Unpopular opinion: my $6 monthly spreadsheet beats every budgeting app I've tried
My sister in law sat me down at Easter and asked why I dumped my budget app after 2 years, and I told her straight up that it kept hiding the money. It lumped groceries and eating out into one "lifestyle" bucket, so I never saw the $340 we blew on takeout in April until it was too late. Now I log every cost in a plain spreadsheet for about 5 minutes each Sunday, and I actually know where the cash goes. Apps dress up the same numbers with slick charts, but I'd rather see the ugly rows myself.