After years of keeping messy records, tracking expenses has become a habit. However, while mechanically recording everything, I often find myself “correcting” the entries—adjusting balances whenever things don’t match up. Over time, traditional bookkeeping methods have lost their value for me, and the complex details slow everything down. Thriff, an app focused on budget management, is different from typical expense trackers. It places more emphasis on budget tracking and achieving savings goals. By setting monthly budgets, it helps you control spending more precisely and easily reach your saving and cutting-back targets.
When you first use Thriff, you'll need to create an account. Since the app also offers a web version, logging in with the same account lets you sync your data seamlessly. The app’s main features are divided into three sections via the menu: Budget Management, Debt Management, and Savings Goals. You can set up your budget based on past spending records and future plans. Simply click the plus sign on the main screen to add a budget category, then set the time range for your budget. After setting up a budget, you can allocate secondary budgets or directly record transactions.
It’s worth mentioning that Thriff’s process for setting up spending and budget categories could be more convenient. The categories are placed near the top of the main screen, making them easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. This may lead to adding categories on the fly later on. To avoid this, it’s recommended to set all categories at the start. Also, when adding expenses, category selection is again placed at the top of the screen, so it would be great if the design were optimized in the future to make the recording process smoother.
The debt tracking feature allows you to track both borrowed and lent amounts, and it’s quite intuitive. The savings goal feature is similar and can also be linked to specific budget targets, providing a clearer view of your financial status. Additionally, Thriff’s web version has a different design language compared to the local app. The web version allows for extra interface settings and theme customization. If you prefer managing finances on a computer, I recommend using the web version.
If you're looking for a simple and practical budgeting tool, give Thriff a try, or use it directly through this website.
