We all know that one of the greatest challenges in marriage is dealing with budgets and learning to agree on all aspects of your finances. In order to help you {and your marriage} out, we’ve gathered all of the BEST places to find great budget ideas, tips and tricks!
Organization is key when you’re working on your budget, so we’re going to set you straight by grouping the incredible tips and ideas in this post into a few categories. Read on to find the most useful budgeting resources! -5 Fail-Proof Budgeting Programs -20 Useful Budgeting Apps -25 Genius Budgeting Websites and Blogs -25 Brilliant Budgeting Podcasts and YouTube Channels -25 Thoughtful Budgeting Articles 5 Fail-Proof Budgeting Programs The most amazing programs designed to help get you on the right track, financially.
1. Reclaim Your Marriage: So, we might be a little {tiny} bit biased here, BUT you seriously can’t go wrong with a program that’s created specifically for YOU! We really and truly walk you through the most amazing and purposeful set of activities that will have you and your spouse on the same page in no time! It’s marriage-centered financial success! 2. Dave Ramsey: This guy really does know his stuff. You might have even heard of the ‘envelope system’ that he encourages – it’s fantastic! 3. Clark Howard: Radio show personality that you can submit your financial questions to! 4. Ric Edelman: Help with getting your financial portfolio going and personalized for you. 5. Suze Orman: She is a total no-nonsense lady with great tips specifically for women! 20 Useful Budgeting Apps Use technology to your advantage and get your spending in check with these apps designed specifically for that purpose!
6. Mint: The PERFECT app for helping you create budgets and track your spending to make sure that you’re staying within those budgets. It’s great for couples because you can totally sync with each other! 7. Wally: I love the look of this one – it’s cute and simple. Wally lets you balance expenses versus income and keep track of expenditures. 8. Dollarbird: Want some awesome integration with your calendar? This is the one for you! 9. BillGuard: You can use this one to set financial goals and it even helps you protect your money from fraud! Yes, please! 10. Acorns: LOVE this concept – it takes your extra change (that you won’t even miss!) and helps you invest and save it! Every penny counts!! 11. Robinhood: A great place to start trading stocks because it’s free!!
12. Good Budget: The absolute PERFECT app if you’re into the ‘envelope system.’ 13. Mvelopes: Without too many frills, this app is the go-to for anyone who is technology-challenged or who doesn’t want finances to run their life! 14. Pocket Expense: Get help tracking all your personal finances – the bill splitting feature is a nice bonus! 15. HomeBudget: Want all the bells and whistles? Look no further. Absolutely everything is included – with color-coding (which I LOVE), graphs, bill reminders, spending forecasts, and syncing between mobile and desktop versions! 16. Expensify: The app for business owners or anyone on the go that wants to track those specific expenses like mileage and receipts! 17. LevelMoney: Another nice and SIMPLE app that won’t bog you down in numbers – just adorable little bubble graphics that change as your spending does! 18. You Need a Budget: A companion to the website, you DO need the desktop companion so if you’re a a phone-only kinda person, skip over this one. Otherwise, you’ll be a huge fan of these basic ideas. 19. Expense Manager: If you’re a traveler, you’ll love that this one gives you the ability to use multiple currencies. You can also backup to Google Drive – which is fantastic!
20. One Touch Expenser: This one is awesome because you can add items with ONE TOUCH and then add in other details later. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking you might actually keep up with it if it’s that easy! 21. Toshl Finance: Use this one if you don’t feel comfortable linking your bank accounts to an app – Toshl lets you input your own data. 22. Grocery Smarts: A price comparison app that browses the weekly circulars for you! 23. Groupon App, website, or Living Social): Get deals on… whatever you want, from entertainment (think: date ideas!!), restaurants (wait, date ideas, again?!) even beauty treatments! 24. iPhoneShopper: Mark items off your grocery list while keeping a running tally of your total – perfect for keeping your grocery budget in mind. 25. Coupon Sherpa: You’ll love that it’s online AND on your phone! It gives you great deals for stores where you actually shop. 25 Genius Budgeting Websites and Blogs Clever bloggers and organized sites to follow from all over the web that will provide you with endless budgeting resources and ideas!
26. Squawkfox: Interesting range of topics that will keep you constantly aware of the changing market. 27. And Then We Saved: Anna is fun and brilliant. She writes posts to help you get debt-free and tells you all about how to do a Spending Fast. 28. Wise Bread: Totally loving their ‘living large on a small budget’ motto, you’ll find top tips on saving and making money. 29. Get Rich Slowly: So it doesn’t sound sexy, but it does sound reasonable. Everything you need to know about money – slow and steady. 30. Budgets Are Sexy: You will laugh. You will be entertained. And you won’t find that anywhere else in the finance world. 31. The Simple Dollar: Practical advice from people who have been in your shoes. 32. Money Ning: It’s all about the little things that add up to big saving and smart decisions.
33. The Painted Hive: Fun bargain finds and ideas to make your home beautiful without throwing the budget out the window. 34. 20 Something Finance: Great tips and ideas for starting financial responsibility early on, learning to save and even digging yourself out of debt. 35. Money Saving Mom: Budgeting on purpose. It may seem obvious, but this mom makes it seem easy, too – with couponing, menu-planning and just general penny-pinching! 36. Living Well, Spending Less: Get involved in her 31 Day Challenges and you won’t be disappointed – and when you get a free second, browse the rest of the blog for other fantastic tips! 37. Man vs. Debt: Straight-forward ways to pay off your debt – like selling what you no longer need! 38. The Budget Babe: Who says fashion and common-sense with money can’t go hand-in-hand? Certainly not this chick!
39. Penny Pinchin’ Mom: Coupon updates, store deals and just general mom-craftiness! 40. Bargain Briana: Hunt down the best bargains (or follow her and let her do the work for you)! 41. Stretching a Buck: Finding you worthwhile and ‘legit’ deals without too much fuss! 42. Stockpiling Moms: These two are full of ideas from great coupon resources to budget recipes. 43. $5 Dinners: Dinner ideas on the CHEAP! And I know what you’re thinking {“I have a big family”}, but here’s the thing, she’s doing all these budget dinners for her family of 6! Also, here’s a bonus one for ya – Stone Soup – is filled with 5-ingredient recipes. You can’t beat that! 44. Passion for Savings: A great place to start your couponing journey – it’s where saving time AND money meet!
45. Nomadic Matt: Fantastic tips for making travel happen within your budget. 46. Budget Bytes: Recipes with the price per serving calculated for you make it SO easy to see how much you’re saving!! 47. Thrifty Little Mom: Super encouraging words of wisdom from a blogger who is all about helping you come over to the thrifty side. 48. Frugal Beautiful: Beautiful EVERYTHING {Home, Food, Fitness, Attire} on a budget! She is all about a frugal lifestyle – she’ll be your new best {virtual} friend! 49. Aldi Mom: Can you guess where she loves to shop? She’ll help you make the most of your trips to Aldi, too! 50. Six Sisters’ Style: Chances are, you’ve already heard of these amazing sisters – but, did you know they’ve got an incredible Instagram account where they share great, budget-friendly styles, like gorgeous clothes from Jane.com?! 25 Brilliant Budgeting Podcasts and YouTube Channels Listen and watch as these experts guide you through everything from basic budgeting to stocks and bonds.
51. Bigger Pockets: An awesome beginner’s guide to real estate investing. 52. Like a Mother with Emma Johnson: A professional single mom who isn’t afraid to talk about, well…. anything! 53. The Disciplined Investor: Once you’re out of debt, investor is the next step, but it can be scary – so you’ll need someone on your side. 54. Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life: Short tips on budgeting that are perfect for anyone without a ton of time on their hands! 55. Consumerism Commentary: Intellectual conversations about everything from the basics of budgeting to the complexity of economics. 56. Freakonomics Radio: Yep, it’s related to the book of the same name. They delve into all sorts of trends and it’s great for getting a big picture view!
57. Entrepreneur on Fire: Get inspired by successful and inventive people trying to make it work in the business world! 58. Motley Fool Money: Episodes tend to focus on specific businesses and how the economics of those companies works. 59. Rich Dad Radio Show: Discussions about making money from a whole new perspective – the rich. 60. Smart Passive Income: Telling you what works and more importantly what DOESN’T work for online businesses. 61. So Money with Farnoosh Torabi: Easy to understand financial advice for young adults, especially those in debt from education. 62. Stacking Benjamins: All about personal finance and various strategies for getting yours right.
63. Money for the Rest of Us: A show about finances that won’t make your head swim – he simplifies complex investment ideas. 64. Planet Money: Discussions about how our outlook about money is bigger than the individual. If you want to begin to understand ‘economics’ this is a great place to start. 65. Listen, Money Matters: Direct and honest, these guys know their stuff but manage to make money somewhat interesting! 66. Frugal TV: Tons of tips on a range of topics from an average American family for saving day-to-day. 67. Robin Sharma: More motivational than anything else, Robin’s videos talk about making the best choices every day. 68. eHow Finance: Have questions about crazy financial terms or really advanced and detail-oriented {and sometimes super confusing} topics? This is the channel for you if you want to step up your financial game!
69. Money Talks News: Money meets news channel – You’ll LOVE the series “Money Moves to Make in Your {20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s}. 70. Kiplinger: Budget tips on EVERYTHING you can think of – cars, retirement, college – you name it! 71. Great Depression Cooking: Like cooking with your sweet grandma, you won’t be able to get enough of Clara’s cooking suggestions, especially since it’s all about using what you’ve got and simple ingredients. 72. The Frugal Chef: Delicious food at reasonable prices! 73. MoneyWatch: Tips from experts on all kinds of topics from boosting your credit score, to starting a 401(k) and even buying your first house. 74. Pretty Frugal Living: You’ll love her DIY household items and general money-savings ideas. 75. Ramit Sethi: A totally different approach to making good financial choices – he’s all about living life the right way. 25 Thoughtful Budgeting Articles Find some quick reads and easy to follow ideas about money that relate to your specific interests in these popular budgeting resources!
76. Saving at Target: Does anyone NOT love Target? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Go ahead and read this one right now! 77. Re-Establish Your Credit: Not exactly the most exciting idea, but some excellent tips if you’ve ruined your credit. 78. Family Fun on a Budget: Money-saving ideas that are still tons of fun with your family! 79. Free Date Ideas: Date night doesn’t have to end just because you want to save – check out these great ideas! 80. SAHM Money Saving Tricks: Staying at home with the kiddos usually means a tighter budget, these are the perfect tips if you’re in the same boat!
81. Build Up Your Date Night Fund: If you still want date night to be special, start saving using these tips. 82. DIY Gifts for Him: Gifts can be so much more meaningful if you’ve put time and effort into them. We’ve got some great ideas to help save birthdays or holidays! 83. Cheapest Date Challenge: Turning date night into a {friendly} competition is bound to be fun! 84. Feed a Family on a Budget: When your family grows, so does your grocery bill, but budget well and you might just be able to save a bit. 85. $30/Week Grocery Budget: For just the two of you, use some of these trips to cut you grocery bill down big-time! 86. At-Home Dates: For some really inexpensive date ideas, try our super popular dates from the comfort of your own home!
87. Budget-Friendly Tips and Tricks: Figure out what a FIN is and how it can help you be more budget conscious! 88. Dollar Stores Dos and Don’ts: The dollar store can be so tricky – it seems like a good deal, but is it really just junk? She’ll tell you exactly where to spend your money! 89. Teach Children to Budget: I love, love, LOVE hearing about kids who start to learn financial responsibility from a young age. 90. Babysitting Co-Op: Finding a reasonably priced {and available} sitter can be such a hassle. Eliminate the cost and pain by organizing a co-op of friends to help out! 91. Staycation Ideas: Create your own vacation at home and instantly save!! 92. Anniversary in the Kitchen: Make your anniversary special while staying within your budget, using these romantic idea. 93. Saving on Vacations: From rental car savings to inexpensive snacks – this is a must-read before your next trip!
94. Marriage vs. Finances: Simple and basic money saving tips to start in your marriage, today! 95. Things to Do Instead of Spending Money: Over 100 ideas to keep you busy without spending a dime! 96. DIY Gifts for Under $5: Keep any special occasion in the right budget by creating handmade gifts for just a few dollars a piece! 97. Beauty on a Budget: Great product ideas at reasonable prices! 98. Love Calendars: The perfect way to romance your spouse every, single day – without breaking the bank! 99. Save Money While Losing Weight: It always seems difficult to eat healthy on a budget, but these tips will make it seem like a cinch. 100. Couponing Guide: Get started with simple savings in the form of couponing! UPDATE – have you heard of Jordan Page’s new Budget Bootcamp program? It’s ABSOLUTELY amazing. A must-try! AND, we stumbled across ONE more budgeting website that is absolutely dynamite. Check out WallStreet Mojo and all the incredible budgeting resources they offer. Are you excited about saving money, yet?! Who knew all this talk about budgeting resources could be so fun?! Well… go on… get to it – every penny counts!
