?

The measure of success you should be chasing is the freedom of knowing what you can spend your money on and what you should avoid. Knowing how much you can spend while still achieving your monthly or annual goals and managing a cash flow plan offers you better information upon which to make decisions.

The advantage of free online budgeting software is that it helps consumers who want to use software to manage household savings or spending create financial plans, set financial goals or even compare their financial situation.

Only you can be the judge of how free online budgeting software helped you. Whether you’re looking for an online budget tool, free household budgeting software or family budgeting software, there are lots of online choices.

Understanding is always better than supposing, and software is always better than post it notes. Become an expert in personal financial analytics today and try free online budgeting software; you’ll be glad you did.