Pear Budget: Update

I have been using Pear Budget now for 6 months. I can say that I love it now as much, if not more than I did when I reviewed it 6 months ago! It has made easy work of keeping up with my monthly budget and keeping track of my pennies.

The system is simple, the program is very easy to use. Pear Budget does all the math for you, every calculation you can think of to keep up with things. It makes it easy to know what your current and past budgets look like, keeping track if what you are spending where ...all through simple receipt entering.

I say simple receipt entering because I have used programs like Quicken and MSMoney that both required more info that I really wanted to enter in order to track my receipts. This entry system is easy, requiring minimal info that I have no trouble keeping up with - even if I put my budgeting of til the end of the month (or two weeks into the next month ;)

Pear Budget support is also great, my having gotten very quick responses to any questions I may have had in the course of my learning the program. 

Basically, I still have found that this tool is one with spending the $ on - the work it does for me is worth paying for!

Pear Budget costs about $5 a month, or $50 a year. That is after one month to try it out for free (all you need at any point is your email address ..no other personal info is needed, aside from payment info). This service is absolutely worth it ...a worthy use of my financial resources :)

{while I have received a few months of free Pear Budget use in appreciation for my past review of this online tool, I do not review any product I do not use myself and feel comfortable endorsing.

Basically, I would say the same things even if I didn't get it!}

Less Stressed Tool: Pear Budget

Okay, I have been so excited to share this with you since I discovered it last week! This tool is going to make a BIG stressor WAY less stressful :)

I am reading Organized Simplicity, by SimpleMom (more on that later!). She is a big fan of this husband-wife team's online budgeting system.

Pear Budget is a super simple way to be a good little Dave Ramsey follower/debt free live-r/good steward of your financial resources. Using a very easy to use format, PB sets you up a monthly budget and helps keep track of your spending in less time and with less effort...thus, with less stress! :)

I have been keeping a budget for my entire marriage, which includes tracking every penny we use. Our beginning spreadsheets were in a word, complicated. They involved way more than they should have, for something that need to keep on top of in order to take good care of money. We have simplified through the years, but this takes the cake.
 

My favorite PB highlights:

*You enter your budget ONCE..meaning, that I made my monthly budget and they have it set up for me from here on out. I love that I can fast forward two months and put that I will need a haircut in May so to budget for that.  Love it.

* The whole thing is extremely simple - simple fields, simple key strokes, easy to find everything and easy to figure out as a newbie. The have you put in just enough info to keep your pennies behaving, but not too much where you spend way to much time entering info.

* Not only does create your budget for monthly stuff, it also takes irregular bills (like quarterly payments) and breaks it up for you. It helps you budget your big expenses better. I really love this because it something we do anyway with our car insurance and stuff. I love that PB does it for me! 

* They have an iphone app! ...I pulled this up this morning because that is something that will help me, both to keep track of what I can spend while I am out and about and also to put in what I am spending when I spend it. The app lets you hop on your budget, check out how much is in say, the "Dining Out" budget and then track the receipt, all from  your iphone.  One of my favorite things about that ..hubby and I can be on the same page!  He can know what we have, and knows if we have the bucks to buy me flowers ;)

* Dont have an iphone? Its okay ..they have something else that is great too ..its called a "Go Card" ..a 3x5 version of your budget that you can print and take with you. Love it.

* Aside from your email, it doesnt use any personal info - no bank info, no account numbers, etc. I like that.

* Their website is pretty .. :)

* The website and app is well worth the $5/month... And since they give you a free 30-day trial so you can play, learn and become dependent :)   ... this one is a no-brainer for me!  In order to try it, you dont have to enter any personal info, aside from your email address. No credit card numbers or anything.


BUT .... my #1 favorite thing about them to date ...drumroll please ...

They have offered LPLS readers a giveaway of a free 6-month subscription!

Wahoo!..you will WANT this!

In order to enter,  please go check out Pear Budget! ..set up a super easy budget (it literally took me less than 5 minutes) ..and then come tell me what you think!

If you "like" them on Facebook ...you get another entry. I got on there this morning and learned even more great tips about new fav budgeting tool! 

If you "like" LPLS on Facebook ..you get another entry...really, we want you lots of chances to get this great tool!

We will choose a winner NEXT Monday! ..ready, set, GO!

{in effort to manage my resources well...this WORKS FOR ME!}