<prompt> Human: I am trying to stay within a budget that I think is reasonable for where I am at in life but it sure ist easy and I find that I sometimes go over what I allot myself for the pay period. I get paid every 2 weeks and after I take out money for all of my loans and bills about 61 of my take home pay, I am aggressively paying back my student loans, 7 of my money to a long term savings account, 2 of my money to an emergency fund I have recently reached the amount I am comfortable with in this fund and am just continuing to contribute a small portion to it to slowly make it more substantial, and 3 of my money away to a discretionary savings fund, I am left with 28 of my pay about 800 a month to cover food, gas, clothes, and entertainment. I am aware that I spend more than I should on items such as food, going out to eat, and clothes. I need to keep my spending under control and want to get some ideas on how you keep track of your expenses and stick to your budget. I tried writing it down in a checkbook ledger but I always fail to keep up with it and was wondering if anyone has any easier suggestions? Smartphone app perhaps? Something that will make more aware of what my balance is before and after I make a purchase so hopefully i will be prompted to spend my money more wisely.  <response>: Another vote for mint.com 