For any fans of open-source software out there, I use beancount which I’ve found to be perfect for my needs. I didn’t know much about double-entry bookkeeping when I started using it, but the documentation was very extensive and I learned a lot in the process of picking it up.
There are a whole collection of plugins and other resources which fit into the tool which help too, like fava which can generate webpages like this based off your data. Beancount is not the only plain text accounting tool, you can find lots of examples here.
I have it automating as much as I can - fund prices, crypto holdings and prices. Technically, anything it’s doing can be done in a spreadsheet, but some of the more complicated stuff (like accessing other sites) is significantly easier and more stable here.
Also does some cool things like the blurring when I want to share a screenshot, calculating what part of my spending is covered by my assets, tracking historical data, etc. Pie charts where I can exclude data points with a click. Includes/excludes data points based on settings.
I have a couple of spreadsheets but primarily I just use empower because I’m lazy and it (mostly) works. I’ve got six years of history in it and the zoom out is good for a dopamine hit.
I use Google Sheets primarily. For more day to day tracking (since I don’t like waiting for the end of the month), I use the account tracker in Fidelity to see my investments.
I use Excel. Apps generally seem to be focused on tracking spending, and are less useful for modeling future changes. If I want to look at my actual spending in more detail I can use the banks apps for that, the spreadsheet is more future focused.
I have been working on the spreadsheet for years with gradual improvements all the time, and it is exactly customised to my needs. So I can calculate my pay (which is variable and based on a ludicrously complicated structure), allocate the money based on a mix of set and percentage figures, model the impact of future changes such as increases in power costs or getting another pet, and estimate at any time how much I have accrued for utility bills not yet received.
Back in the day when I first started working I used Excel, but it was a total pain in the butt.
For the last 10 years I’ve used YNAB (You Need A Budget), it was a single purchase back then and I still have it on Steam and on my phone. Works great, doesn’t cost me a thing, keeps track of every cent (as long as I spend around 20 minutes a month to put all transactions in).
Unfortunately YNAB switched to subscription only, so it’s a bit difficult to recommend :-/
I can still recommend the pre-subscription YNAB. It used to still be available on their website but that’s gone now, too. Supposedly you can still download it through the Wayback Machine. web.archive.org/…/classic.youneedabudget.com/
However you want to obtain YNAB 4, it’s going to be a trial but it’s really simple to extend that trial by however long you want. To my knowledge there’s no difference between the trial and the paid version.
Here I’m talking about YNAB 4.3.857 but this trial date editing probably works on any version of 4.
Install on your computer. Launch YNAB4 for the first time. Click Start Trial.
Close YNAB
Using notepad, open the file %APPDATA%\com.ynab.YNAB4.LiveCaptive\Local Store.lic
Change the <expirationDate></expirationDate> date to be 10 years in the future
Re-open YNAB4. Go to Help->Purchase or Activate YNAB
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