Money Tracker
The Money Tracker is an expense and income tracking tool that allows users to input payments or expenses in a variety of ways including this web page, e-mail, and instant messenger.
Keep track of your budgeting and costs on the go from a mobile device or from your home computer! Comprehensive tracking, recurring payment capability, budgeting tools, and a user-friendly system allow for you to keep tabs on your finances.
Step 1 - Inputting Expenses
There are three ways to input expenses: Web form, email, or instant messenger. Before you begin, you'll need to set up your Money Tracker to work properly with a few of these methods. Follow the simple instructions under each of the subheadings below and begin tracking your finances!
Web Form
To input expenses using the web form, simply fill in the fields to the left of this page. "Select Date" to choose from a mini-calendar. Enter the type of expense in the "Type" field, the amount of the expense, and any notes you may wish to include (optional). Lastly, check off "Recurring Payment" and fill out the provided additional fields if the expense occurs in a pattern - such as monthly bills or even yearly expenses.
The Smart Cookies Money Tracker can be easily set up to receive expense inputs via e-mail. First, click on the "Manage Inputs" menu item to input your e-mail address(es). Be sure to click the "Save" button to save changes. Once this is complete, simply email moneytracker@smartcookies.com and input your expense into the subject field of the email using the correct format outlined below.
Logging expenses using email and instant messaging requires a certain format in order to be inputted properly into the system. Simply include information in the following format to submit it to the Money Tracker:
or
Inputting a Payment: inc [amount] title
Replace the "[amount]" with the value of the item followed by the label or type of expense. See the following examples:
inc 89.34 paid cell phone bill
exp 11.74 movie ticket
A final command "Splurge" - used exactly like the exp command (splurge [amount]) without the title feature - allows you to view what your monthly balance would be if you spent this amount of money. This command doesn't actually input an expense, it allows for a hypothetical scenario to aid you in making sound financial decisions.
Instant Messenger
With current technology you can even chat with the Money Tracker to input expenses using your favorite Instant Messaging application such as MSN Messenger, Google Talk/Jabber, Yahoo Messenger, or AOL. Simply add the corresponding Money Tracker email address to the Instant Messaging application as a contact to begin:
| MSN Messenger | moneytracker@smartcookies.com |
| Google Talk/Jabber | moneytracker@bot.im |
| Yahoo Messenger | smartcookiestracker |
| AOL Messenger | smarttracker |
To add an expense or payment via instant messenger, message the Money Tracker contact using the exact same format outlined under the e-mail section (exp [amount] label or inc [amount] label).
Step 2 - The Calendar
The calendar is the main interface for keeping track of expenses and payments - and it is the first screen visible when you login to the Money Tracker. Any inputted expenses or payments will be visible as a dollar value on the corresponding calendar day. To view, edit, or remove an item, simply click on the calendar day. Feel free to practice adding items with the "Input Expense" form on the left-hand side of the page and removing them by clicking on the calendar date.
Step 3 - Budget Tracking
Once you've mastered inputting expenses and payments using the web form, email, or instant messaging, you can begin to use the calendar and reports to manage your money and keep track of budgeting. If you click on the "Generate Reports" menu item, you'll be able to input a start and end date and then generate a .CSV or .PDF file for you to view, print, or share. This easy to use report-generator makes budgeting, planning, and tracking easy!