For many of us, cash often seems to vanish without a trace. With Money, you can come up with a good strategy for managing or minimizing your cash expenditures.

Go plastic

One of the best ways to track expenses is to avoid using cash whenever possible. These days, itÆs amazingly easy to get along without using much cash at all. A debit card tied to a checking account takes the money out of your account right away, just as if youÆd spent cash. And your statement records where the money went, meaning less work for you. If you pay off your bills every month, credit cards work too. Each month you receive a statement telling you exactly how you spent all that money.

Record cash receipts

But if you prefer to carry cash, Money can still help you track it. When you pay cash, keep the receipt and write a note on it describing the transaction, if necessary. Cash receipts can then be recorded in Money as ATM or cash withdrawals. Split the transaction and assign the amount of each receipt to the appropriate category. If you donÆt have receipts, estimate the amountsùthe only figure that really needs to be 100% accurate is the total amount of the withdrawal. File the receipt for each cash transaction you plan to claim on a tax form.