Money Management Websites That'll Help You Easily Manage Your Family's Budget

In times like these, effectively managing money is an essential part of survival. Many times people are making generous incomes, but find themselves scrounging around for money to pay bills at the end of the month due to plain old frivolous spending. I myself used to spend quite frivolously. I thought I was being frugal, but because I wasn't managing my money and taking a closer look at my budget, I'd end up spending unnecessary money on clothes, entertainment, makeup, hair products and fast food. Below, are several money management websites that I'm a fan of and find to be quite effective when trying to get a handle on your family's spending.

Mint.com

Mint.com is my favorite money management tool. It's free, effective and succinct. This is a no-fluff money management website. It accesses your bank account (but doesn't store your login information) and logs all of your purchases within the last month. It then categorizes your purchases and you can see exactly how much money you're spending on each part of your life. For example, one month I realized that we had frivolously spent $599 on dining, fast food and midnight munchy runs. This program is ideal for people who want to manage their money, but don't have more than 5 minutes to devote to it each week.

Pear Budget

Pear Budget is a money management system that's a bit old school. Essentially, Pear Budget is an extremely high tech version of money management through spread sheets. Pear Budget is ideal for those who are hesitant about entering your bank account information with money management websites like Mint.com. Pear Budget doesn't need to access your bank account to track your spending. With Pear Budget, you manually input your "receipts," which is the money you've spent throughout the month and input your projected income and actual income. Pear Budget is an extremely effective and simple money management website. My only caveat with this money management website is that inputting your projected income vs. your actual income is a bit difficult. Money management through Pear Budget will cost a mere $3 per month, a very small price to pay for getting a handle on your money. However, Pear Budget offers a 30 day free trial to new members.

Other Contenders
Spendji.com is a money management website that is ideal for those planning a big trip, wedding or any other kind of event that requires a lot of financial planning. Spendji.com has a simple and to-the-point interface that even a monkey can learn to use. Billshare.com is an online management website that allows two or more people to equally divide bills or other expenses. This money management website is ideal for roomies or for couples that live together but do not share a bank account.