Budget Nerds

Through 80 episodes (and counting!), passionate YNAB'ers have been sharing their personal finance wins, big and small, with Ben and Ernie. Whether it's paying off debt, handling an emergency expense, or simply feeling more relaxed and at peace about money, we cherish each win and love to put a spotlight on them all. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie catch up on their backlog of YNAB wins with a mega episode of stories from YNAB'ers across the globe and from all walks of life.   Ben and Ernie classified today's wins into five categories, including: Clarity Giving Priorities Peace of mind Options   Here's to many more YNAB wins in 2024. Happy New Year!   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

What if... saving money wasn't actually a thing? Crazy, right?! Well, if you subscribe to YNAB's philosophy -- the Four Rules -- then money is properly understand as a spending tool. The whole point of money, and your budget, is to plan how to spend your money. Savings is really just money that you plan to spend later, whether it's three days later at the grocery, three months later for an oil change you know you need to get, or thirty years later when you retire from the workforce!   Ben and Ernie explore this idea, prompted by a blog post Ben wrote back in September. Saving money is a bummer for a lot of people, and perhaps the reason is because they were thinking about it all wrong!   There's No Such Thing as Saving Money (Blog Post) by Ben Barlowe: https://www.ynab.com/blog/no-such-thing-as-savings     Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

The hosts answer viewer questions, share budget tips, debate the benefits of starting fresh with a new budget, discuss personal spending in couples, explore loan payoff methods and demonstrate a loan planner, cover mortgages and investment tracking, talk about funny category names, and provide tips for overcoming budgeting momentum.

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