Zero-based budgeting with Quicken



For years my wife and I had to make due with trying to make Quicken work using a zero-based budget. While Quicken simply isn’t made for zero-based budgeting, we did find a cool hack that lets us keep track of our money in a way very similar to a zero-based budget. It’s kind of like zero-based accounting.

Using this method combined with a zero-based budget spreadsheet, we were able to get the control we needed. In the screencast below, my wife Emily takes you through an overview of this hack and how it works.

For those ready to create their working budget, you need to watch this video first before you read about how to create your first working budget using Quicken and Excel


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Posted in 12 Weeks to Fiscal Fitness, Budgeting | 1 Comment »

One Comment to “Zero-based budgeting with Quicken”

  1. Amber Says:

    Interesting. I may try this when I have time to set it up. I do something similar but different. I make future payments for the date of when the bill is due for the item I am paying. When I actually pay it I change the date to the date I actually pay it (which is usually when I receive the bill vs when it is due).

    Anything that I have as just money set aside for the potential to spend in that area (my spending money allowance for example) I set the date way in the future and just subtract from it as I spend it until it’s gone.

    I use the after everything is accounted for amount as my what’s in my account amount.

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