this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
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Hi everyone,

I'm currently on the lookout for a self-hosted budgeting tool that utilizes the envelope method, similar to what YNAB offers. I've been using Firefly III for a while, and it's great, but I'm seeking something that brings the budgeting aspect more to the forefront, rather than something I refer to in hindsight.

Ideally, I'd like a tool that allows for proactive budget management, where I can allocate funds to specific categories or 'envelopes' ahead of time. This way, I can track my expenses against my budget as they happen, rather than just reviewing them after the fact.

Additionally, having an iOS app for easy access and management on the go would be a huge plus.

Does anyone have recommendations for tools that fit this description? Any suggestions or insights from personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

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[โ€“] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 17 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Last time I saw this question, someone else recommended Actual Budget. I haven't used this myself (still using YNAB4), but I'm planning to switch to it in the future. It currently only imports from YNAB4, but they have an open API so it might import from other apps in the future.

[โ€“] ahal@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Yes I switched from YNAB to Actual Budget and this is the closest thing to what OP is looking for.

That said the interface isn't as polished, there are no bank imports outside Europe, mobile apps are discontinued and reports are sorely lacking.

But if those aren't deal breakers it has all the same core features and has been pretty solid for me.

[โ€“] Schmoo@slrpnk.net 2 points 11 months ago

I've recently started using this, running it in a docker container on my media server. It's fairly simplistic but that's exactly what I was looking for.

[โ€“] bolapara@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

Not sure if you're into command line tools but I'm using hledger and have emulated pretty well the YNAB envelope method and I'm liking it quite a bit. Using plain text for transaction journals is amazing and has solved some of the ambiguity I felt when using YNAB. Tons of information here for this type of accounting method. And look here specifically for implementing the envelope method with these sorts of tools.

No phone apps are available as far as I know but depending on your technical expertise you could provide reports from a webpage pretty easily.

[โ€“] miracleorange@beehaw.org 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not self-hosted (not online at all, actually) and the apps are in early stages (read-only afaik), but I'd recommend Buckets. I've done the same search as you, and nothing has even come close to it. The license is a tad expensive, but it's from the WinRAR school of licensing where it doesn't disable anything. It just nags you until you buy it. It syncs with SimpleFIN and everything is in a single file, so I just have it in a Syncthing folder to keep it updated between everywhere (though it does have a built in sync function).

[โ€“] Chozo@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I couldn't find any details on their page, but do you know how they handle bank account syncing? Is it using a backend service like Plaid or something similar to securely link the accounts, or do you have to provide your bank credentials to the app directly?

[โ€“] Kata1yst@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago

https://bridge.simplefin.org/ with this. It costs, but I spot checked some finicky banks, and they're supported, so I suspect the coverage is quite good.

[โ€“] Carsonian@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Not sure how similar to Ynab but firefly 3 looks good.

Also I was on a similar search recently and found plaintext accounting and that's all I use now. plaintextaccounting.org

[โ€“] paul@techy.news 3 points 11 months ago

Iโ€™m using firefly iii now and mentioned it in the post.

[โ€“] hahattpro@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Gnucash ? You can use it in any Ubuntu machine. No need to host it too

[โ€“] paul@techy.news 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I used to be a GNUCash user for 5+ years but I don't think it did budgeting very well either, let alone via the envelope method. Am I missing something there in the newest versions?

[โ€“] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

MoneyStats Pro is superior in my respectful view

[โ€“] NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 2 points 11 months ago

GNUcash is a great expense tracker and that's it. It is not a budgeting tool.

[โ€“] jbrains@sh.itjust.works 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What kinds of questions would your ideal system help you to answer?

[โ€“] Zeroxxx@lemmy.my.id 1 points 11 months ago

He said YNAB, so it is most likely his standard.

[โ€“] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

MoneyStats Pro

[โ€“] Smokeydope@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago

A notepad, calculator, and pen