10 iPad Apps to Manage Your Home Budget

The iPad has indeed proven itself as a boon to both personal and business users. As a personal communication and organization tool, it enables users to manage and simplify many routine tasks. Applications are available that help iPad users remember everything from birthdays and dentist’s appointments to bill payments, but the real strengths of the iPad as a personal organizer are expressed through new applications which allow users to manage their home budget.

Here are 10 of the best iPad apps that can be used to make sure you’re finishing every month in the black – and they won’t set you too far into the red themselves.

1. Expensify (Free)

The Expensify application for the iPad imports credit card data and allows for photographing receipts, so that it can generate a full expense report. It also generates E-receipts for expenses under $75, and these receipts can be used for tax or reimbursement purposes. When expenses need to be reimbursed, this can be handled online, as can credit card payments from a linked checking account.

2. Fresh Xpense Capture (Free)

Downloading the free Fresh Xpense Capture app allows iPad users to scan receipts that are then recorded using the free Xpenser.com site. The site provides full tracking features for all household expenses, from the smallest store purchase to mortgage and car payments, making it an ideal tool to ensure that a personal budget is balanced every month. The app is indispensable as it enables easy scanning and direct input of all printed receipts.

3. GroceryIQ (Free)

This free app helps save both time and money at the supermarket by allowing users to set up and download their shopping lists at GroceryIQ.com and then to sync these lists to their iPads to use at the supermarket. The app helps to prevent wasted time and money by keeping track of grocery lists as well as by sending online coupons directly to store loyalty cards. Sharing the grocery lists with other household members prevents duplication of purchases, and lists can be composed for each store separately and then saved and reused.

4. Expense Tablet ($1.99)

A simple budget calculator and tracker, Expense Tablet allows multiple users to set up multiple budgets, making it a great choice for family use. While it does not connect to online bank accounts, the application does allow setting up detailed categories that enable careful and accurate tracking and analysis once data is inputted manually.

5. Checkbook HD ($1.99)

As its name suggests, Checkbook HD is an electronic checkbook for maintaining accurate records of checking account transactions. It is a very basic application which nevertheless combines the familiarity of a paper checkbook with the graphics and memory functions that the iPad makes available for users. The data is easily exported to other financial software packages as well as to an iPhone or other device.

• Also Read : 5 Android Apps for Managing Your Budget

6. BillMinder ($1.99)

This bill reminder application reminds you to pay your bills on time and lets you track when they are due. Comprehensive charts and graphs aid in budgeting as well as tracking of spending habits.

7. SplashMoney ($4.99)

This application is a comprehensive personal financial software package, that includes access to online banking data as well as tracking of all expenses, budgeting, reporting and planning. This makes SplashMoney an ideal replacement for Quicken or Microsoft Money, as it is powerful yet simple and features easy to read graphs and reports as part of the user-friendly interface.

8. PowerOne Financial Calculator ($4.99)

A fully featured financial calculator which can handle just about any calculator task, PowerOne Financial Calculator is ideal for both routine and complex calculations of any type, from income and expenses to depreciation and tax-related mathematical functions. It is a combination financial and scientific calculator which enables saving of custom templates for routine use and updating, such as when tracking the balance of mortgage, credit card, or auto leasing payments.

9. Agile Snowball ($4.99)

This unusually named app helps users keep track of debt payments, including providing analysis of remaining balance and determining when it is best to pay off each bill. It is ideal for consumers who are paying off balances on multiple credit cards and servicing other consumer loans, such as mortgages and car loans.

10. Money ($0.99 on sale)

Money just became available at a sale price of 99 cents; even at $19.99 it is a worthwhile investment as it handles all financial transactions and functions including tracking of expenses and budgeting, even for multiple bank, credit card, loan, and mortgage accounts. This comprehensive financial package downloads bank information so that transactions can be kept up to date at all times.