CrazyBusy Mama! (Dot Calm)

As a somewhat recent iPhone fanatic (I got mine last October as an early anniversary present), I’ve been having a lot of fun trying various applications (“apps,” for short). My new favorite, which I love and will rave about always, is an app called Balance.

Balance was created by Connor Wakamo and has a rating of 3-1/2 stars — pretty good for a free app. According to the app’s description, Balance is:

…an application designed to help you keep track of the balance of one of your accounts. Intended to replace a paper-based checkbook register, Balance maintains a list of credits and debits to your account. When you enter a new transaction, Balance automatically recalculates the account’s balance. You can protect your information with a password. Balance also allows you to export your transactions to your computer. With Balance, you’ll always know how much money you’ve got in your account so you can avoid overdraft fees.

An upgrade to Balance, Version 2.0, is also available if you’d like this app to keep track of multiple accounts. I may upgrade to that soon.

In the meantime, can you keep a secret? I don’t use Balance to keep track of my checking account. I should, considering I’ve been the queen of overdraft charges in the past (much to my husband’s chagrin), but I’ve found a use that works better for me. The way I use it gets to the root of what’s caused my previous overdraft charges: overspending.

Every single time I go to the store, I whip out my iPhone, open up Balance, and plug in the amount I’ve given myself permission to spend. I only go over if I know I’ve got the extra cash in my purse to cover the overage. Step by step, here’s how it’s done:

Open the app.

Tap the button in the top left that says, “Account.”

Name the account or just leave it as “Cash.”

Type in any notes or just tap “Done” in the upper right corner.

Back on the main page — it should say “Cash” at the top, or whatever name you’ve chosen — tap the plus sign at the bottom, to the left of the word “Balance.”

You’re now on the “New Transaction” page. Ignore the “name” field. Tap the line that says “amount,” and enter in how much you have to spend ($50, $100, etc.).

Tap the “type” field. Tap “Received,” then “Done.”

Back on the “New Transaction” page, tap “Done” once more. On the “Cash” page, you’ll see you now have the amount you designated on the top line. Everything you enter after that will be subtracted from that amount.

From your shopping list (you did bring a list, didn’t you?), find your first item. Let’s say it’s a gallon of milk at $2.49. Tap the plus sign at the bottom, then tap “name” on the next page. Use the keyboard to fill in the word “milk,” and tap “Done.” Tap “amount.” Use the number keypad that comes up to enter in your price (the decimal point is taken care of for you). Tap “Done.” Tap “Done” again.

At the bottom of the page, you’ll see that your new balance is now $47.51.

What I also love about this app is that I no longer buy things I don’t need. If it’s not in the budget, it’s not in the budget, period.

By the way, if you use coupons (and you should), remember to subtract those from the balance, as well.

You may feel a little silly using your iPhone this way in a grocery store, but I’ve yet to have a manager or other store employee ask me what I’m doing. Just try not to block the aisles when you’re typing in your purchases!

A few final tips for when using Balance:

Don’t forget to add the sales tax for your area for non-grocery items.

Use Balance when shopping for clothes, gifts, and other items.

When done with your shopping trip, just tap the box with an arrow in it at the bottom of the screen. On the half screen that comes up, tap “Delete all transactions.” This will clear Balance for the next time you need to use it.

Remember to use the iPhone calculator if you’re buying multiples of certain items.

Have a favorite app? Tell me about it. If I think it’s a good thing for crazybusy mamas, I’ll review it and give you an honorable mention!

©2010 Sally Dinius
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Sally Dinius is writer-in-chief here at CrazyBusyMama.com, a blog created to inspire and motivate busy mamas everywhere to feel healthy, fit, and in control of their lives. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdinius, and become a member of the CrazyBusy Mama Facebook fan page by clicking here.