That is until yesterday. Finally tired of compulsively performing budget gymnastics multiple times a day and then triple-checking it multiple times a week, I started looking into mobile budgeting applications on my iPhone. Below are the top three I ended up deciding between.

Unsplurge

Contrary to its name, Unsplurge is all about setting a big-splurge goal and reaching it. Unlike most (possibly all) other budgeting applications, this app allows you to make notes for yourself, post updates to your Facebook feed, and interact with your fellow-savers through the app itself – savers who are eager to share their own personal tips and tricks to healthy budgeting.

Unsplurge is currently available only on iOS devices running iOS 7 or better.

Wally

Short, sweet, and to the point, Wally is a colorful and user-friendly personal financing application. Similar to Unsplurge, Wally allows you to set and track goals, log spending, and keep up with upcoming expenses. Unlike Unsplurge, Wally features the ability to log spending by taking pictures of your receipts with the app, making it easier to track your cash spending, as well. You can also save pictures from the app to your phone – keep ‘em handy for tax season!

Wally is available for both iOS and Android devices. Android users have access to the enhanced Wally+ version.

Mint

Mint, Intuit’s budgeting and finance application, is a beastly program. From the mobile app itself, you can sync your various recurring billing accounts (such as credit cards, utilities, car payments, etc.) and pay them right from within the app itself, set up spending limits for various amenities such as clothes and entertainment, even receive a free credit score.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my credit score falls in the “good” range.

Unlike Wally and Unsplurge, Mint has an online component which expands on the mobile app – this is where you can set goals and track investments, in addition to performing all other finance-related tasks in a clean and clutter-free user interface.

Mint’s mobile app is available on both iOS and Android.

The icing on the cake for each of these apps? They’re entirely free. There are paid budget apps, but how would buying an app make any financial sense when there are such incredible free options?

I ultimately chose Mint for its versatility and overall functionality, but if you need a simpler experience or don’t have so many different things to track, Unsplurge and Wally will be equally useful to you.

The post Best Mobile Budgeting Apps first appeared on Atlas Financial Services.

There’s No Place Like Home … To Brew Your Coffee

I know a slew of people who throw fits if they don’t get their daily $6 drink from Starbucks. Well, I’d throw a fit if I was spending that much money on coffee. Why would I throw a fit? Because I’d be so far bankrupt I’d be writing this on a pad of paper under a lean-to outside Portland Chinatown. But while these people lecture me on Facebook about things like privilege (from their $2,000 MacBooks), I’ll be at home with my dog and my roommate, sipping coffee that I brewed from an $8 can of Folgers which will last me at least two months, quite content by not spending more than $1,500-a-year on Starbucks.

Fuel Economy

Here’s the thing about the different octanes at the gas station – most cars are designed to run on 87-octane. If you have an engine that runs 87 and you buy 89 or 92, you’re spending more money than you have to. I just learned this last month, so don’t feel bad.

With that said, if you can reach your destination without driving, then either bike it (looking at you, Portlanders, I know how much you’re into biking) or walk it. You’ll save gas money and you’ll work that fitness while you’re at it. Win-win.

The Buddy System

We’ve all seen the statistics by now that say things like “one person making X amount can’t afford a two-bedroom apartment.” Sooo … find a roommate. Why do you need a two-bedroom place if you’re one person?

Having a roommate will cut living costs, for the most part, in half, saving you several hundred dollars per month. And if you live with someone you know and are friends with (strongly recommended) it just makes life more fun.

And while you’re thinking about ways to save money, check out this list of budgeting and finance apps I wrote recently. They make tracking your spending, bills, and saving so much easier.

The post Essential Budgeting Tips for Millennials first appeared on Atlas Financial Services.