One of the best things about the internet is all the tools and information available to us that can help make our lives better—especially when it comes to budgeting. Everyone has a different way to accomplish the task. Maybe you sit down with a pen and paper to make a list of expenses or use a spreadsheet to decide where your money goes each month. Perhaps you’re a user of the popular envelope budgeting method or a proponent of the 50/30/20 rule.
Regardless of your method, you may find yourself thinking, “budgeting is such a pain sometimes. I wish there were an easier way to do it.” We’re delighted to say that there truly is a better way!
Luckily, an online budget calculator can help. Using online tools to build your budget takes all the guesswork out of budgeting while allowing you to look at the numbers right on your screen and figure out your next monetary move. Here are a few great reasons to incorporate one into your budgeting routine right now.
Control and organize your finances with ease
The first step to successful budgeting is organization. Getting started is simple. Most financial advisors recommend starting by listing everything you deal with each month regarding money. This includes banking related tasks, debts like credit cards and student loans, investments and money involved in your retirement plan.
An online budget calculator streamlines the organizational process, allowing you to input and save your financial information easily with an intuitive user interface. After using the calculator for a few months, you can actually see a visual demonstration of the benefits to your budget by saving more and spending less.
Set up realistic and hassle-free financial goals
Whether you’re saving enough money to send your kids to college, looking to pay off some debt or have your sights set on a big purchase, setting realistic financial goals will help. A lack of goals can lead to spending more than you should, which ends up being detrimental in the long run.
Setting short, mid and long term goals is much easier when you can see them represented visually. Start with the short term goal of establishing a budget and use the online calculator to help fill in the blanks that will lead to paying off debts, starting investments, building your emergency fund and occasionally making room for retirement planning. The online calculator helps keep track of everything, so it’s much simpler to set goals in this way.
Determine a financial plan for emergencies
Every thoughtful budget should contain room for an emergency fund. Think of an emergency fund as insurance against being laid off, expensive vehicle repairs and unexpected medical expenses. Having one will reduce stress and help reign in your spending while giving you financial peace of mind.
So how do you go about creating one? Lowering fixed expenses and cutting unnecessary ones can help build your fund. Using an online calculator helps make it a reality through real-time assessment of your spending and showing you where to free up and allocate funds to build an emergency budget to suit your family’s needs.
Find extra money through keen budgeting
What’s better than building the perfect budget that suits your needs? Finding extra money in the process! Since a budgeting calculator gives you control over your money, you can clearly see where you’re overspending and where to save or invest to maximize how your money is allocated. Identifying where cuts can be made and where you’re spending can be improved will ultimately lead to better peace of mind and potential extra savings/money left over once bills are paid.
Find the perfect tool for the job
Budgeting comes with plenty of challenges, but that doesn’t mean it needs to be difficult! You just need to find the best tool for the job. One of the best online budget calculators we’ve found is available from Quicken. Known for some of the highest quality money management software available today, it’s no surprise their calculator is a perfect fit for simplifying your budget. Plan your budget the easy way with Quicken’s free budget calculator. It’s simply the perfect budget builder for your busy lifestyle!