Toshl Budget Management App Discount From Dotted Music

TToshl, the expense tracker, is the latest bit of tech innovation to rouse the offices here at Dotted Music. Armed with a pro account and my usual monthly budget of…

That’s a bit personal, readers!

But that gets me to the first point of this review. I was initially wary of an app for budget management. You know the drill. Smartphone users the world over download an app. Said users enter private information. The app syncs with all your devices (and the rest of the internet) before its servers are hacked and the users’ confidential history of spending in strip joints and sex shops is scorned worldwide.

Toshl

Fortunately, I don’t feel the need to take preemptive action by divulging my monthly budget. Toshl guarantees its encryption. I’m normally less than trusting, but Toshl seems to be the real deal.

So, how does it work? Well, as an owner of the pro account, I’m able to manage multiple budgets. You know, budgets for food, clothes and, if you’re in a band, alcohol; and lots of it. Toshl allows you to list expenses, showing you your remaining budget after the regrettable purchase of that Gibson Flying V that just doesn’t work for your mellow, acoustic set. Never mind, at least you can tag the expense as ‘extortionate waste of money’ and move on.

The pro account includes graphical analysis and cloud storage, not to mention a multiple budget function. Toshl know there’s bound to be some humour about tagging ‘adult toys’, so they do just that on the demo available on their website. In any case, ‘adult toys’ needn’t be high on your list of priorities if you’re touring the country. Your tags will most likely consist of gas, beer, cheap meals, and adult toys, in that order.

Toshl is undoubtedly usable, but it manages to exceed expectations time and time again. I’m more than happy to say that it is the touring band’s dream. If you’re crossing borders, using different currencies and unable to keep a lid on it, you can enter costs in the local currency. Toshl will track the exchange rates for you, meaning that your band needn’t rely on the obnoxious drummer’s next mathematical disaster to keep you in the black. If you do so happen to be in the black at the end of the month, Toshl will tell you what you have saved; convenience isn’t too much for this app.

One suggestion, however, is for Toshl to develop a greater emphasis on savings. I’d like to see any savings made at the end of the month automatically allocated to a savings fund. As it stands, it’s positive to know the percentage of my budget remaining (or not remaining) at the end of the month, but a collated savings might serve better.

Using Toshl aids me in making sure the money I spend is spent well. What used to be a very tight end of the month is now an anxiety forgotten. I’d like to keep it that way.

Dotted Music.com has teamed up with Toshl to offer 15 of our readers a 50% discount on Toshl Pro. The code is DottedMusic; be quick or be poor!

I use Toshl with a Blackberry. What will you use?

Samuel Agini is the Editor of Andrew Apanov’s Dotted Music.