The YNAB Blog
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Why You Should Categorize Inflows as Ready to Assign in YNAB
I’ve noticed that some new Peace of Mind Spending clients have a tendency to categorize some inflows directly to the category they plan to spend the money on. I can see how that makes sense to them…why not skip the middleman (Ready to Assign) and go directly to the category? There’s a good reason: It…
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Next Month Category vs. Assigning Into the Future in YNAB
In YNAB, getting a month ahead is the goal. When you are spending money this month that you earned last month, you have created financial peace of mind. I’m a month ahead in both my business and personal budgets and I can tell you with certainty that it has brought much ease to my financial…
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How to Categorize ATM Withdrawals in YNAB (3 Simple Options)
Cash is no longer king, but sometimes you still need to hit the ATM. When you withdraw cash, how should you categorize an ATM withdrawal in YNAB? There’s no one right way to do it, but here are a few solid options: Create an “ATM Withdrawal” (or “Cash”) Category You could just have an ATM…
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How YNAB Makes Profit First Easier: My Simple Deposit Allocation Workflow
I love the Profit First methodology to help small businesses be more profitable. I first read the book Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine, by Mike Michaelowicz in 2015 and shortly thereafter started using it for my organizing business. It revolutionized how I think about my business’s money—and a…
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Credit Card Fraud Is Inevitable—But YNAB Can Help
Credit card fraud is, unfortunately, a fact of modern life—even for the most careful among us. But with the right tools and habits, you can catch fraudulent charges early and make recovery so much easier. YNAB (You Need A Budget) is my secret weapon for staying on top of my finances and turning a stressful…
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Give the gift of YNAB
As a professional organizer, I’ve been blogging for years about giving clutter-free gifts. People have a hard time letting go of gifts, even those they don’t love or use. And then they end up with too much stuff. So I always suggest giving experiences or donations or other non-tangible gifts instead. Here’s a great clutter-free…
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Eleven reasons I’m grateful for YNAB
I wrote this post two years ago around Thanksgiving. Here’s a lightly edited version of that post. I added an 11th item–how YNAB helped us navigate a life-changing move. I’m being completely honest when I say I’m not sure where I’d be without YNAB! It’s the season to express gratitude and I am so very…
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Is YNAB worth $109 a year?
Sometimes in social media groups I hear people grumble that YNAB is too expensive. To some, it feels counterintuitive to spend $109 a year (in the U.S., when paid annually) for an app that is supposed to help you spend less. A couple of years ago, I blogged about why YNAB is worth it for…
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PSA: Open your mail!
I wrote this post for my organizing blog, but I realized it would be valuable for readers of this blog as well. Here’s a slightly edited version. Over the years, I’ve encountered many organizing clients who don’t open their postal mail. I get it. Mail can be scary. I remember back when I was dealing…
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