Applying for a leisure loan for a new boat, caravan, camper trailer, Jet Ski, motorhome or RV is an exciting time, because at last, you can achieve your dreams. Whether you want to spend your time camping, fishing, boating, zooming around on the water or travelling around Australia, a leisure loan can make it happen for you – far sooner than you might think.

After all, trying to save for the cost of these purchases, whilst still paying rent or a mortgage and paying all your other bills, can be just about impossible. This is why a leisure loan is so popular with Australians, because it gives them what they need right now with plenty of time to make the repayments.

Keep an eye on your budget

Even with a leisure loan, you still need to keep an eye on your budget, so that you don’t get behind in your repayments and you still have enough money to pay for your living expenses and entertainment. Budgeting, however, can be a pain and can be quite difficult for many Australians, which is why the budgeting apps that are now available on the market can be so useful. Let’s take a look at some of these personal financial apps, so you can decide whether or not they can help you to pay off your leisure loan in comfort.

Mvelopes: Based on the old time-tested strategy of putting your money into different envelopes to help you budget, mvelopes helps you to stay on top of your spending, break down your budget and track your expenses. Available on Google Play or iTunes, starting at $4/month.

Pennies: Available from iTunes for iOS devices and selling for $5.99/month, this app helps you to keep track of your spending, notifies you of upcoming bills and saves you money at the same time. The Pennies app makes it easy to see if you are sticking to your budget or whether you are racing through your month’s budget too quickly.

Mint: Allowing you to sync all your financial accounts in one platform, Mint helps you to create a budget, track your spending, set goals and even helps you to find better deals on your credit cards. It’s available on iTunes for iOS devices and is free.

YNAB: ‘You Need a Budget’ is another financial budgeting app that can be downloaded from the iTunes Apple Store for $5/month. The award winning YNAB app organises your finances so that you stop living from week to week, and helping you to save for a rainy day and get out of debt. Available on iTunes and Google Play.

Dollarbird: This personal finance app is very handy for people who don’t have a regular income, for example, freelancers, sole traders and casual employees. The Dollarbird app lets you identify patterns in your spending and ranks your incoming bills by priority, helping you to stay on top of your finances. The free basic package is available from Google Play and you can upgrade for less than $4/month if you want to include collaborative options for partners or families.

Pocketbook: The free Pocketbook app helps you to track your daily spending, budget your money and save for a rainy day. Purchases are automatically stored in categories, showing you exactly where you spend your money and it’s available on iTunes and Google Play.

Good Budget: Available on both Google Play and iTunes, this is another app that uses the envelope method of managing your budget. It helps you to track your expenses, live within your budget and seamlessly sync your spending with multiple devices. You can start with the free app and move up to the $6/month subscription for additional features.

For competitive rates on leisure loans, call National Finance Solutions on 1300 13 50 50 or get an online quote today.