Budget Nerds

Join the hosts in a live Q&A session on YouTube regarding finances and budgeting. Submit your questions and watch the replay if you miss it

A YNAB study reveals that 94% of Americans admit to impulse spending. Ben and Ernie explore the reasons behind impulse purchases, including emotional support, fear of missing out, dining out, and seasonal influences. They discuss managing impulse spending with budgeting apps like YNAB and share inspiring stories of listeners prioritizing financial goals.

The hosts discuss the concept of the credit card float, its implications on personal finances, and the dependency on credit cards. They explore the new credit card alert feature in YNAB to manage overspending and existing balances. They also address the importance of having a cushion and alternative payment methods, and suggest a method called the 'rip off the Band-Aid' to break the dependence on credit cards instantly.

As the principal budget nerds at YNAB, Ben and Ernie have seen their fair share of elegant budgets, but the one featured in today's episode might take the cake for the most refined of all time! Long time YNAB'er and bona fide budget nerd Lee Bond joins the podcast to discuss his history of using YNAB, his category structures, his unique use of "transfers," and his various adventures trying to push the boundaries and break YNAB.   Lee has thought through every category and transaction with precision and an eye for cleanliness and efficiency. If you call yourself a hardcore budget nerd, or aspire to be one, then you will enjoy this episode with Lee!   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

The podcast explores the use of targets in the YNAB app, including how they help organize and track expenses, managing variable expenses like groceries, setting targets for monthly bills and non-monthly expenses, and the benefits of the overfunded workflow. They also discuss different target types in YNAB and strategies for managing yearly subscriptions.

Ben and Ernie share insightful comments from a recent conversation in the YNAB Fans Group on Facebook in which one YNAB'er asked: what's one benefit to using YNAB that surprised you? YNAB is of course all about getting your money straight, but the reality is that when you get your money right, other aspects of life tend to follow suit. After all, getting your money right means alinging your spending with your values.   Whether it's improved friendships and marriages, reduced stress and worry, discovering new insight into your behaviors through tracking expenses, or simply watching your bank account balance climb to historic levels -- there are many benefits to budgeting that affect all aspects of life!   YNAB Fans on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/YNABFans/   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

YNAB is all about giving dollars a job, but what about your time? Ben and Ernie poke at the edges of common budgeting practices in YNAB to determine what is really necessary, and what can be thrown out in the name of efficiency and time management. It's a fun exercise -- and often insightful -- to take practices or "rules" that you take for granted and tear them down to see how essential they are to the task of budgeting.   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

Erin Lowell, Lead Educator at YNAB, shares her journey of paying off her mortgage using YNAB principles. They discuss budgeting for additional expenses, making lowball offers in the housing market, and the factors that contributed to paying off the mortgage. They also explore the history and significance of mortgages and highlight the power of budgeting in achieving financial freedom.

Ben and Ernie interview fellow budget nerd and YNAB power user Gabi Bradley. Gabi is a busy mom balancing work, family, and changing financial obligations (including daycare!). She shares her unique category structure, which she assembled using various strategies outlined on Heard It from Hannah and Budget Nerds, and how her family uses the budget to handle their ever-changing financial needs.     Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

Ben and Ernie discuss the exciting possibilities of a powerful new feature in YNAB called "Focused Views." Focused Views allow you to see a subset of your categories depending on what you want to learn, analyze, or review. Sometimes you just want to drill down on a particular  piece of your budget to understand what's going on with your money -- like consistently underfunded or overfunded categories. Or maybe you want to share the most important parts of the budget with your parnter without bogging them down with too many category details. Perhaps you have wish farm with a variety of wants.   Whatever the case may be, you can create a focused view to help you (and your partner!) better understand your money. And you can use emojis!   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g