Not every personal-finance tool works for everyone, our partner blogger J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly pointed out here earlier today. Believe it or not, one of those tools you may not need is a budget -- yes, that detailed spending plan many PF bloggers beat into our skulls relentlessly.

Thursday Bram at Wealth Junkies provides two alternatives to the traditional track-every-penny budget. But if you don't yet have a grip on your spending, please don't use her post as an excuse to skip Budgeting 101.

Both of Thursday's alternatives focus on financial goals (aka saving):

The spending plan. In much less detail than a budget, you list your projected income, debt, fixed and not-so-fixed expenses, and large anticipated expenditures, like a new roof on the house. You'll see where your money needs to go. Thursday says, "You can create a spending plan for the next month, the next year or whatever length of time you find convenient."

The balanced money formula. With this plan, you allocate your income for various goals -- with no more than 50% covering basics like food and shelter, and no less than 20% going into your savings plans. A variation on this is the "60% solution" devised by MSN Money Editor-in-Chief Richard Jenkins.

Actually, many personal-finance bloggers started out using a budget until they whipped their finances into shape. For instance, Jim at our partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity employed a detailed budget to identify his "financial leaks."

Related articles:

A simpler way to save: The 60% solution

50 ways to trim your budget

Middle-class reality check: The ‘essential' indulgences