Jesse compares the pros and cons of the 15 year vs the 30 year home mortgage. While there are plenty of online calculators out there that will spell out the difference in interest costs and amortization between the two, Jesse argues that perhaps the math isn't the most important factor. It's how you feel about paying off the mortgage earlier.   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com  

International student of mystery Mackenzie is financially wise beyond her years... all thanks to YNAB and embracing the four rules while a young college student. Since discovering YNAB Mackenzie has traveled throughout Europe, and has come up with some unique strategies for managing her budget in a variety of currencies: the British pound, the euro, and US dollars. She's also learned some lessons about careful budgeting living in some of the most expensive cities in the world, like London.   The most important thing for college students, she says, is to just get started with YNAB. Try just tracking your expenses for a month, and get some data about your spending habits. Then you can get a realistic picture of what a college budget should look like. You're always going to spend more on food than you think, she says, so your budget should reflect that. Secondly, be prepared to roll with the punches and go with the flow. Things change a lot from freshman to senior year -- work/study opportunities open up, off-campus housing becomes available, you might want a car -- and you can expect your budget will too.  Learn to be OK with not having a perfect budget, and know that you will only get better at it over time.     College students can use YNAB for a year FOR FREE. You just need to provide proof of enrollment. Check the link below for more details: https://www.youneedabudget.com/college/  

Long-time YNAB team member Erin returns to the podcast to discuss strategies for managing your grocery budget. With prices on the rise, many people are tightening their budgets, and groceries are a common line item of concern. Erin offers tips for making grocery shopping simpler, avoiding unnecessary purchases, and making strategic "fun" food purchases (like frozen pizzas) for those days when you just don't feel like cooking.   As Erin reminds us, your family's grocery bill is personal! It's tempting to want to compare yourself to others, or to an average, but the best strategy is to start with where you are and find ways to adjust from there. Food is a very personal thing, and many factors play into the food choices people make (allergies/restrictions, location, busy lifestyle, food availability, etc), so keep your eyes on your own plate.   A few of Erin's favorite cooking and food-related YouTube channels: Frugal Fit Mom: https://www.youtube.com/c/FrugalFitMom See Mindy Mom: https://www.youtube.com/c/SeeMindyMom Ardent Michelle: https://www.youtube.com/c/ArdentMichelle You Suck at Cooking: https://www.youtube.com/c/yousuckatcooking Glen and Friends Cooking: https://www.youtube.com/c/GlenAndFriendsCooking   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

In honor of 2/22/2022, which is quickly approaching, YNAB is giving you the chance to gain a little extra momentum in your budget this year. YNAB is giving away $2,222 to a lucky podcast listener! But you have to follow a few rules to have a chance to win: On 2/22/2022, make a public post on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok or Twitter and tell us what you would do with $2,222. Tag YNAB on your social media platform of choice (tags listed below). Fill out the form on the YNAB website: https://www.youneedabudget.com/22-giveaway/   For those who don't do the social medias, you can email pr@ynab.com and include promotion/contest name in the subject line.   A complete explanation of the rules and terms and conditions can be found at: https://www.youneedabudget.com/22-giveaway/   YNAB social media tags Instagram: @youneedabudget 
 TikTok: @youneedabudget
 Twitter: @ynab Facebook: @iYNAB   Good luck! 

Ben and Ernie return to the podcast to announce... their own podcast! Budget Nerds, the popular YouTube show for nerdy YNAB'ers, is launching a podcast on Wednesday, Feb 9th. Now you can take Ben, Ernie, and their nerdy budget adventures with you in the car, on the bus, maybe even in the kitchen!   As a bonus, Ben and Ernie share some "budget confessions" from Budget Nerds listeners.   Budget Nerds Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/budget-nerds/id1606054345   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0H1u8pqYrvz6zj6noHbkB3?si=34ab3b2a3435486b  

YNAB Podcast listener Jenna emailed Jesse to share a recent win. Jenna's husband is about to finish law school, and thanks to YNAB and a lot of work and sacrifice he will graduate with NO student loan debt. First of all, BIG congratulations to you and your husband! Jesse shares some thoughts on this achievement as well as how to manage windfalls with a long-term mindset.   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse answers a listener question about budgeting after retirement, in particular when you are living off your retirement savings and not yet drawing on Social Security.   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/   Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Jesse chats with Scott Trench, CEO of BiggerPockets and a real estate investor, about how people can get started with real estate investing and build more wealth. Scott started his working career like many business college graduates, working at a large company as a financial analyst. Early on he stumbled across the Mr. Money Mustache blog, which advocates frugality and saving a large percentage of your income to achieve financial independence. From there, Scott became interested in using real estate to build his personal wealth and reach financial independence earlier in life.   Then, an encounter with the founder of the BiggerPockets website led Scott to a job with the company, and eventually, a chance to steer it as the CEO. Along the way Scott has learned a lot about real estate investing, and purchased and managed several properties. He now uses that knowledge to run the BiggerPockets website, which offers teaching and tools for people new to the real estate market.   Scott also acknowledges the costs and tradeoffs associated with becoming a good real estate investor. He's not shy about the amount of time needed to learn the basics, suggesting around 500 hours of reading and research before considering your first real estate purchase. For some people, like busy specialized professionals (doctors and lawyers for instance) or entrepreneurs running businesses, this time might be too high a cost, and distract from their primary focus. For the right person with patience and diligence, however, real estate investing can be an excellent way to build wealth and achieve financial independence.   BiggerPockets https://www.biggerpockets.com   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/  

Jesse chats with Ashley, of TikTok fame (The Organized Wallet), about her journey finding the budgeting software through a chance blogpost to finally gaining control of her money after years of struggle. One of Ashley's keys to success is mindfulness, and she has some great exercises for improving your mindfulness around money.   A few years into her marriage, Ashley had a reckoning with money. Her husband Jeremy had just landed a big job opportunity, but it required him to travel frequently. To keep things running smoothly, Ashley needed to assume management of the budget, which Jeremy had been handling up until that point. Ashley tried hard, but was overwhelmed with the spreadsheets, the sheer number of bills and accounts, and missed a payment on one of the bills. Distraught, she ran across a blog post by A Cup of Jo about a budgeting software called You Need A Budget. She jumped in, and finally found a method to help her gain control of her money.   Ashley now has a lot of wisdom to share about managing your money. She reminds us that we're all works in progress, and just because you can't budget perfectly -- especially at first -- doesn't mean it's not worth doing at all. Small efforts add up to big change with time. She also points out that clutter in our wallets (or budgets!) often means we aren't clear on our values. Decluttering our financial lives means first getting clear on what we want out of life.   Ashley on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@theorganizedwallet   Read more on Ashley's story: https://www.youneedabudget.com/after-struggling-to-budget-this-book-made-it-stick/   Join the More Money Challenge: https://www.youneedabudget.com/moremoneychallenge/