Start a budget with Fudget

Elizabeth Heglar | Lifestyles Editor

Whether you are a freshman or a senior headed straight for graduation, money is a part of your life. App developers know this, so it is no wonder that there are hundreds of budgeting apps to be found in the iPhone app store. Many require you to link your bank account or credit card to the app, which is what makes Fudget stand out from the rest.

Fudget, currently free in the App Store, is available for both the iPhone and iPad running iOS 8 or later. The app itself is built for simplicity. Streamlined to focus on taking the complications out of money management, this app is not overloaded with features or ads.

For those who are old-fashioned, or perhaps just sensible, and do not like putting their credit card or bank information into an app they have never used before, do not fret. This is one of very few budget apps that allows you to utilize its features without having to offer up any of this sensitive information.

After downloading the app to your mobile device you begin by opening it. There is no registration necessary, and unlike other money management apps, Fudget does not require any credit card information to set up. You start off by creating an individual “fudget” (budget). You can make an infinite amount of budgets, which allows users to create budgets on a yearly, monthly, or even weekly basis. Budgets can also be individually titled to make organization easy.

There are no pre-set expenses or expense categories, which means that the way you set up your budget is entirely up to you. This allows the apps users the freedom to organize their finances however they’d like, in categorized budgets or all in one.

This is where Fudget shines the most, in allowing you to be creative with how you track your money. Making the most of the app is different for each user.

“I personally like to use it to keep track of how much I’m spending on groceries, so I have a separate budget for that… I also have a general budget, which includes everything from rent to gas to weekend outings,” said UNC Wilmington junior Evan Schiappa.

While some users may prefer a complicated design with lots of features, the app’s simplistic design makes it so user friendly it is enjoyable to use. Although it does not have many extra features aside from ‘income,’ ‘outcome,’ and ‘add budget,’ it does include a chart option. This gives a visual breakdown of the money involved with whichever budget you are viewing, making it visually clear what you spend the most on.

Fudget helps to take the stress out of managing your money. It will not yell at you when you spend too much money on dinner with friends, which means it forces you to hold yourself accountable. Essentially, this is for college students trying to get a jump on that whole ‘adulting’ train.  

This app is great for young adults who want to start figuring out what it means to budget their personal finances on their own, as well as organized adults who prefer a nonchalant form of self-budgeting. Reviews of the app are phenomenal in the app store.

“I’ve downloaded several budgeting apps before, but Fudget is the best budgeting app I’ve tried, and the only one I’ve kept… It is simple and does everything I need and want it to do,” says app user CyR3 in the iPhone stores review section for the app.

User CyR3 gives it a full five stars along with most other reviewers. The app has been given an overall rating of +4. To download this free app, go to the app store on your mobile Apple device and begin your first ‘Fudget.’