I use a combination of things. But I like to call myself a budget queen. If there is anything in the world I do well, it is manage money.
I don't use Excel because I find it way too daunting to deal with and look at and think about. I have tried many times and IMO a budget needs to be clear and precise and easy to read. I open Excel go "**** this" and buy McDonalds. Sooo....LOL
Mint.com - Extremely easy to use and links all of your bank accounts in one spot. Website, app, widget. You can put it ANYWHERE so there is never an excuse for not knowing about the budget or forgetting something. You can set up all sorts of Goals and Budgets, set your Monthly Income, account for regular expenses and rare expenses...it is wonderful. It shows you EVERYTHING EVER. It also gives you a lot of tips, tricks, and advice. Occasionally it will also throw in some nice stuff too, like bank deals or where you might be able to buy things cheaper online to better support your hobbies or regular frivolous spending. For example, I buy a lot of wine. It gave me a $100 giftcard to buy wine from an online wine retailer that supports micro-wineries. Pretty cool.
Calendar - I prefer a whiteboard because I can keep it looking cleaner, but use whatever. Write down when bills are due, when you get paid. If you can, try to rearrange your bills so that you either have them all done and out of the way one or two times a month or keep them evenly spaced out so you're never running too low on money. Also things are staring me in the face 100% of the time. It is the biggest help to me.
General Budget advice.....
Snowball - Focus any extra money on debt, not savings. I know it is hard knowing you don't have ANY money at all, but savings don't account for much if you're paying off credit cards and loans one slow year at a time. Pile all extra money on one thing, then when it is paid off, take all of that money and put it on something else. Your budget stays the same, but you're taking care of your debts much quicker.
David Ramsey - He is sort of a genius. Find his books if you can.
Micro-transactions - Your Starbucks Coffee, a vending machine, grabbing lunch out, etc. All of that. Put it all in one place, be it cash or a single credit card. Micro-transactions can be your biggest enemy, because you never think about them or notice them. $5 Starbucks 5 days a week adds up to around $100 a month that gets lost between bills and gas and groceries.