I think I might want to move from my hybrid paper and Excel version of expense tracking to a budgeting software like Buckets. I like that I can buy it once and have it on my laptop rather than my phone. Plus, I don’t have to link any accounts unless I want to, which I really don’t, lol. However, I rarely buy anything where the money comes directly out of my checking account. I usually write about 5 to 6 checks per month, and I have my credit card payments and one withdrawal taken out of checking when due. Since I pay for everything on a credit card and pay it off monthly, I’m wondering if it’s possible to track credit card usage in Buckets so that individual purchases and payments can be categorized.
Yes, most budgeting software can handle credit card transactions without any issues. Buckets should definitely work for you.
Flann said:
Yes, most budgeting software can handle credit card transactions without any issues. Buckets should definitely work for you.
What do you mean by handle? Can I categorize my purchases even though I primarily use a credit card?
@Wil
Absolutely! You can categorize each credit card purchase just like you would with cash or checks. It’s pretty straightforward.
Flann said:
@Wil
Absolutely! You can categorize each credit card purchase just like you would with cash or checks. It’s pretty straightforward.
That sounds great. I’ve been using a spreadsheet, but I feel like I need something more organized. How does Buckets compare?
@Neve
Buckets is much more user-friendly than a spreadsheet. It allows you to visualize your expenses easily and keeps everything in one place.
I had a similar situation with tracking expenses. Switching to Buckets really helped me simplify my financial tracking.
Leslie said:
I had a similar situation with tracking expenses. Switching to Buckets really helped me simplify my financial tracking.
Did you have to change anything in how you manage your finances? I’m worried about making it too complicated.
@Ash
Not really. I just entered my past expenses, and it became easier to categorize moving forward. The learning curve isn’t steep.
I totally understand the hesitation with linking accounts. I had my debit card number stolen once, so I get why you’d want to avoid that.
Thames said:
I totally understand the hesitation with linking accounts. I had my debit card number stolen once, so I get why you’d want to avoid that.
Exactly. I prefer to keep my bank accounts secure and avoid direct access by outside sources. I had a bad experience with that before.
@Teal
That makes perfect sense. Better to be safe than sorry. Glad you found a bank that works for you now.
Just curious… how do you track credit card expenses manually if you don’t link them to the software?
pia said:
Just curious… how do you track credit card expenses manually if you don’t link them to the software?
I just record my purchases in the software manually and categorize them at the end of each month. It keeps me organized.