1. Mint
I used to organize my budget in an excel spreadsheet that I neglected on a regular basis. Nowadays its hard to have the time to sit down and manually enter every financial transaction, especially when your income is irregular like people who work on a part time or tip-based basis. Mint links to your bank account and automatically fills out your budget based on what you buy on your card. You can set savings goals and track other things as well, such as your insurance, student loans, or investments.
2. Qapital
Qapital takes Mint one step further. Qapital links to your bank account like mint, the difference being that you actually set "Rules" that automatically draft money out of your account and into an FDIC insured savings account. The most common way to save is to round up your purchases to the nearest dollar, or set it so that a certain amount is pulled out of your account each month. All of these transactions are kept in a user-friendly fashion, and Qapital will not take withdrawals from your bank account if it puts you below $100, ensuring that you don't overdraft.
3. Ting
I will start this off by saying Ting isn't for everyone, but everyone should check it out. Ting is a post-paid plan where you only pay for what you use. I used to have a Verizon plan where I payed roughly $69 for data and minutes I simply wasn't using. I switched to Ting and have been saving ever since. If you use a lot of data this provider might not be for you, but if you're a minimalist that's paying a lot for stuff you're not using ting is exactly what you need. Go to there website and check out the savings calculator to see if you can save.
Honorable Mentions
The Simple Dollar
The simple dollar is a website that has troves and archives full of financial advice. A little less practical than some of the other tools mentioned, but this is where you should go if you're wondering which credit card would be best for you or for strategies on how to pay off/consolidate your loans in a way that works for you.
Good and Cheap: Eat on $4 a day
I bought this book on impulse when I was window shopping at Barnes & Noble, and I can honestly say that it is one of the best purchases I have ever made. Lots of awesome tasting recipes that can be made on the cheap. The book will pay for itself in a matter of a week.
