Minty Fresh

I can't help but tell you about Mint.com. Honestly, I tried restraining myself for a little while (like fifty seconds), but then I had to start a blog post about this exciting new service. No, I'm not getting paid or even prompted to say this. Well I guess I was prompted, in a way...

Prompt: Scott and I have been using Quicken Online for about a year now. In fact, it was just after we had organized our 2008 tax return on TurboTax online that Intuit (parent company) showed us an advertisement for the free financing/budgeting tool online. It's completely protected and keeps your information safe. That January our apartment was broken into, and the budget we had been keeping on my beautiful mac *tear* on an excel spreadsheet was gone. After a few months of trying to recreate with dismal effects, Quicken Online proved to be a perfect solution to our budget-less life. We have really enjoyed the tracking functions and ability to access anywhere via internet and even recommended this tool to friends.

Well in late 2009, Intuit announced the purchase of Mint.com. They have since planned to take the best parts of Quicken Online and merge with the freshness of Mint and then transfer long-time member history for a smooth transition.

Since I will shortly need to move myself and financial tools to Mint.com, I took a tour and was impressed with their list of features: the great tools of Quicken online plus debt reduction ideas, the ability to break up a Costco bill (or any other for that matter) by food/clothing/or office supplies for those of us who need to be that specific, suggestions for savings, and even an iPhone app. All for the great price of FREE!

We haven't been kicked out of Quicken yet and welcomed into Mint, but I am excited and mentally ready. If you are still living in the dark ages of pen and ledger or have no idea how much money you are spending on fast food or why your credit is bad, you need to move yourself over the Mint.com and take advantage.