Comments on: How to Budget with Mint http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/ The blog of the free, simple personal finance solution. Track all your spending automatically, find the best deals, save more money. And save the world. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:26:43 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: James http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-45585 James Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:26:48 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-45585 Mint has a brilliant way of getting in all the accounts and keeping the transactions all up to date and categorizing. It was so easy to get all the information in. So I was very excited because I could totally see how powerful it would be for budgeting and planning. BUT I just don't have any clue what I'm doing with budgeting. This month it said I spent $900 dollars on groceries. Yet I click the "Groceries" link provided and it it only shows $88 of groceries. Where is it coming up with the other $812??? So firstly I can't see where I'm at with budgeting. These numbers are all wrong. Secondly, a budget does no good if the budget is perfectly happy letting you spend more than you make. Where are the tools that let you adjust your income and have all your budgets adjust too based on some setting? It should be so easy to do this. What about prioritization of what should be paid first and most versus what can wait? The people you must help most are the people who seriously need a budget. The ones who might be spending more than they make. Yet I see nothing in the system that helps with that at all. Darn it! After seeing the power of Mint, I don't see how I can go anywhere else, but as a tool for anything really it's just useless!!! So I'm back to winging it... Unless these obvious bugs in the system are fixed and the budgeting is given some real teeth for visualizing income and budget together, it's a waste of my time. I hope somebody's listening! Thanks James Mint has a brilliant way of getting in all the accounts and keeping the transactions all up to date and categorizing. It was so easy to get all the information in. So I was very excited because I could totally see how powerful it would be for budgeting and planning.

BUT I just don’t have any clue what I’m doing with budgeting. This month it said I spent $900 dollars on groceries. Yet I click the “Groceries” link provided and it it only shows $88 of groceries. Where is it coming up with the other $812???

So firstly I can’t see where I’m at with budgeting. These numbers are all wrong.

Secondly, a budget does no good if the budget is perfectly happy letting you spend more than you make. Where are the tools that let you adjust your income and have all your budgets adjust too based on some setting? It should be so easy to do this.

What about prioritization of what should be paid first and most versus what can wait? The people you must help most are the people who seriously need a budget. The ones who might be spending more than they make. Yet I see nothing in the system that helps with that at all. Darn it! After seeing the power of Mint, I don’t see how I can go anywhere else, but as a tool for anything really it’s just useless!!!

So I’m back to winging it… Unless these obvious bugs in the system are fixed and the budgeting is given some real teeth for visualizing income and budget together, it’s a waste of my time.

I hope somebody’s listening!

Thanks

James

]]> By: J http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-45367 J Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:25:53 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-45367 We also get paid every other week. I can't believe there isn't a way to select a budget timeframe for income that is something other than each month. Is this something that is "in the works" for a future update? Without it, MINT, isn't helpful to my monthly budget. We also get paid every other week. I can’t believe there isn’t a way to select a budget timeframe for income that is something other than each month. Is this something that is “in the works” for a future update? Without it, MINT, isn’t helpful to my monthly budget. ]]> By: ol http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-44981 ol Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:09:54 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-44981 I'm wondering the same thing. I tried searching for the answer, but couldn't find it. I'd like to be able to set up my budget before the income comes in. I’m wondering the same thing. I tried searching for the answer, but couldn’t find it.

I’d like to be able to set up my budget before the income comes in.

]]> By: ROSEMARIE http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-44898 ROSEMARIE Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:10:33 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-44898 WERE YOU ABLE TO GET ANY GOOD ADVICE ON GETTING STARTED? I DON'T KNOW HOW TO ENTER MY INCOME. I'VE GOT THE CREDIT CARD PART AND CATEGORIES BUT NOT SURE HOW TO SET UP WERE YOU ABLE TO GET ANY GOOD ADVICE ON GETTING STARTED? I DON’T KNOW HOW TO ENTER MY INCOME. I’VE GOT THE CREDIT CARD PART AND CATEGORIES BUT NOT SURE HOW TO SET UP ]]> By: Nanette http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-44017 Nanette Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:08:22 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-44017 Mint is just amazing! I've been trying to put together a budget for years but kept falling behind on the paperwork. Mint makes everything so simple. Thank you, thank you and thank you! Mint is just amazing! I’ve been trying to put together a budget for years but kept falling behind on the paperwork. Mint makes everything so simple. Thank you, thank you and thank you! ]]> By: zeal69 http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-43946 zeal69 Thu, 07 Jan 2010 03:18:16 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-43946 As far as the bill showing up on the current months budget.... You can change the date of the transaction. That happens alot to me when I pay things early... But if it clears on the 26th, I just change it to the first of the next month. As far as the bill showing up on the current months budget…. You can change the date of the transaction. That happens alot to me when I pay things early… But if it clears on the 26th, I just change it to the first of the next month. ]]> By: Jay http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-43896 Jay Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:50:01 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-43896 I have the same problem, where I cannot recategorize without it double charging my budget. I have the same problem, where I cannot recategorize without it double charging my budget. ]]> By: LA http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-43822 LA Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:04:33 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-43822 hmmmm another question how do I add a business credit card that I do not have access to online b/c I do not have a checking account with them? hmmmm another question how do I add a business credit card that I do not have access to online b/c I do not have a checking account with them? ]]> By: LA http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-43821 LA Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:00:16 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-43821 I would like to track my personal and business expenses and income separately, how do I accomplish that? Do I have to have 2 sep accounts on Mint? I am sorry but this question might already been answered. I would like to track my personal and business expenses and income separately, how do I accomplish that? Do I have to have 2 sep accounts on Mint? I am sorry but this question might already been answered. ]]> By: chay208 http://www.mint.com/blog/how-to/how-to-use-mints-budgeting-tools/comment-page-2/#comment-43690 chay208 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:22:44 +0000 http://www.mint.com/blog/?p=5142#comment-43690 We get paid every other Friday so sometimes we get paid three times a month so the monthly income budget on Mint will say we made a lot of money one month and not a lot the next- FRUSTRATING! I want to be able to manipulate the monthly income so it will work with our pay schedule and not just month to month. Plus if I pay a bill early which was due the next month it will count that bill in the budget for the actual exisiting month and not for the month the bill was intended to be paid for. So if I have a bill due the 3rd of each month and I pay for it on the 26th of the previous month, Mint budget will not recognize it for the correct month- telling me I still have to pay that bill for the month. That needs to be fixed. The graphs and the trends are inaccurate and hard to read because I have to adapt to Mint's way of budgeting and not mine. I think I will quit Mint...it's not a personal design- too broad and complicated to adjust to. We get paid every other Friday so sometimes we get paid three times a month so the monthly income budget on Mint will say we made a lot of money one month and not a lot the next- FRUSTRATING! I want to be able to manipulate the monthly income so it will work with our pay schedule and not just month to month.

Plus if I pay a bill early which was due the next month it will count that bill in the budget for the actual exisiting month and not for the month the bill was intended to be paid for.

So if I have a bill due the 3rd of each month and I pay for it on the 26th of the previous month, Mint budget will not recognize it for the correct month- telling me I still have to pay that bill for the month. That needs to be fixed. The graphs and the trends are inaccurate and hard to read because I have to adapt to Mint’s way of budgeting and not mine.

I think I will quit Mint…it’s not a personal design- too broad and complicated to adjust to.

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