YNAB You Need A Budget

[harpy123]

Yes, I'm going to jump in here and brag about my success. I started using YNAB mid-May of this year. The month of May was my "learning" month - not that it was all clear in my head by May 31, but I did try various scenarios before settling on one that worked for me. June was very trying. I struggled to budget my weekly paychecks and became a bit frustrated - once again. I decided that I had enough stress in other areas of my life and didn't need to add to it. So......by the end of June, I took the plunge and funded my buffer from an off-budget savings account. Ahhhhhhh.....July has gone much smoother. Only 1 more week until August begins, but I can proudly say that I have stayed within my budget and I have not dug my hole deeper for the first time probably ever! In fact, I actually started filling that hole up a bit. I went grocery shopping yesterday with my budgeted remaining amount in my head: I will admit it was a little difficult, but the added bonus was that I didn't put any "junk" in the cart. Hey, YNAB is good for the diet, too!

I still need to tweak my basic budget amounts, but it will become easier with time and analysis. I'll be cutting out more expenses next month - things like cutting out voicemail from my phone services, maybe eliminating my long-distance service, since I can use my cell phone for LD at no extra charge. I'll probably reduce my cable service, too, as well as canceling Netflix.

I'm actually excited to start the new month!

[Jeremiah]

Great job! Slow and steady wins the race. Keep up the good work.

[Patzer]

. I went grocery shopping yesterday with my budgeted remaining amount in my head: I will admit it was a little difficult, but the added bonus was that I didn't put any "junk" in the cart. Hey, YNAB is good for the diet, too!

Good job! This is YNAB at its finest, getting you to make better spending decisions not just for finances, but for total life satisfaction.

Patzer

[WairereRose]

Well done, and thank you for sharing to encourage the rest of us.

[bpjp07]

I will admit it was a little difficult, but the added bonus was that I didn't put any "junk" in the cart

I have only been using YNAB for little over a week now, but I noticed the same thing. I went grocery shopping yesterday...didn't have a lot to spend but still needed a few things. I noticed I didn't buy the snack cakes, or quick foods. I actually bought things as I'm thinking "What can I cook for supper and take the next day for lunch?" It's amazing what actually seeing the numbers in that category can do. This is exactly the program that I needed... along time ago! Good job!

[Sairey724Gamp]

... I can proudly say that I have stayed within my budget and I have not dug my hole deeper for the first time probably ever! In fact, I actually started filling that hole up a bit.

Success indeed!
Keep up the good work, and thanks for encouraging the rest of us.

Sairey

[harpy123]

Here it is, almost the end of August. I've done pretty good with my budget. Did some more shifting and analyzing.

This morning I needed gas, but only filled to half a tank, since that was all I had in my budget. Clearly, I could have just filled up the tank, but I like the exercise in restraint.

As a side benefit to staying within my food budget, I've lost over 11 pounds so far this month.

I love YNAB!

[harpy123]

Wow - almost the end of October. This has been a challenging month for me for some reason. I've had to over-spend on gas and groceries, not because of any frivolous spending, but because of timing, I think. Or maybe I just under-budgetted. Not sure, since I'm still budget-tweaking.

So glad I have that buffer, as I've decided to switch my checking account to ING's Electric Orange checking. I have an account at Chase, but all my savings accounts are with ING -- and I rarely write any actual checks. (And... I'm a bit perturbed with Chase these days.) I've changed my direct deposit with my employer, but it will take two paydays (weekly) for the switch to start. I'm keeping my Chase checking account and splitting my DD so that only $40 goes in there. But, since I have that buffer, no worries! During the switching-over period, I'll be getting actual paychecks for my ING amount, so all I have to do is deposit it to Chase, then transfer it to ING. Voila! The only problem (minor) with the ING account is that there are very few free ATM's near my home. That's another reason for keeping my Chase account. But why not earn that ING interest on my buffer?

I'm sure November will be a better month. Tweak, tweak, tweak!

[dorothyc]

The only problem (minor) with the ING account is that there are very few free ATM's near my home. That's another reason for keeping my Chase account. But why not earn that ING interest on my buffer?

7-11 convenience stores recently switched their ATM network to include Allpoint, which is the free ATM network for Electric Orange. Check http://allpointnetwork.com

[harpy123]

Well, here it is - 13 months since I started using YNAB. My budget has smoothed out: All the seasonal/periodic payments are now budgeted over the entire year. My debt is diminishing, I'm saving extra for travel plans, my main credit card (paid off each month) keeps earning me miles, and I'm much less stressed. I still have a ways to go to eliminate my CC debt, but by not adding to it and applying any extra money I might come upon to it, I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you, YNAB! And thanks to all you "experts" for many great ideas.

[Old Blue]

Kick ass!

[medicechic]

That is wonderful! And thanks for the encouragement! I can only hope that in 13 months, I will be coming back with such great news!
BTW I love your signature!