A habit I didn't have

Since I decided to learn about personal finance, think more carefully about what I buy, and invest my money wisely, I started keeping track of how much money I make and spend in my bank accounts and cards.

The knowledge of what comes in and what goes out, above all, is the basis for a proper handling of one’s personal wealth, according to what I’ve learned. Even though it was born out of necessity, the practice has come before the theory.

I started with Google Drive Sheets files, which are much more practical than Excel on mobile and look better. However, the need to periodically calibrate the values against those of the accounts or cards I use was the alarm that forced me to look around and evaluate software options built to meet this need.

Clearly, from this perspective, I preferred to find an app that synchronized the values directly with my bank accounts, given that the PSD2 regulation allows access to accounts via API.

I’ve tested and tried Spendee, YNAB, Toshl, Quicken, and MoneyWiz. None of these, for one reason or another, fully met my desire for immediacy, synchronization, functionality, practicality, and a decent aesthetic taste. The one that finally satisfied me, and that I have been using with decent satisfaction for about a month, is Wallet by BudgetBakers. There you go, I recommend it.

The Premium account allows you to manage multiple accounts and configure investment portfolios, both by syncing them with SaltEdge and manually. It helps you plan expenses and manages your budget. It facilitates the allocation of fixed categories, tags, and various types of notes. It is available in versions for Android, iOS, and macOS (it’s the mobile application), along with a satisfactory web version, albeit lacking certain functions.

Beyond the application, I necessarily needed to change habits. The software, as is often the case with software, is helping me and making my life easier, but the routine is healthy, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Tracking, monitoring, and analyzing my expenses is essential for the goals I have set for myself. Wallet is helping me a lot, and I won’t give it up easily.