Oct. 26--They're the first words out of every financial planner's mouth: Create a budget and stick to it. That can be much easier said than done.

But if you want the help, there is more out there now than ever before. Web-based budgeting tools have come a long way from the bare bones spreadsheets of old. Visually stunning and full of digital tricks, today's financial software is no more difficult than and just as entertaining as a game of Bejeweled or Mafia Wars. Yet at the end of it all you'll actually have spent your time on something productive. And maybe you'll find a way to amass genuine riches rather than racking up points that are good only in the virtual world.

Best of all, several online budgeting programs are free. We tried a few, and this is what we found:

Mint.com

Mint.com is the darling of free online budgeting software. It has been selected as one of the top budgeting sites by Money magazine, Kiplinger's and PC magazine.

Mint has relationships with thousands of financial institutions, allowing you to link and sync your bank, credit, loan and investment accounts in order to track them all easily and in one place. Mint.com also sorts the information from each and analyzes it in a number of different ways.

For example, Mint gathers all banking transactions and automatically classifies purchases and bill payments under categories and subcategories. The purchase of a $12 print from Kirklands automatically was labeled "home improvement," but misfiled categories are easy to correct (such as a visit to the Royal restaurant, which somehow got tallied under "financial"). The program also uses account information to total your debt (such as student loans and credit card balances), calculates your net worth by compiling the amounts of your assets, and keeps a running total of the cash you have available.

Mint uses nifty pie charts and bar graphs to give a visual picture of where your money goes. You can tag categories to keep a closer eye on certain transactions, click on pie chart categories to get a more detailed breakdown of subcategories and compare your spending habits over time. Clicking on the category "Food and Dining" breaks down into the more specific subcategories of Restaurants, Fast Food, Coffee Shops, Groceries, and Bars and Alcohol. Fun features include comparisons of how your spending contrasts with that of the average consumer in your area.

The site's inviting, user-friendly display makes navigation a breeze. Text message and e-mail alerts can be set to remind you when bills are due or when bank balances are getting low. A budgeting tool helps set spending limits and lets you know how closely you are sticking to the plan.

One caveat: The "Ways to Save" tab should be looked at as a paid advertisement rather than as genuine financial advice.