GoGirl Budget Book: In-Depth Review

Of all the five budget planners I’ve reviewed in parallel, the GoGirl Budget Book has the smallest number of reviews. This is probably to some extent because it targets a much smaller audience, namely women. The small number of reviews can be both good and bad, and we’ll explore that in a moment, but there’s something essential setting it miles apart from its competitors: its ease of use. But first, here are the pros and cons:

Pros:

• Intuitive Use: The GoGirl Budget Book is highly praised for its ease of use, making it an excellent choice for beginners in budget planning. Its user-friendly design stands out among competitors.
• Quality: It offers decent quality and sturdiness, making it durable enough for regular use, though not the most resistant compared to others.
• Size: Its small A5 makes it convenient for carrying around and practical for daily use without causing much surprise or disappointment among its users.
• Aesthetics: The planner is visually appealing, available in 8 different colors, providing a good range of options for personal preference.
• Additional Features: It includes helpful extras like a hardcover, instructions, stickers, three bookmarks, and various thematic pages.

Cons:

• Limited Audience: The GoGirl Budget Book targets a narrower audience (primarily women), which might limit its appeal to a broader demographic.
• Fewer Reviews: With significantly fewer reviews than its competitors, it’s harder to understand its strengths and weaknesses fully.
• Limited Space: Due to its small size, it might not be suitable for those with extensive financial details to manage, such as multiple debts, expenses, or business-related finances.
• Potential Vision Issues: The small writing space might be challenging for individuals with vision problems.
• Durability: While decent, it’s not the most durable option compared to others like the Boxclever Press Budget Planner, which might be a better choice for those needing a more robust planner.

The GoGirl Budget Book is by far the most intuitive budget planner out of the most popular ones I’ve reviewed so far, and that’s not just my perspective, which can be subjective. The number of people praising how easy it is to use is impressive, and that contrasts with the fact that almost nobody praises the other budget planners regarding intuitiveness. The other ones have negative reviews concerning their intuitiveness. For instance, many people complain about the Clever Fox  Budget Planner. The Legend Budget Planner Deluxe doesn’t look too good either when it comes to intuitiveness. The Mead Organizer Expense Tracker is the second most intuitive planner. If I were to sort them out based on most people’s opinions regarding their intuitiveness, it would look like this:

Users’ Perception of Intuitiveness

More specifically, what does it mean that it’s intuitive? 

It means that, in practice, many more people find it easier to use thanks to how the information is structured. Everyone has their way of doing things, and the GoGirl Budget Book is a better fit for a wider audience. Should we also consider that most people using it are probably women? I’m not sure, but I wanted to mention this as well. Being so intuitive, it is the main budget planner I recommend to beginners.

It doesn’t really have negative reviews – why, and what does this mean?

Now, because it has a lot fewer reviews when compared to the other popular budget planners –  about 800 compared to Clever Fox’s 22,000 reviews or Legend Budget Planner Deluxe’s 3,200 reviews – it is a lot harder to identify and clarify its major problems. The number of people complaining about it is a lot smaller. This can be a positive thing but also a negative one. The fact that not as many people complain could be because not as many people have bought it. We can’t draw a clear conclusion, but we have to consider that this budget planner hasn’t been talked about as much, either in a positive or negative light. However, let’s see, what are the major issues people are complaining about when it comes to the GoGirl Budget Book?

It has decent quality and is pretty sturdy. It’s not the most resistant to wear and tear out of the five budget planners I’ve reviewed in parallel, but it’s not bad, either. If you plan to use your budget planner very often and need it to be sturdy, the Boxclever Press Budget Planner might be a better fit for you. Many more people praised its durability and sturdiness, but it has other cons, such as being too big and bulky. The GoGirl Budget Book is in the middle in terms of durability, but it is not among the flimsiest. Take a look at the table below if quality and material constitute key decision-making factors for you:

Users’ Perception of Sturdiness

It’s small. It’s exactly as big as the Clever Fox  Budget Planner, but if we compare reviews for both, in the case of Clever Fox, there are many more size-related complaints, which was very surprising for me. While the GoGirl Budget Book has the same A5 size mentioned in the product title, confusing many Clever Fox buyers, it doesn’t produce nearly as many negative reviews. This could be because most of the GoGirl Budget Book audience is probably female, and they are probably more attentive to details and dimensions, so they are not surprised when they get the planner. I couldn’t find any other reasonable explanation.

However, it is essential to consider the size implications and, more specifically, the available space to jot down information is minimal. Because of this, you might run into problems:

• If you have too much debt
• If you have too many expenses
• If you want to manage the finances of several people, for example, the whole family
• If you want to manage business-related stuff. Example: wedding planner, renovations, events
• If you have vision problems due to the small writing

On the other hand, you will also have advantages:

• If you want to carry it with you at all times
• It’s much more practical to handle than a bulky one

However, the size hasn’t been a significant issue in the hundreds of reviews I reviewed, so it might not be an issue for you.

It’s beautiful. Check this video for first impressions. All the popular budget planners reviewed recently look good in their way. This one comes in 8 different colors. Of the five budget planners I’ve reviewed recently, only the Legend Budget Planner Deluxe and the Clever Fox  Budget Planner come in more color variations. This means you have a wide variety of colors to choose from. However, it’s hard to say that one looks better than the other. The most helpful advice here is to take a look for yourself. I checked YouTube for videos presenting it in detail and reviewing all the features, and the video above was the best, created by the channel “Life’s Organized Chaos,” which has more content on this topic. If you’re interested in this type of content, consider subscribing!

GoGirl Budget Book Features:

The most important features are: it’s hardcover, small, and it comes with instructions, a stickers page, three bookmarks, each in a different color, and many thematic pages that I won’t list here because it’s a lot more tedious to read. Look at the video below to see them and get a better view of how it looks and how useful it would be for you.

 

 

Comparison with Budget Planning Apps

In the realm of budget planning, traditional planners like the GoGirl Budget Book offer a tangible approach, but how do they stack up against modern budgeting apps? For instance, a Rocket Money review reveals a positive experience with this budgeting app, highlighting its efficiency in tracking expenses and savings. Similarly, the Acorns investing app review points to its innovative approach to micro-investing, allowing users to grow their savings effortlessly.

While the GoGirl Budget Book excels in intuitiveness and user-friendliness, especially for beginners, budgeting apps like Rocket Money and Acorns bring different advantages. These apps offer real-time tracking, automated savings, and investment options, making them a dynamic choice for tech-savvy users. However, the tactile and personalized experience of a physical planner like the GoGirl Budget Book still appeals to those who prefer a hands-on method of managing their finances.

While budgeting apps offer modern solutions with features like automated savings and investment tools, traditional budget planners remain relevant for their simplicity and tangible user experience. The choice between the two depends on individual preferences and comfort with digital tools.

Conclusion:

The GoGirl Budget Book is the easiest-to-use budget planner if we look at the hundreds of reviewers praising it. In addition, it is one of the budget planners with the least negative reviews. It’s beautiful, sturdy enough, and very small. It is the perfect budget planner for beginners. It also has a “no-hassle refund” policy that you can use to send back quickly if you find it’s not a good match for you.