

Girls just wanna have funds, right? It's never a bad time to get your money right, and the first step is getting our budget under control.
Whether you're in a place where you want to switch up how you handle your coins or you have never really thought about money at all, a budgeting app is definitely a must for your phone's home screen. And the best part is, each of these apps offers a free version. These apps have a unique way of showing you how to track expenses, look at your spending habits, and let you know how much you can afford to save.
Get ready to live your best life while keeping your money in check.
11 Best Budgeting Apps For Saving
1.Mint
Mint
Mint has been running the budgeting game for years now. It has already served as the go-to for many of us who know we want to get our money right but aren't quite sure how to start. It lets you sync your bank accounts (which is perfectly safe on this app, of course) and your bills to not only remind you when they're due but also help you develop a system that will make budgeting a breeze. And the clean interface makes it really user-friendly.
2.You Need A Budget (YNAB)
The name really says it all. We all need a budget, but this app does even more than helping you set limits and boundaries for your coins. From letting you know every dollar needs a job, to urging its users to "embrace" their "expenses" and even "roll with the punches" when the unexpected happens, YNAB is an app that understands the realities of saving, spending, and all things budgeting. A bonus is that the app can sync with your computer and phone, so you can have access to it at all times.
3.Albert
iTunes
Albert was one of the first to take budgeting apps to a new level. It goes beyond the traditional way budgeting has been done in the past as it features a Siri-like budgeting friend, named Albert, who can chat with you. He'll tell you how you're doing with your saving goals, let you know if you can afford to eat out for the week, and even give you a friendly side-eye if you start spending more than normal. It's seriously the budgeting friend we could all use.
4.Every Dollar
iTunes
Every Dollar is another budgeting app that has been making major moves in the money industry. This one is a win for those who not only want to budget but also want to develop a plan to get out of debt sooner rather than later. It encourages users to develop a monthly budget, evaluate their spending (and literally track every dollar) while giving them tips on how they can start reducing their debt one dollar at a time.
5.Digit
This is one of the best ways to save money without even missing it. The app, which gives you $5 for each friend you refer, will automatically transfer amounts of money that you don't need into a savings account. This amount is typically between $2 and $17. But no need to freak out because it certainly won't ever transfer more than you can afford. It spends way too much time evaluating your income, bills, and spending habits to make you over-save. The key is that you really won't realize it's gone until you look in the Digit app to see how much you've saved. And you can always request it to be transferred back if you need it.
6.Pocket Guard
iTunes
This just sounds like it has your pockets' best interest at heart. Like many other budgeting apps, it first instructs you to link your credit cards and bank accounts so you can have an overview of your financial structure. It then categorizes your bills and expenses for you so you can see a comparison of your income and your expenses. With the money left over, or as Pocket Guard calls it, "in my pocket," you can spend or save depending on your goals.
7.Goodbudget
iTunes
Goodbudget is a great app for couples and families who want to start budgeting and saving together. While it does offer solo budgeting options, one of its main features is providing budgets for entire households. And for those who want to go back to the traditional envelope system, this app will definitely help you go in that direction, so you're never surprised by a checking account deduction you either forgot about or didn't see coming at all. It also helps couples and families develop a budget so they can spend their dollars on what truly matters to them.
8.Prism
iTunes
Known as "magic for your bills," Prism will have you feeling yourself when it comes to taking care of your expenses. The app gives you a major bird's eye view of your bills to help you stay ahead of them. After all, a key to budgeting is calculating and figuring out bills and what we have to pay each month. So apps like Prism and others on this list ease users' minds by letting them know they don't have to figure it all out on their own.
9.Wally
iTunes
This is an amazing app if you want to track your expenses and update your budget on a daily. While that might be too much for some to handle, for others it's a must, and that's where Wally comes in. From putting your regular bills into categories like home, transportation, entertainment, and clothes, to allowing you to scan receipts so it can update your budget ASAP, Wally is one of the most efficient ways to stay on track with what's really going on with your moola.
10. Personal Capital
iTunes
If you already have your budget intact and want to start investing, Personal Capital is an efficient start. While there's a paid version, the free version has its perks too. You can take advantage of a Net Worth calculator and a Cash Flow reviewer and even track your portfolio, key holdings, and all of the ups and downs that come with investing no matter how long you've been in the game. If you splurge for the paid version, you can get a professional investment management feature and have a portfolio created just for you.
11. BONUS: Acorns
Acorns is another investing app that automatically saves your spare change from purchases you make with a linked credit or debit card using a system called "round-ups". So, if you get your Starbucks fix for $2.75, Acorns will round up to $3.00 and automatically invest the $.25. There's also the option to turn off auto transfers if you ever have times when you need all your coins.
What are some apps you use to save? Let us know!
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Charmaine Patterson is a journalist, lifestyle blogger, and a lover of all things pop culture. While she has much experience in covering top entertainment news stories, she aims to share her everyday life experiences, old and new, with other women who can relate, laugh, and love along with her. Follow Char on Twitter @charjpatterson, Instagram @charpatterson, and keep up with her journey at CharJPatterson.com .
Eva Marcille On Starring In 'Jason’s Lyric Live' & Being An Audacious Black Woman
Eva Marcille has taken her talents to the stage. The model-turned-actress is starring in her first play, Jason’s Lyric Live alongside Allen Payne, K. Michelle, Treach, and others.
The play, produced by Je’Caryous Johnson, is an adaptation of the film, which starred Allen Payne as Jason and Jada Pinkett Smith as Lyric. Allen reprised his role as Jason for the play and Eva plays Lyric.
While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Tracee Ellis Ross Is Still Living A 'Robust' Life Despite Sometimes Grieving Not Being Partnered
Tracee Ellis Ross sat down with former first lady Michelle Obama and her brother Craig Robinson for their IMO podcast to have a candid discussion about dating, marriage, and family. At 52, the beloved actress is single, but is still open to finding her person. However, she realizes that she has to navigate dating differently, describing herself as a "unicorn."
“I’m a very unique sort of unicorn of a woman, so it's gonna take a unique person,” she explained. "And in the meantime, I've really learned how to live my life and enjoy it and not sit around waiting."
Calling herself a "choiceful woman," she has had to push against culture norms and found that many of her experiences with men around her age were challenging due to the toxic masculinity they had been raised in. Many of their views about relationships conflicts with how she lives her life, so she tends to date younger.
“It's not just that I'm older. I’m also very embodied. I am a full, very whole person who knows myself, who is in charge of my life and who lives a very full, just robust life," she said.
Regardless if they're younger or older, Tracee has made it clear that she isn't settling and won't be in a relationship for the sake of having a partner. Even when loneliness creeps.
“As much as grief does surface for me around not having children and not having a partner, I still wouldn’t want the wrong partner. At all, I’m not interested in that. You have to make my life better, it can’t just be ‘I’m in a relationship just to be in a relationship,” she said.
Fans have watched pieces of Tracee's life played out on social media and TV. Just one look at her Instagram, you see that the black-ish star lives her life to fullest and it's filled with fashion, family, and all-round fabulousness.
"Even though the grief does emerge, and that comes, and I hold that, I think of what I’ve done. I think I woke up every morning trying to do my best. I didn’t wake up one morning and be like I’m gonna mess this day up. So I must be where I’m supposed to be.”
She added, “And sometimes I think of all of the things I’ve done—the courage that I’ve had to have, what I had to learn to how to navigate as a single person with no one to hide behind. It's built a really beautiful experience around me and I have incredible friends."
The Black Mirror actress has spoken about dating before and has always stated that she doesn't allow singleness stop her from living her best life.
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Feature image by Raymond Hall/GC Images