I’ve personally used Mint.com since January of 2010 and it has been a great financial tool for keeping me and money on track.
I especially like using the “Goals” feature to save for things like a new laptop, retirement, and paying off my car loan in half the time.
Until recently Mint only offered an iPhone app and of course the online account you can access from anywhere there is an internet connection.
When I heard them announce the release of a version of Mint for iPad I seriously geeked out. First thing when I got home from work was to download it for free from the iTunes app store.
I’ve spent a lot of time just sitting and playing with it, mesmerized by all the colorful graphs and numbers. And here are just some of the awesome features this app offers:
All your finances and goals are in one place
One click lets you interact with all the graphs, spending categories and budgets
Adjust your budget and track all your expenses on the go
Syncs with all your devices, including your online account
You don’t need an internet connection to keep track of your finances
Add cash or other manual transactions anytime
That last one is a huge deal for me since the iPhone app doesn’t have the ability to add checks I’ve written, or cash transactions while I’m out and about. So now I can keep track of my money down to the last penny, even on the go.
How to Use the App:
1. Interact
Any of the graphs or transactions can be clicked or tapped on, with your finger. For example, under the Top Spending Categories just click whichever one you want to see. It will bring up a pie chart showing the total amount and then breakdown each transaction also.
Slide the screen to the left or right, to see your spending over time, or your net income at one glance. You can adjust the “months” bar at the bottom of the screen to see your spending for the last quarter, last six months or the past year.
2. Add Transactions
To add a cash transaction manually just click the paper/pencil icon on the far left of the screen. It will even find your location and pull up a list of merchants near to where you are. You can input a check, cash or credit/debit card transaction or even split the charge (like when you take cash from an ATM). If you want to put in a deposit instead of a payment, it offers that option too.
3. Search
Click the search icon to search for a certain transaction specifically, by merchant, category or tag (like summer vacation). I’m a big budget nerd, so I can easily just click the budgets bar to bring up the complete list of categories showing whether I’m under, over or right on budget (you can also set up alerts to remind you when you’re getting close to going over budget). You can view a specific budget and add a transaction manually from this screen as well.
