This evening I decided to sign up for a Mint account. We've been meaning to create a budget...a real budget for quite a while. It's not that we've never had a budget for ourselves, there have been many nights sitting in front of an Excel spreadsheet tracking our expenses, and vowing to do this or that.
There was even that one time we set up Microsoft Money; but that was back when Vince owned a PC that ran Vista.
So tonight I did it. And much to my suprise, it was really fun! Mint has a great user-friendly interface that makes you want to track your expenses. You can compare your expenses in each category to the United States average, there are tips on saving money, and there is even a neat little bar in the upper right corner that shows how minty you are. Minty-ness is based upon the completion of different steps that help you determine an comprehensive budget.
Overall, I give Mint a 4.5 star rating. There are a few improvements that could be made in how users search the forums, but all in all it's a breath of fresh air compared to Microsoft Money and Excel.
And best of all? It's free.