SAN ANTONIO – If you're looking to get your financial house in order, there's an app for that.
Mike and Melanie Barker not only run three Rudy's Country Store barbecue restaurants, they have the household budget to juggle too.
More than a year ago, they traded paper and pencil for digital app to manage their personal budget. They use EveryDollar, the app from financial guru Dave Ramsey.
"This just made it so much easier," Mike Barker said.
Basically, they can assign every dollar they earn to a category and purpose, from gifts to groceries. The app helps them track their spending as well as their saving toward specific goals. It's even linked to their bank debit cards, making those records automatic and eliminating the need to save all receipts or remember what they spent.
They say the result is in their wallets. They say they just have more available money.
"Yes, because you allocate every dollar to something," said Melanie Barker. "Because if you don't, you spend it on, you don't know."
The more money they had, the sloppier they tended to be, according to Mike.
"We probably live on less today than we have in many parts of our life just by tracking it and being intentional," he said.
In the app stores, there are hundreds of personal finance tools at consumers' fingertips. Some are basic while others are much more sophisticated, including investments and financial advice.
Mint and Mvelopes are among the popular free budget apps.
The basic version of EveryDollar is also free. The plus version, which includes linking to accounts, runs $99 a year.
"I think they can be a good tool," Kent Copeland, Ameriprise financial adviser, said.
When it comes to managing money, he says budgeting key and should not be considered punishment.
"I prefer to think of it as knowing where your money is going," Copeland said. "Am I spending the money the way I want to spend it?"
The Barkers say using the app has paid off.
"It's helped us be more deliberate in setting aside money that we can give," Mike Barker said.
Copeland advises consumers do their homework and use only reputable apps that are secure. Many banks offer budgeting tools on their mobile apps for free as well.