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Methods for tracking customer spending: the methods may comprise receiving from the customer a first threshold amount and a period length; receiving a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a first period; and alerting the customer if the sum of the amounts of

Methods for tracking customer spending: the methods may comprise receiving from the customer a first threshold amount and a period length; receiving a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a first period; and alerting the customer if the sum of the amounts of debit transactions during the first period exceeds the first threshold amount. The methods may also comprise receiving a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a second period; and alerting the customer if the sum of the amounts of debit transactions during the second period exceeds a second threshold amount.

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1. A computer-implemented method for tracking customer spending, the method comprising: receiving by a computer device a first threshold amount and a period length from the customer, wherein the computer device comprises a processor and operatively associated memory;receiving by the computer device

1. A computer-implemented method for tracking customer spending, the method comprising: receiving by a computer device a first threshold amount and a period length from the customer, wherein the computer device comprises a processor and operatively associated memory;receiving by the computer device an electronic transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a first period, wherein a length of the first period is equal to the period length, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction;when a sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use;receiving by the computer device a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a second period, wherein the second period begins at a conclusion of the first period, and wherein a length of the second period is equal to the period length; andwhen a sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the second period reaches a second threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the second period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second threshold amount is equal to the first threshold amount. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the second threshold amount from the customer. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the sum of the amounts of debit transactions during the first period. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification to the customer upon receiving each transaction indication, wherein the notification comprises an indication of an amount of the debit transaction and a balance of the financial account considering the amount to be deducted from the financial account of the customer. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving from the customer a third threshold amount, wherein the third threshold amount is higher than the first threshold amount; andwhen the sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period reaches the third threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period, and an indication of the third threshold amount. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic alert sent when the sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period reaches the third threshold comprises an indication that the first threshold amount has already been exceeded during the first period. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising preventing a debit transaction if completing the debit transaction would cause the sum of the amounts of debit transactions during the first period to exceed the first threshold amount. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone; and a palmtop computer. 10. A system for tracking customer spending, the system comprising at least one processor and operatively associated electronic memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive from the customer a first threshold amount and a period length;receive an electronic transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a first period, wherein a length of the first period is equal to the period length, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction;when a sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, send an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use;receive a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a second period, wherein the second period begins at a conclusion of the first period, and wherein a length of the second period is equal to the period length; andwhen a sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the second period reaches a second threshold amount, send an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the second period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use. 11. A computer readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processor to: receive from the customer a first threshold amount and a period length;receive a electronic transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a first period, wherein a length of the first period is equal to the period length, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction;when a sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, send an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the first period, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use;receive a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a second period, wherein the second period begins at a conclusion of the first period, and wherein a length of the second period is equal to the period length; andwhen a sum of debit transactions made by the customer during the second period reaches a second threshold amount, send an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer during the second period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use. 12. A computer-implemented method for tracking customer spending, the method comprising: receiving by a computer device and from the customer a first threshold amount related to a first category of debit transactions, a second threshold amount related to a second category of debit transactions, and a first period, wherein the computer device comprises at least one processor and operatively associated electronic memory;receiving by the computer device a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during the first period, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction and a category of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction;when a sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the first category during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the first category made by the customer during the first period, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use; andwhen a sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the second category during the first period reaches the second threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the second category made by the customer during the first period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a notification to the customer upon receiving each transaction indication, wherein the notification comprises an indication of the amount to be deducted from the financial account of the customer and a balance of the financial account considering the amount to be deducted from the financial account of the customer. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the notification further comprises a category of the transaction. 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving from the customer a third threshold amount related to the first category of debit transactions, wherein the third threshold amount is higher than the first threshold amount; andwhen the sum of debit transactions in the first category made by the customer during the first period reaches the third threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the first category made by the customer during the first period, and an indication of the third threshold amount. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the electronic alert sent when the sum of debit transactions in the first category made by the customer during the first period reaches the third threshold comprises an indication that the first threshold amount has already been exceeded during the first period. 17. The method of claim 12, further comprising preventing a debit transaction in the first category if completing the debit transaction would cause the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the first category during the first period to exceed the first threshold amount. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the mobile device is selected from the group consisting of a mobile phone; and a palmtop computer. 19. The method of claim 12, further comprising: receiving from the customer a third threshold amount related to a third category of debit transactions; andwhen a sum of debit transactions in the third category made by the customer during the first period reaches the third threshold amount, sending, by the computer device, an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the third category made by the customer during the first period and an indication of the third threshold amount. 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the first category is selected from the group consisting of groceries, utilities, auto expenses, clothing and entertainment. 21. A system for tracking customer spending, the system comprising at least one processor and operatively associated electronic memory, wherein the memory comprises instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive from the customer a first threshold amount related to a first category of debit transactions, a second threshold amount related to a second category of debit transactions, and a first period;receive an electronic transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during the first period, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction and a category of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction; when a sum of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, send an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the first, an indication of the first threshold amount, an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use; andwhen the sum of debit transactions made by the customer in the second category during the first period reaches the second threshold amount, send an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the second category during the first period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use. 22. A computer readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive an electronic transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during the first period, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction and a category of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction;when a sum of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, send an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the first, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use; andwhen the sum of debit transactions made by the customer in the second category during the first period reaches the second threshold amount, send an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the second category during the first period, an indication of the second threshold amount, an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use. 23. A computer-implemented method for tracking customer spending, the method comprising: receiving with a computer device and from the customer a first threshold amount related to a first category of debit transactions, a second threshold amount related to a second category of debit transactions, and a period length, wherein the computer device comprises at least one processor and operatively associated electronic memory;receiving with the computer device an electronic transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a first period, wherein a length of the first period is equal to the period length, wherein a transaction indication comprises an amount of the debit transaction and a category of the debit transaction, and wherein the amount of the debit transaction is an amount deducted from a financial account of the customer as a result of the debit transaction;when a sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the first period reaches the first threshold amount, sending an electronic alert to a mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the first category made by the customer during the first period, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of a portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use;when a sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the second category during the first period exceeds the second threshold amount, sending an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the second category during the first period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use;receiving with the computer device a transaction indication for each debit transaction made by the customer during a second period, wherein the second period begins at a conclusion of the first period, and wherein a length of the second period is equal to the period length;when a sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the second period reaches the first threshold amount, sending an electronic alert to the mobile device associated with the customer, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions made by the customer in the first category during the second period, an indication of the first threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use; andwhen a sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the second category during the second period exceeds the second threshold amount, sending an electronic alert to the mobile device, wherein the electronic alert comprises an indication of the sum of the amounts of debit transactions in the second category during the second period, an indication of the second threshold amount, and an indication of the portion of the financial account that is not committed to another use.