Despite making a decent salary as a nurse, I've been struggling to keep up with the costs of everything lately (car payments, student loans, gas, etc.). Does anyone have tips or suggestions for good budgeting apps to help get ahead?

I recommend you follow the Dave Ramsey plan, following the baby steps that they recommend and using their every dollar budgeting app. It is a good way to getting your finances back in order.

I personally use YNAB (You Need a Budget). I've tried many budget apps and have attempted to keep track of my finances numerous times before unsuccessfully. YNAB is the only app that has kept me accountable and consistent. I love it because:

1. It alleviates my financial anxiety. I know at all times if I have enough money for a purchase, and where every dollar is going.

2. It demonstrates that your financial goals are attainable!

3. It helps you pay off your debt in a structured, goal oriented way, while allowing you to simultaneously grow your savings

4. The app has integrated reports and statistics so you can see your growing net worth

I really love this app - it has allowed me to take accountability for my spending, forces me to prioritize what is important, and provides a sense of financial stability. It's a game changer!

It has less to do with budgeting and more to do with the inflation and our pay not keeping up with the cost of living.
And some of us don’t have a SPOUSE to be “onboard” with our choices. We are out here doing it all on our own.

it is hard to do, but first thing in Financial lesson is: if you cannot pay cash for it, you probably cannot afford it(some exemption of course like big item purchase like homes, cars etc.)it really takes a lot of discipline to do this, good luck

The economic situation for nurses is no longer manageable with cost of living and what nurses are paid. It’s a joke.

Yes skip the apps take a job at the VA or whatever state you are in as a nurse. They’ll pay your loans while you work there.

I, unfortunately, don’t have any solutions to this question. After casually reading through some of the answers, I have noticed a pattern, however. Nurses are burnt out no matter if we've been working for 1 year or nearly 50! Covid didn't do us any favors, by any means. But our burn out is a long time coming, the pandemic only exacerbated it. We continuously are being asked to do more, whether it’s charting or adding more responsibilities to our already overwhelming list of responsibilities. Our healthcare system is crumbling. I’ve been an ED nurse of nearly 10 years and I see it everyday

I don’t have an answer but I wish I did. This has to get better.

I got rid of my car . Saves on insurance , gas and maintenance. I live 2 blocks from the hospital and bike or walk. (I have an umbrella). It also saves on gym memberships. If I need a car...I rent one for the day I need it. When I am out of debt and have cash ...I will buy a car that does not have payments. People do not realise that they can survive without a car payment

Aldi’s is my go to grocery store! Quality food and great products and prices. Actually much lesser quality for more expense at Walmart/ Schnucks. The dark chocolate, tamponade spreads, specialty crackers and cheeses, dry Italian salami, are much much better. Wherever you shop, Order groceries for pick up. Helps with impulse/ poor food choice control.
Install gas watcher app on phone. It will alert you to which company/ location has cheapest gas at that time.
ASK for lower interest rates on loans. Worst they can say is no. No company wants to sell debt to credit agencies. Most will work with you. But you have to ask

I did a 3 month average of what we spent that included groceries, gas, credit cards, fast food, and miscellaneous (target, walmart that wasn't groceries, things like that). I found that we were spending $1400 a month in groceries, and at that time, my son was still only on formula and had not started solids yet. I also found that it was cheaper for me to shop at our local food lion versus driving to walmart. Food Lion has their shop and earn, and most of the time, we could benefit from it and knock off anywhere from 20-40 dollars off a month. I also started writing our meals out. I had read that planning them helped you stick to a budget better than just guessing, because you only bought what you needed. Since then, we cut our grocery bill down to $800 a month on average. By shopping locally for us, it helped save in gas as well. My husband was also spending around $200 a month in eating out because of his job. I started making him microwaveable breakfast sandwiches or overnight oats and packing him lunches, like sandwiches, mini charcuterie board boxes. Things he could eat cold that didn't require him to heat up. I also bought energy drinks in big cases from Amazon or Sam's club. He was going to the store every morning to get one and it caused him to buy other things as well. I also dedicated to fixing myself breakfast and lunch 2 shifts a week (I work 2-3 12 hour shifts). Between this and fixing my husbands breakfast and lunch, it saved us around $300 a month as well. It really helped during November when I was called off the entire month due to low census.

I also find budgeting apps to be cumbersome and difficult to navigate sometimes. So I purchased a template off of Etsy and had a paper copy. It was easier for me to do it that way. I have to write things down and visibly see them. It makes it more real to me. Hope all of this helps!

I’ve tried a few budgeting apps. The one that has worked best for me is a spreadsheet. Excel or Sheets will work. You can download a free spreadsheet budget template online and customize it according to your income and expenses. I’ve separated my expenses into fixed payments (rent, membership dues, insurance, phone, cable, internet, etc) and variable (groceries, gas, eating out, recreation, etc). It’ll take you a couple of months to get to the bottom of where all your money goes but it’ll be worth it. Be diligent. Anything and everything you spend a nickle on should be in a category and be accounted for. You’ll be surprised where your money goes in one month

You need a budget (that’s the name of the App). Basically it’s planning backwards from what you owe and then what you need to pay monthly. Once you know how much you have left over after that, you can set aside how much you need to spend a month on gas etc. Its like meeting any goal you need to take the time to plan. You didn’t just walk into nursing school. You sat down and applied and made lists. It’s really very similar. It starts out as a lot of work but once it’s a consistent habit it gets a lot easier. And you can see how quickly all those extra little purchases add up. And maybe realize what is and isn’t essential.

Budget carefully. Take your lunch to work. It is still expensive, but make a grocery list and cook in quantities to last. There are money saving recipes online. If you have the strength, do 4-12 hours of overtime per pay period. Don’t run up a credit card bill. Pay off at least one student loan at a time until they are all paid off. Seek jobs that have bonuses and put them toward your student loans. Look forward to the dream car but don’t go in debt for it now. If you believe in tithing, tithe. Put 5% of your money away for a rainy day. Move in with your parents if you can. Use Quicken to watch your spending. Needless to say, monitor your entertainment budget.

Consolidate student loans, find gas stations associated with discounts. For example, BJ's has a credit card that gives you 10 cents off their already discounted price. Also, some store items are marked with a gas nozzle, giving you an additional 10 cents off. Change your bill payment dates to correlate with your paycheck. Will give you a better idea of your balance and when bills are due. Spread them out between your paychecks so you are never at a low balance. Consolidate your errands. As painful as it can be, do as many errands as possible after work since you are already out. Unfortunately, you may need to curtail luxuries, like buying coffee or lunch. You can save a great deal by making and bringing your own coffee and food to work.

EveryDollar - it is an app/website through Ramsey Solutions.

Dave Ramsey is well known for Financial Peace University. Our family has gone through the course and uses the EveryDollar app every month....it has done WONDERS!!! It also make you very aware of what you are spending and what you are spending your money on. Hope that it helps you as much as it did for us!

Grl you need to do locums.

I would say have a budget and stick with it. Go through your bank statements and see what subscriptions you have that can be cancelled or paused for a little. Shop at Aldi's if there is one near you they have great prices for food. Also if you have a credit card or use one that gives you cash back. Use it to pay your bills and pay it off immediately with the money you have. Then with the cash back you can use it to get money back into your bank for extra money.

I used Dave Ramsey's envelope system when I was single mom, working at local hospital and as a County health nurse. I made a budget plan every month knowing about how much I would be making. Then I put the designated amount of money in each envelope. I made careful decisions at the store and I kept my kids in on the budget plan. I was able to establish a cash emergency fund of $3000 that grew to $8000 over 2 years. I was able to pay all the bills and still do some fun things with the kids. They felt more responsible and were willing to choose things we could afford to do. They have now grown up to be very financially responsible and are raising their own families. I will say that we had other like-minded families that we hung out with so the kids didn't feel like they were missing out on anything. And my parents helped me with the kids tuition and gave me a sense of confidence because I knew they would help me in times of need. I learned so much from those years that I still use the same principles years later.

I am only a student nurse, but I've been working on budgeting myself for a long time. I don't make much as a college student, and typically still live paycheck to paycheck, but Rocket Money, formerly known as Truebill, has been a huge help. I am able to track every expense and sort it into categories (eg. loan payments, transfers, shopping, dining, auto, transport, etc.) as well as set certain budget amounts. It allows me to keep track of multiple accounts including multiple checking accounts as well as my savings and my credit card.

Every couple of weeks I get a summary of where most of my spending has gone and where I need to improve. It's super user-friendly! I've been using Rocket Money for multiple years now, and I absolutely love it.

youneedabudget.com is the best budgeting site. I've been using it for years and I've saved so much money.

I totally understand how you feel. It was Pre covid, when I realized that I need proper protection for myself, income and family. I started to read books about how to handle my finances. I come a cross with Rich Dad, Poor Dad book and White Coat investor. I realized it's not how much money you make but how much you protect and strategize to save your income from inflation and taxes and also comparing insurance premiums to save more. If you're interested, pls email me at [email protected] I will be happy to share some good stuff regarding your problem.

Quit your job and become a travel nurse

I use mint to help me track. I would highly recommend Snowball Wealth if you are looking more for a financial community and some resources. They have an amazing budget template.

To stay within my budget I only buy what I need. I also put aside a certain amount from my salary every payday.. To stay within my budget, I only buy what I need and not what I want. I put aside a certain amount every time I get my pay for hard times and I do not touch that money. This, of course, comes with discipline. I buy my brand names at the end of the season on sales for the next year so I am ahead of the game. I also buy most of my groceries on sale. I hope this helps.

RocketMoney App

Most of the financial institutions like credit unions have a budget tool where you can enter your income and spendings .

Dave Ramsey has a great program and the app Mint can help you budget. You’ll see exactly where all of your money is going.

I highly recommend YNAB! (You Need A Budget) I have been using it for a few years and no longer have that money anxiety that I used to. I know exactly where every dollar goes and feel like I have control over the money and bills, not the other way around. They have tons of classes and help for you as well. Good luck!

Check out Dave Ramsey’s website…there is a free budgeting app too

Quicken, Rocket Money, and Mint.
All 3 are comparable and have easy to setup, use, and understand apps. You ultimately have to decide which app will best suit your specific needs. For instance, I use Mint personally because it will differentiate your spending into categories. I have found that the area that I have the most control, and therefore the most impact on my overall financial health is discretionary spending. Mint very clearly indicates that spending that usually falls into the "impulse" category. This helps me recognize the difference between money spent on what I need versus what I want.

I don’t really have any good suggestions, but know you are not alone! I am 27 and my husband and I make a decent salary between the two of us but two kids in daycare, car payments, mortgage, etc. are killing us 🥴

Hi, the one answer I can give you is to find a part-time job to supplement the costs of everything or pick up some overtime.

Yes as the cost of living in Austin is increasing, the RN salary is lagging behind. Making live difficult financially

I too use YNAB!!!

Well...at first do a list of what you need to buy ..cancel those things that you just like to buy.to be more practical lessen the chocolates and chips ..and lessen to go out hungry while buying your needs.

Hi. Try to have PRN jobs like 24 hrs/month in a less stress work like hospice if you can.

The first thing you do when you get paid is take the money.That is extra that you don't need to pay your essential bills and put it in a high yield savings account before you do anything. Your money will grow faster than you can believe. American Express high yield savings account.It has an interest rate of 4.25%. No budgeting app is going to help you if you don't take that money off the top immediately when you get paid.
If you don't do that it's hard to save money.

Follow Dave Ramsey's advice. Many swear by his financial plans, apps, and tips.
You could volunteer or inquire about precepting new hires, it usually provides a higher hourly wage for a period of time. Adds to your resume too.
Get certified for higher wage.
Pack lunches.
As interest rates fall shop around for lower interest rate loans for car, student loans, mortgage, etc.
Shop around for cheaper insurance rates.

Move out of Fl. I made $60. /hr in MD. We are being financially abused by the hospitals and other medical payors!!!

Dave Ramsey on YouTube the total money makeover. His daughter is also awesome at budgeting. I had a huge amount of nursing school loans then added medical school loans on top of it. I am debt free now with a focus on paying off my mortgage (I do not consider it debt). I worked all the overtime I could get and pay more into whatever I was wanting to pay off. I would say do the Dave Ramsey Debt snowball thing starting with the smallest loan, pay it off, then the next one ….you are still paying the monthly amounts on all your loans, so you don’t default, but all your extra money should be on paying off one loan at a time. Don’t another thing, no new car, no new house, no eating out, no new lover…work 5-6 days a week, but keep the Lord day holy. Be generous with your heart, but not your time and money. When you are debt free, remember to be generous!! You pray 🙏 for strength and you shall persevere by his grace.

Dave Ramsay- The Total Money Makeover is quick and simple for this.

The Richest Man in Babylon is also a great quick read.

Your Money or Your Life is excellent and will change your thinking about money.

I paid off 50k of student debt and have saved hundreds of thousands with just these 3 books. Would highly recommend taking the time! Good luck

Sell feet pics😂

It depends on what you want to do.
Dave Ramsey is great for getting out of debt.
Once you're out of debt and have some breathing room, there are lots of choices. Motley Fools, Investopedia, and Nerd Wallet (websites) all have great educational topics regarding investment options.
There are various podcasts. One that I've found very helpful is called Choose FI. They also have a website. They have various life hacks on how to get more bang for your buck and reach financial independence.
I find it difficult to stay on budget using plastic (debit/credit cards), so if I need to stick to a budget I use the cash envelope system from Dave Ramsey.

I'm a fan of You Need a Budget for a budgeting app. However, I've found the advice and philosophies of the Financial Independence Retire Early community to be helpful in regards to actual techniques for how to get ahead. Sites such as mrmoneymustache or the madfientist have a lot of resources.

The rich man is not he who makes more money, but he whose needs are less. I have things I want. I also have things I need. I get things I need. Occasionally, I reward myself with things I want. I cook. I clean. I do as much as I can myself. I also tithe in Church. Good luck!

Frugal living on FB has tons of discussions on innovative ways to save.

See what coupons/discounts/programs your employer website has. A lot of businesses offer discounts for nurses (in person and online). BP gas, Nike, Volvo, etc. so many things available always ask or search before purchasing. Also Plum benefits is great.

I use EveryDollar and I love it. The paid version is well worth it because it syncs with your bank account and all of your transactions come through so you can drag n drop them in the budget category. A “remaining” and “spent” displays for you to visually see how much of your budget you have left. Plus there’s a lot more tools which make budgeting a breeze

You should manage your budget and expenditure do not exceed expenditure keep in within rhe budget do not use money in worthless stuff so you can manage your other expense

When things were tight for me I did a budget overhauls. I was a stickyler with my SHOPPING list l made what products I could at home until I had surplus then slowly started to add in to make life more comfortable. You can always look at what u claim on your taxes. If u claim 0 they take more money out at the end of the year but if u really need thrmoney now then claim yourself as a dependent you will get more money in your check now but and should come out even at the end of the year. Are there little ways to get OT at work? I feel like their is almost always documentation to be done at work.

Following

I quit shopping at the Big Box Stores and found an Online Shop Club that has safer, quality products that don’t break the bank. I save between $200-500 a month for my family of 4

Try a website call xerox and how their software offers budget friendly financial note taking accomadations

Numbers

I have a Excel spread sheet that I track all my monthly expenses and when I go over the estimated budget, it sets me back on track so I am not off the rails. At the end of the year, I have a tally that lets me know what I've spent on everything and able to write off any on taxes and helps me adjust for the coming year budget.

Yo estoy en Venezuela, es muy dificil mantenerse con el escaso salario que ganamos, no llega a 10$.

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Don’t buy unnecessary things. Set aside some money after paying bills and after getting paid. Plan ahead what to buy and try to budget.

pocketguard

I know my bank app has great budgeting options. You may want to check in with your bank to see if they have an app and a budget tool. I also use Digit. Digit is an app that allows you to make savings goals for specific things like vacation, birthdays, rainy day, etc. It puts each in a different "pot" and once you set the goal amt and goal date digit automatically will pull from your connected account to save it for you. You set it and forget about it. If you need your money back, you just withdraw it. It's so amazing.

Try Rocket Money free version app.

The main advice that I could give is to try to budget to detect unnecessary expenses

I live by a calendar. Especially with traveling. I have to write down everything. I wrote out vacations as soon as I start planning. I write out what bills are due for the month in the calendar. I even wrote the days that I work in the calendar in case there is ever a discrepancy. But in order for me to keep up with my busy life outside of traveling I have to write it down!

Check out Edelman Financial free retirement planning for Nurses ❤️

Hire a coach to help you develop a strategy that will work for you.

Rocket money

Pay cash for items if possible. Put money in savings for a rainy day and most importantly do not live about your income.

The app is called YNAB.

Financial Peace University, making a call to Dave Ramsey radio talk show, is very insightful. He advises starting with the biggest debt, highest interest rate, and working your way through them., 1 by 1.
The economy is really making it hard on the working class especiailly that are doing the reputable thing and working!

I recommend the app “Mint”, it will organize all your expenses and suggest ways to save money. For me, I didn’t realize how many subscriptions I had to services I didn’t need, that was a big one. When I had CC and school debt, it really helped to have everything itemized in front of me. I just tried to save wherever I could, clipped coupons, bought certain foods in bulk and made it last. After a year, I was able to pay off all loans.
Good luck!

Use your banking app.

Cash back apps.

For me, out of sight out of mind is my motto.... I have the Qapital app that automatically transfers the amount I want out of my weekly paycheck, I also have it to always round up to 3 dollars when I purchase something. Like that whatever I have at the end of the week for bills and entertainment is what I use. Calculate your bills alone weekly, then see how much you have left for extras, calculate how much you spend on gas and groceries and possible entertainment... If you can, entertainment and groceries can be chopped by $30 each, then do so

Reduce expenses, can your Internet, car payments,
deductibles be reduced to provide monthly savings. Rent is fast growing expense, so start by getting property. Watch Connie Mack for investment and taxes. Start planning for retirement.

The Mint app has been helpful for me. You can link any loans, credit cards, bank accounts and it shows you your spending habits. It can also help you set spending goals

I tag every expense in my mobile banking to track expenses. It’s labor intensive but worth it.

Make & take your own food to eat at work. Bring your own plastic bottle for water.
Do not buy coffee or food at shops. Make & take own food.
Pay loans & car payments a week before they are due. If you don’t, interest/overdue amounts go up.
No apps. Needed. Just think like an adult.
Give up gym memberships. Exercise by walking/other modified exercise.
Get off social media. Apps. cost money.

I like Mint. You can set your goals and it shows you where you’re going over and where you have money left over.

I use Stash. It helps me save money without making it easy to pull it out. You also have options to invest in stock options if you want to.

Mint money making manager is a really good app. The app will help you budget, save, and could save you money on a house payment. It’s free to install and you can delete it at any time. There is nothing to loose

I know everlance will help with deductions(auto/work). And chime has been good for me with credit builder and has savings and budgeting etc. I heard rocket money will help u look at things you can do differently and find things ur paying for u didn't know u were. I use sofi for some stock.

the most beneficial strategy i have ever learned and implemented is making a BUDGET. most budgeting app will take your money :) At Least $3-5 per month. i would rather printout the standard budget templet and start putting all my needs and wants on the sheet and get ahead of this game.

Mint by Intuit.

every dollar for a budget app to see where all of your dollars are going. Everything is so expensive these days.

Rocket money app

The budget we have is important. Have monthly meetings with your family, and make it fun, while being clear on needs to be somewhat frugal. Shop where there are costs of goods, food items, gasoline, etc.

Yes there are many options for anyone seeking to set a budget. Check out app store to learn which ones get best ratings.
In addition, make your money work for you. Example: Use Certain credit cards that give reward points or cash and return as statement credit.
Look for coupons to save. Large companies offer savings to their employees. Investigate what options are available.
Savings is available but do not expect it to come to you-search out information.
Ask co-workers what they do-pose general questions-not too personal.
There are advisors who offer free advice for basic questions.

No

I would say to check on your subscriptions, eat out less, and set a budget for yourself for spending weekly/monthly and be very strict with it. There are apps out there but a lot of them offer very basic things for free and the actually useful things are paid subscriptions, which you don’t wanna add another spend to your budget even if it’s a few dollars a month or whatever. Hope that helps!

I think nurses need to get a higher salary higher pay

no

I’ve been using Rocket Money (formerly Truebill) for a while. You can pick how much you’d like to pay per month and it keeps track of all your accounts including credit cards and savings accounts. It tracks your subscriptions, recurring purchases and pay days and allows you to set budget limits.

J.P.Morgan Chase has an app with every thing you could need. Bill pay, debt consolidation, investment etc...

Yes, I am struggling with my finances.

Get a second job to pay off your loans, work hard for a couple of months maybe year or two and you will be golden. You are money making machine. I have a 48hr per week travel job and do a per diem every other weekend, 24hrs, and have been able to save and pay off some debt. Can’t I survive working six 12hr shifts for many years, NOPE, I get a day off a week, four days off a month. I’m 34yo single guy so I can handle it.
Best wishes!