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M$1 January 18, 2009 08:26 AM

What software/website do you use to keep track of your business expenses?

Other than Quicken, which I wanted to avoid using, what computer software do you use to keep track of your business expenses so they're all completely organized come tax time?  I've been using an Excel spreadsheet. Do you know of any other good software or online service, preferably free?
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January 18, 2009 06:24 PM
Here is your answer:http://www.gobootstrap.com/
Source(s):
http://mashable.com/2008/09/21/270-online-business-tools/

Asker's Rating:
• Even though this answer is brief, the respondent presented the option that I would be most likely to try. The Mashable post was a very nice find as well.

I know I should probably just use Quickbooks, but goboostrap is supposed to eventually have a premium level as well.


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January 18, 2009 09:21 AM
I don't own a business, so some one else will probably have to answer this, But doing some research, I didn't really find anything, But, Since I saw commercials, would have to say go with quickbook. some one may have a better recommendation, I don't know, Since I don't own a business.

Link:
http://quickbooks.intuit.com/

Edit: You could try Mint.com (free) or Quicken Online (there Both free!
Source(s):
http://www.mint.com
http://quicken.intuit.com/online-banking-finances.jsp


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January 18, 2009 09:30 AM
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January 18, 2009 10:01 AM
geezeo.com is a lot like mint.com.

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January 18, 2009 12:18 PM
I use Money Manager Ex it allows you to keep track of multiple accounts and for a small business its free with no monthly fees.
http://www.codelathe.com/mmex/

Source(s):
Personal Use
http://www.codelathe.com/mmex/


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January 18, 2009 02:44 PM
I use GnuCash. It's open source and free.

http://www.gnucash.org/

Unlike the other software mentioned so far it's designed for small business accounting as well as personal finance. In fact it's probably better suited to business rather than personal use, as it's based on standard double-entry book-keeping principles and uses language that may be off-putting to the average person just wanting to track their personal spending.

For example, you don't just have a bank account or two, you have assets, which includes the sub-category of current assets, in which you could have a number of different bank accounts, cash accounts etc. Likewise you don't just have credit cards you owe money on, you have liabilities, which include among other things each of your credit cards.

It also has features to handle employees, customers and suppliers, and built-in concepts like invoices for customers, employee expenses etc.

Reports include things like basic P&L statements and balance sheet, as well as the kind you'd find in a more personal finance oriented app, like summaries of monthly cashflow.

It's perfectly usable for personal finance as well, as long as you're not intimidated by the business and accounting jargon. When you set it up, you can choose from various standard sets of accounts, such as a simple checkbook, student loan account, retirement account, business accounts etc.

It's not as pretty as some of the other apps. For one thing it started life on Linux, and while it works fine on Windows too, it looks a little bit different than you might be used to.

For the total price of $0.00 I am well satisfied with it!

Another option you might want to look at is Microsoft Office Accounting Express:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/accountingexpress/FX101729681033.aspx

The Express version is free, and there are various Pro versions that cost varying amounts. It looks like it might be good, and the free version is probably fine if you are a one-person or home-based business.

I haven't tried it myself though.

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January 18, 2009 06:20 PM
For our business, we use Accountedge by MYOB. It's a little cumbersome at times, but it forces me back into the proper accounting mindset when I'm doing the paperwork. It's not cheap - $300 for initial purchase, $159 to upgrade - but it handles the details well.

I also use an old copy of Quicken for personal finances, and it could probably be stretched to be used in business perfectly well (depending on your business).

Much depends on the type of business you're running. If you don't need inventory and point of sale stuff, you can probably get by modifying the categories on almost any accounting software. iBank at IGG software offers a free trial (as does Accountedge) and claims to work well with the iPhone, but I haven't tried it yet.

Good luck - it's always tough making these decisions.
Source(s):
IGGsoftware.com
intuit.com
myob-usa.com


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January 18, 2009 07:16 PM
You get what you pay for. A free accounting app might disappear at any moment, or have a bug that eats all your data that never gets fixed. You wouldn't do your job everyday for free, right?

QuickBooks is very powerful, and I highly recommend it. It runs $200 for the Mac version. It's simple to use, as the input fields look just like a check ledger, and if you set it up right it makes doing your taxes a breeze. (You create specific categories, like "business transportation" and then when it comes time to enter your tax information, you just look at the total "business transportation" expense in QuickBooks and enter it on your taxes. If you use TurboTax to prepare your taxes, you can import directly from QuickBooks, making it even easier.)

Mint.com and similar web-based services are nice for simply seeing what you spent money on, but they don't let you connect all of your accounts or long-term liabilities. You don't want a financial software that doesn't let you input the car loan from your grandfather, or the money your roommate owes you, etc.

When you start Quickbooks for the first time, they have a very detailed walk-through that will help you set it up so it best fits your situation.

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January 20, 2009 05:34 AM
Hands down it's Quickbooks.  I have a Mac and have the Mac version and I love it.

I used to teach business management and financial management and I know there are a lot of options.  One thing you may want to consider is hiring a freelance bookkeeper who already knows the software so that you can concentrate more on your business than the expenses

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