A few weeks ago, I wrote about GnuCash being available on Windows which now means the open source accounting product is available for the vast majority of computer users. I then followed up this a with a guide on how to get started using it for your small business, but what about if you just want to manage your checkbook?

If ‘merely’ managing your checkbook is all you need to do and are a bit confused on how to handle this using a double entry product, then take a look at this article on Linux.com called “Using GnuCash 2.0 to balance your checkbook“. In the article, the author walks you through the entire process of getting started with GnuCash. Everything from creating new accounts to entering paychecks and bills is covered.

One thing to bear in mind is GnuCash is an open source product and while it is comparable to Quicken, it does not have as many of the conveniences. Recently, I have switched to GnuCash from Quicken (I’m not going into the reasons) and found that there really isn’t too much of a drop off. Granted, I am probably not a power user of Quicken, but it is definitely something to consider before/if switching.