#ynab

You Need a Budget is EXCELLENT. 10/10 do recommend. Uhhh rambling about it and my generic disclaimers + gushing extensively under the cut but TL;DR I think it's great for ADHD ppl, I've used it for 6+ months now and I find it super SUPER helpful. also weirdly fun.

Thanks babycakes!!! This is a great endorsement for all of us Mint refugees.

Do you guys want more content on budgeting? Traditionally we haven't been ANTI-budget, but we both use slightly different systems so we haven't written about them from personal experience. But if that's what our babies want, that's what our babies get!

Budgets Don’t Work for Everyone—Try the Spending Tracker System Instead 

Season 1, Episode 7: "I'm Terrible at Budgeting. Do I Suck It Up---Or Is There Another Way?" 

So I've been using YNAB for about a week or two now and it is the best.

I thought checking my budget before making purchases would make my financial anxiety worse, but it is the actually the opposite.

I actually feel in control of my finances for the first time in...a while. When I check my budget, I can see whether or not I have money for the thing in front of me. If that category is empty, I can see how the rest of my dollars are assigned and decide if the thing in front of me is more important than some of my other priorities.

Instead of trying to calculate my upcoming bills vs my bank balance, I can just look at my budget and see 'yes' or 'no.' And if it is a 'yes,' I can spend that money without fear or guilt.

Instead of always looking backward and wondering where my money went, I can look ahead and see how my future bills are taken care of. It is a very good feeling.

The system does require though that you use.

Before you buy something, glance at your budget. If the relevant category (e.g., dining out, fun money, books, rideshares, etc) doesn't have funds, decide then where you'll pull the extra money from.

Each time you make a purchase, log the transaction. When YNAB imports the transaction from your bank, the app will match the two so you're not stuck with doubles. This is important because it ensures that your numbers are always accurate and you don't accidentally spend the same $10 twice.

The other task is reconciling. You should do this at least once a week, but, honestly, I do it every time I wake up in the morning and it is a good feeling. Basically you just log into your bank and compare your bank account ledger to your YNAB account ledger and make sure they match. Then you compare cleared balance (the balance NOT including transactions that are still processing) to the cleared balance in YNAB. If they match, you're golden. This is annoying the first time you do it, but after that? It takes me 3-5 minutes in the morning max.

Oh, and you have to set your budget up in the first place. That will take some work. I printed out a month of transactions from my bank and figured out how I had been spending money. I also identified all of my monthly charges and when they hit my bank account. Then I used that information to set up my budget.

...and promptly realized that my category spending limits and goals were too generous and so started thinking about how I could adjust my spending habits, without going cold turkey on anything.

One thing I did was separate my Lyft spending into two categories: transport to/from church and random rides. I cannot lower the costs of the first Lyft category, but I can commit to taking public transport more than I had been--especially with summer coming. I'll have to reassess when the weather turns again.

But I also love it because I am certain I am setting aside enough money for the things I care about. And, since that money is tucked away into its own category, I don't accidentally spend it. Way too often I'd just look at my account balance and utterly forget I needed, say, $50 for a Mother's Day gift. Then Mother's Day is a week away and I have no money to buy a gift. Not this year!

Meanwhile, I am already saving money to get a new laptop next year--something I've been planning on buying. Of course, I'd planned on just doing a payment plan. It is going to feel so good to be able to buy my preferred laptop out of pocket.

Christmas always puts me in a tailspin, but now I am already saving money. And it is there in my budget and the only way I use those dollars is if something else comes up that is more important to me than being able to buy presents.

And that's something else I love. I'm not comparing the purchase in front of me with some nebulous 'other' I could spend the money on. I'm comparing ordering in because I don't feel like cooking with the weaving class I'm super excited about.

When weaving is on the line, I realize I have enough energy to drop some frozen fake chicken nuggets and tater tots on a tray to bake.

Anyway. This app is so far fantastic and also? I'm making a plan for getting out of debt because that feels possible now.

My life has improved drastically since switching to research time so in the last few weeks I’ve strapped on my big boy pants and starting figuring out a budget. I’ve been using the YNAB app... and I like it. Since starting, I definitely feel a whole lot less anxiety about being able to make rent and other scheduled payments than usual. There has been a whole lot less spontaneous Amazon binges. Ive slimmed down my subscription services. I’ve got more in my savings account now than in a long time. I feel way more in control. I like it. Pretty sure I’ll be forking over the $84 for a year’s subscription.