I've always run rolling Excel, then later, Open Office (as it's free) spread-sheets, to monitor my finances. Including one which mirrors my credit card. It's easy enough to do, I had to compile budgets as part of my job. I can predict what my income will be and my direct debits during the year adding a ball-park figure for the usual increases in both. The big variables will be "spends" and credit card expenditure, the latter because of much higher inflation. is likely to be a lot more than last year.. But I make estimates for these and add a contingency. So theoretically, I can, on January 1st, predict what will be my bank balance on December 31st. Today, eleven months into the year, I realised I was better off than I thought! The spread-sheets are divided into four-week periods, as my pensions are paid that way. So that's 13 periods. But I'd budgeted for 13 credit card payments, when there will be only twelve! Doh! First year I've done that!
