Buxfer: Personal finance software for budgeting and expense management.

Here’s a budget and expenses planner that looks real easy to use and understand. What’s more, according to the site it’s now tracking $2.78 billion in over 18 million transactions so it must be doing something right.

Like others of its type it allows you to automatically download bank account transactions only in this case your private information can be stored on your local computer rather than on Buxfer’s server. It goes without saying that you can automatically import these transactions in cases where the app doesn’t support automatic ones from a particular bank.

The dashboard is nice and simple and in three columns you can see your net balance, monthly budget and any upcoming bills. The balance and budget columns show net totals and then more detail underneath by way of bar graphs for your individual account tags. Upcoming bills show how many days are left before you need to pay.

Budgets can be set for all of your requirements with tags created allowing easy loading of information. Monthly limits can be set and you can see at a glance how you’re doing against these budgets at any time during the period.

From a reporting angle you’ll be able to see a breakdown of just where your money is going with a selection of graphs and pie charts. The numbers can be adjusted for time periods too with a useful slide bar feature at the foot of the page.

If you regularly have shared expenses the app can also help with keeping tabs on any IOU’s that might be floating around between you and your friends. The great thing about this is that if you’re struggling to remember the split for a night out, as long as you’ve entered the details correctly, the app will show you just who owes who what to balance the books.

The app is available on mobile devices and gadgets can also make it accessible on websites and on Facebook. For those on the move keeping your money under control is made very easy.

Conclusion
This looks like a nice and simple way to help you get a grip of your personal finances with a level of automation and clear reports. Your personal information remains on your kit too so security issues are well covered.