And to be aware, you need to track everything and track it efficiently. From your house rent to that cup of coffee and the overpriced red velvet cake you love so much. This is one of those philosophical situations where only you can help yourself. And, of course, an Android app. Not just any Android app. An Android app that looks good and is interesting enough so that you’ll actually want to use it.
Expense Manager
Expense Manager by Markus Hintersteineris a minimal expense tracking app. It has just enough features to get you going, but not so much that you’re too overwhelmed to even begin. If you’re not in the US, first go into Settings and change the currency.
How To Track Expenses
It’s simple. From the top menu bar, tap the + button and add the amount in the popup window. Tap OK and you’ll be taken to a new screen where you can add more info. Today’s date is already pulled in. You can assign a category to the expense (you can make a new category from the Settings menu easily), add a note about the expense and tap the Save button up top. The expense will be registered and you’ll see it added to the homescreen where all the expenses for the month are pulled up.
Expense Tracking For The Lazy
I admit, I’m not the most active person in the world. You know how that Bill Gates quote on lazy people goes right? I made my own version of it. Ok, so that’s really the same, but as I said, I’m lazy. And I’m sure in this regard, you are as well. So here’s a trick I use to input expenses when I’m too lazy to do it. First, make sure Expense Manager is configured to send you a daily reminder about the day’s expenses. Before going to bed, I tap the Add Expense button from the notification, and up pops the enter amount screen. I just mentally add up the amount I spent that day. It doesn’t have to be super accurate. I press the Ok button and don’t do any customization on the next screen. I directly hit the Save button to save my entry. Sure, my expenses won’t be divided into relevant categories and will show up in the grey other category. But hey, it’s better than me wondering why my bank account is empty at the end of the month (oh the damn arcade!).
Pro Features
Expense Manager is a free app, but a paid upgrade will let you track your income as well. If you’re a freelancer like me, you know how important it is to match expenses against your income. The in-app purchase will unlock this functionality and even map your income and expenses on fancy charts and graphs. If you’re serious about taking control of your money, the in app purchase is a no brainer.
Verdict
The free app is a must try if you’ve been looking at your bank balance and wondering what exactly went wrong. The app will let you import your old data if you were already using an expense tracking app. There’s also an export option if you want to move on to something better. Office fans will be happy to know that the app lets you export the data as a spreadsheet. Expense Manager is not the most feature-rich expense tracker out there. For example, there isn’t much automation involved. You can’t automatically import your income or expenses by tying in your bank accounts. But for a free app, Expense Manager has everything you need to get started.
How Do You Track Expenses?
How do you stay on top of the money flowing in and out? Let us know in the comments below. P.S. If you’re on the iPhone and are looking for a similar, fast and no BS expense tracking solution, check out Next for iPhone.
