Years ago, I did my accounting on Quicken. I wasn't wild about it, mostly because it had way too many bells 'n' whistles. I needed something that would…
- Download my checking account data and credit card activity…
- Allow me to easily assign categories to each item…
- Allow me to print out annual reports of each expenditure grouped (and totalled) by each category…
…and that's all. I don't need to track investments or compute interest on a mortgage or budget how much I'll spend on tuna fish over the next fiscal year or manage a pension plan or track the exchange rate of the Norwegian Kroner or anything of the sort. All that stuff gets in the way.
The then-current Quicken (this was long ago) just did too many things for me. When I got an offer to buy Microsoft Money for a pittance, I decided to switch…and it was a little better. It still did way too much I didn't need and seemed unduly clunky for the functions I did need but I liked it more than Quicken…and they were, at the time, about the only two options.
Over the last decade or so, Microsoft Money has added features. I believe the last version can cook an omelet and backwash your Water-Pik. But it's still terribly awkward for what I need…and I'm obviously not the only person unhappy with it. Microsoft has discontinued the program.
So I'm looking around for software that can do the 1-2-3 functions above. I fear Quicken has only gotten more complicated. The other ones I've looked at sure seem to be. I found a program called AceMoney that seemed to be what I wanted but after fiddling with the trial version, I discovered it wouldn't download from some banks — mine, among them — and didn't have a format for the kind of report I wanted, nor will it let you design your own. I also tried GnuCash and Household Accounting and didn't like 'em.
Anyone out there got a suggestion?