Spend Control

SPEND CONTROL
Free iPhone App

How will my spending today affect my future goals and obligations?

Spend Control provides real-time data when you are about to make a spending decision. And it helps you consider the consequences. For instance, "Am I willing to use money I have earmarked for 'Entertainment' to buy this spiffy new outfit? Or will it instead be coming out of my rent money???" Spend Control is here to help you with those everyday spending decisions, using the theory that if these choices are handled wisely then the rest will take care of itself.

Life now is just a slight bit easier - the ultimate goal of all my apps.

SPEND CONTROL
Free iPhone App

How will my spending today affect my future goals and obligations?

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How It Works First you tell Spend Control (in a user-friendly way) about your upcoming financial situation (your expected income over the next 12 months and how much of that income is already dedicated to such things as rent, utilities, car payments, savings, etc.) Given that information Spend Control tells you how much is available for your “allowance” (i.e., discretionary spending money.) You can then create a budget for that allowance money at which point Spend Control generates a virtual envelope for each category and seeds it with one week's allowance (an amount you can easily change.) Thereafter, the app will automatically, every day, feed each envelope with one day's allowance such that if you don't spend anything in that category, your spendable amount will continue to grow. If you do spend something, you need only tap on the category, enter the amount spent and Spend Control will subtract the amount from the appropriate envelope.

The process described above is Spend Control's main function but there are other tools that further help you track and prioritize. For example, Spend Control can be helpful answering other questions, such as "How much on average am I actually spending for gas?" or "If I hold off buying now, when will I have the necessary funds in that envelope?" or "How much will I have in my 'Paris Vacation' envelope when that date arrives?"

Spend Control also generates a number of reports, such as 'Current Budget' and 'Current Balances' which you can then email to yourself or to someone else.

Testimonials

"I've tried many budget software programs some very complicated and some pretty basic. This nice little app is right in the middle which is perfect, in the sense that it is easy to use and therefore makes me actually adhere to my budget!!! Which is the whole point. I have been using for several months and can't believe how well we are doing with our budget! For those wanting a simple, easy to use and understandable budget app try it. Similar to the envelope method some of you older users might remember."

"This little app packs a powerful punch in helping to ward off overspending. Thoughtfully laid out and fully customizable categories, along with a built in calculator. Appreciate the simplicity of this app and am pleased with its functionality."

"This is a great tool for getting a handle on your money and spending habits. If you've ever wondered if spending money on something today is gonna hurt your ability to pay an important bill later on, this app let's you know exactly where you stand. No more worrying. Takes all the stress out making the tough decisions. Also when I made a suggestion (adding a calculator) I was surprised how quickly the developers responded and included my idea! Awesome!"

"Great app. Thanks for the instructions. Not the first app I tried but hopefully the last. With so many budgeting apps out there you are the only one that I've tried that came with great tutorials or instructions period. In future versions I'd like to see the option for subcategories and caps on allowances. When cap is met the surplus money is automatically routed to savings. Looking forward to exploring the app even further to find out even more benefits."

"This app is great for budgeting! Takes the guessing out of where your funds end up. You can easily see where your funds are allocated daily, weekly, monthly and yearly which makes the goals very easy to accomplish. No other app is needed. Easily put things into perspective and address accordingly without the math!!"

"Wish I would have discovered this app sooner! It's a great tool to have - never been good at keeping track of what I spend and if I have any money left over!"

"So cool to see it all out in front of you!"

"I'm on a fixed income in retirement and need to carefully budget my money. This app is a simple, easy to use approach to knowing how to project spending and saving--and important to me--where I am at any point in time. I use the Suzi Orman tip of always knowing my bank balance daily....this allows me to do so much more."