Moneyclip 2.0 - Keep Track of Personal Finances on Your T-Mobile Sidekick

I'll be the first person to admit that I'm not the best at keeping track of my finances. My failure to keep track of my checking account has lead to many overdraft fees in the past, and anyone in a similar situation will tell you that those fees can really add up fast. I started keeping track of my checking account using Quicken a few years ago in an effort to be more fiscally responsible. Quicken really has helped me keep closer tabs on my account balances and has provided me with insight into where my money is actually going. I love my Quicken software, but the problem is remembering to enter in all the information. For Quicken to work, you need to input all of your transactions into the software. Inevitably, I end up with a week's worth of receipts in my pocket and have to spend several hours entering all the data into my personal computer. The longer it takes me to enter those receipts, the less accurate the account balances in Quicken are...it's really something you need to stay on top of.

I got to thinking there must be a better way to keep track of my finances than waiting until I get home and have the time to enter my receipt data into Quicken. Readers of my previous articles will know that I have a Sidekick telephone device from T-Mobile...a Smartphone if you will. A few months ago, I was browsing through the list of applications you can download to your Sidekick, and a program called "MoneyClip 2.0" caught my eye. When I looked at the preview of the application, it appeared remarkably similar to Quicken in that it allowed you to keep track of individual transactions as well as keeping an overall balance of your checking account. It only cost $5.99 to download the application, which I thought was extremely reasonable, so I decided to go ahead and give it a try.

I was very happy with the MoneyClip 2.0 application. It was easy to set up multiple-accounts in the program...I could separately track the balance of my checking account, savings account, credit cards, etc. After initially setting up your accounts, which takes just a few minutes, you are ready to go. Every time you make a purchase, you can simply flip your Sidekick open and enter the data into the MoneyClip program. The MoneyClip program automatically updates your balance to reflect the transaction data you just entered. If you make a mistake, it is very easy to go back and edit previous transactions. You can even set up a "1-button shortcut" so you can view your account balances just by pressing one key on your Sidekick, which is very handy.

My favorite part of the MoneyClip 2.0 application is the ability to export data to Quicken. Although MoneyClip has a lot of features, I do like using Quicken and didn't want to have to enter my data twice-once into the Sidekick and once into Quicken. However, with MoneyClip 2.0, you can export your account data as a .QIF file that you can e-mail to yourself...just import this .QIF file into Quicken and all the data you entered on your Sidekick will be automatically transferred in a matter of seconds. The process really couldn't be much easier.

If you are interested in purchasing the MoneyClip 2.0 software for your T-Mobile Sidekick, simply scroll to the "Downloads" menu on your Sidekick's main screen. You will find the MoneyClip software in the "Applications" section. Once you click "Purchase" and agree to the terms & conditions, the software will download and install itself in a matter of minutes. You'll be up & running with MoneyClip 2.0 in no time, ready to track your finances on the go and integrate your data with Quicken (or Microsoft Money) if you wish. I highly recommend the MoneyClip program...it really is a great piece of software for the T-Mobile Sidekick.