Comments on: You Need A Budget 3 Review (YNAB) – Ultimate Personal Budgeting Software

By: Jerry

Jerry — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:01:14 +0000

Thanks. Found my software and it’s 15 bucks!
YNAB was too expensive.
Thanks for the suggestion though.

By: Nik

Nik — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:11:44 +0000

YNAB’s a great tool if your finances are relatively straightforward. I downloaded the trial a few months ago, and I’ve been happily using it since. You could probably set up something along the same lines in Excel and save yourself 60 bucks, but honestly… this program has made dealing with my expenses and budget such a relief. Gilbert’s right- it’s an easy way to see what leftover money you have each month or, conversely, where you should change your spending habits. I don’t exactly stick to my budget per se so I like an easy way to keep track of where my money will be going for the month.

I wouldn’t buy this if you’re looking for a new toy. It’s too simple for that (but like everyone said, in a good way).

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 19:25:44 +0000

Hi, Failed at manual spreadsheets. Does anyone have any current budgeting software that uses my bank account activity? YNAB doesn’t fit my needs.
I hate budgeting but feel I am spending more than making.

By: Gilbert

Gilbert — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:28:45 +0000

I’ve been using YNAB for 2.5 years and really love it. It’s a one time cost, no annual renewel. This software is strictly for planning how you will spend your money and not how you spent your money. You have to assign every dollar into a category. Most americans don’t have enough money to worry about buying software to track investments. If you don’t have 3 to 6 months living expenses that can quickly be liquidated, you should not be investing.

If your lucky enough to have money left over after budgeting all your expenses, then saving for a future expense such as a car is a snap. You simply create another category “New Car” and assign any left over money.

Not only do you track how you will spend your money, you can track the history of any category and see how much you’ve spent and then budget an avg amount (ie. car maint).

Since every expense has to be deducted from a category, you will quickly begin changing your spending habits and start saving far more than you thought possible.

Americans are constantly bombarded with ways to part with their money. Knowing what money is actually available will empowere you to say NO.

By: Mac

Mac — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:58:27 +0000

If anyone is on the fence about YNAB, you may want to check out their free webinars. They have a few every week and cover different topics on how to use their software. It’s a live session and questions can be asked. Very professional and helpful. http://www.youneedabudget.com/support/ynab-coaching/.

And in the next month or two they’ll have an iphone app, so trx can be entered as they are incurred. Exciting for those with such a phone!

By: gina

gina — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:44:03 +0000

I too use Excel to keep track of my expenses. YNAB looks really interesting, and the 7 day trial is enticing, but I do hate to spend money when I can do it on my own!

By: Em D

Em D — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:40:24 +0000

That’s an interesting way of setting it up. There’s so many things that you don’t buy monthly but may be a significant expense a few times a year (like my weakness, end of season sales). I may have to give this a try.

By: Mac

Mac — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:29:50 +0000

I too use YNAB, but am having a tough time letting go of Microsoft Money (awesome tool for balancing accts)…so I put my expenses in both! That’s going to have to change soon, but probably not for another few months…plus I hope that’ll give me some extra time to increase my meager buffer.

By: Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:21:40 +0000

I have tremendous success with excel, so I cannot imagine paying for another budgeting system.

I do use excel two ways, I have monthly spreadsheets which track every $1. Then I have a different spreadsheets which chart my clothes spending and other categories. There is one total $$ per month, and I can quickly see a snap shot of how much I have spent to date and how much is remaining for the year. This works on the “roll with the punches” concept. I have a set amount of $$$ for a year for a category, I can spend it all in January or all in December or I can choose not to spend the entire amount.

By: Sally Aquire

Sally Aquire — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:21:08 +0000

It’s good to hear from someone else who has used YNAB, and I like your buffer advice for having a month’s income saved up – even if it sounds a bit ‘quirky’, it’s definitely sensible!

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:05:53 +0000

I thought I had my budget under control when I was just using Excel to do my budget, but once I got YNAB I realized that some things were slipping through the cracks. YNAB has been worth the cost!

Another thing I wanted to mention is that it’s best if you can go it to the YNAB process with a month’s income saved, but if you are living paycheck to paycheck it will help you keep track of the money you have left at the end of the month as a buffer. Once your buffer is equal to your monthly income, you can spend the buffer and allocate your earnings from this month to spend next month so you aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. It may sound a bit quirky but it works!