Budget Nerds
Personal finance experts Ben and Ernie nerd out about all things YNAB to help you get good at money. They share helpful money tips, reflect on their own YNAB journeys, and celebrate your YNAB wins.
Episodes
#142 - Tag, You're It!
Ben and Ernie respond to a YouTube tag from new and enthusiastic YNABer Niamh, asking them to answer 12 questions about their YNAB journey and daily money habits. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g Share your YNAB win with Ben and Ernie! budgetn
#141 - Ask Ben & Ernie: Travel, Debt, and Life After Month Ahead
Ben and Ernie are back with a Q&A episode, answering questions about YNAB from podcast listeners and YouTube viewers. In this episode, they discuss travel tips for funding vacations and keeping vacation expenses organized in the moment. They talk about how the new photo feature and bulk editing features can be used to preserve important memories as well as information about your travels. The Ner
#140 - YNAB With Us Live! (YouTube Live May 13, 2026)
Ben and Ernie are live on YouTube again, this time inviting you to YNAB with them! Ben and Ernie went live on May 13, 2026, and walked through their recent transactions -- categorizing, moving money, re-evaluating priorities -- and answered questions from viewers along the way. This livestream relies heavily on screensharing since Ben and Ernie are using the YNAB app live, so we recommend you ch
Ben & Ernie LIVE Today on YouTube 3:30pm ET
Ben and Ernie are going live again on YouTube today, May 13th, 2026 at 3:30pm Eastern time. They'll be going through their own transactions, categorizing, moving money to handle overspending, and more, so you'll get to YNAB with them in real time! Set your alarm clocks and follow the livestream at the link below. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/
#139 - Sixteen YNAB Features Hidden in Plain Sight
Ben and Ernie round up sixteen of their favorite YNAB features and share them on today's show, including some oft-overlooked tools in the app. Whether you're brand new or a veteran YNAB'er, there's probably at least one feature in this episode you haven't heard about (including some brand new stuff)! This episode is highly visual, so we recommend you view it on YouTube so you can see how these f
#138 - Our Biggest Wins Episode Yet: 22 Epic YNAB Wins
Ben and Ernie are back with another round of YNAB wins, and they keep getting better and better. In today's episode they share 22 money wins from YNAB'ers around the world who found financial peace, gained confidence in their spending, and navigated difficult life challenges with less money stress through their use of YNAB. Ben and Ernie broke the wins into six categories: Feeling more clear-hea
#137 - Patching vs (re)Building Your Money Habits
Ernie floated a sports reference to Ben in a recent discussion, the concept of an NFL team patching together the holes in their lineup with trades and free agents versus completely rebuilding it from the ground up. Patching of course is the quick fix -- it gets you results now, so you can field a team and compete this season. The results, however, may not be what you want, and often the patched-to
#136 - Our Favorite Things to Do In YNAB | 2026 Edition
Nearly five years ago, in a very early episode of Budget Nerds (before the podcast feed!), Ben and Ernie discussed their top three favorite things to do in YNAB. Today they are revisiting that concept to share what still lights them up about using YNAB. Some things include slick new YNAB features such as focused views, others hearken back to the simple beauty of giving every dollar a job and recon
#135 - 5 Signs You Are Bad with Money
It's not hard to see that many people struggle to manage their money. Most people are, well, frankly bad with money. That is not a value judgment, or a comment about their character or willpower, or anything like that! Managing money is a skill, and skills can be improved with practice and a little guidance. In today's episode Ben and Ernie present five signs indicating you are bad with money, and
#134 - Ben's Category Breakdown (2026 Edition)
Today it's Ben's turn to share the categories in his plan -- all 93 of them! Ernie opens with a challenge: did Ben actually change his plan after examining Ernie's categories in episode #132? You'll have to listen to find out, but Ben does break down his categories cleanly into ten category groups, divided between timely categories (bills, both regular and irregular) and purpose-driven categories
#133 - The 3 Stages of YNAB'er Emergency Funds
The emergency fund is sacrosanct in the personal finance world. Nearly everyone considers an emergency fund to be a prudent thing to establish -- a necessity, even -- whether it's three to six months of living expenses or Dave Ramsey's thousand dollar baby step. At YNAB, however, the emergency fund is... complicated. While YNAB doesn't discourage emergency funds, if you are truly YNAB'ing and in p
#132 - Ernie's 2026 Categories
Ernie is kicking off the new year with a fresh plan... but not a fresh start! For years, Ernie has made a fresh start at the beginning of every year, but the allure of data history and being able to search for transaction across multiple years was too strong this year. So Ernie is rolling forward his spending plan from 2025 into the New Year, but with some changes. Ernie has also updated his 202
#131 - Ben and Ernie YouTube LIVE Q&A
Happy New Year! Ben and Ernie kick off the 2026 season of Budget Nerds with a YouTube livestream, answering listener questions and engaging with comments. If you missed the livestream, this is your chance to listen to the playback on the podcast feed! Be sure to subscribe to Budget Nerds on YouTube if you haven't already. As a subscriber you'll get notifications and updates about future livestre
#130 - Gen Z Money Trends: How TikTok and Instagram Are Shaping Personal Finance
In today's episode resident social media gurus Amber and Sarah, of Instagram and TikTok fame respectively, join the show to talk about the personal finance trends that are going viral among the Gen Z population right now. The economy is difficult to thrive in, especially for young people, and the Zoomers have come up with creative ways to use their native digital environment to execute the common
#129 - YNAB for Singles: Lauren's Categories
In today's episode, Ben and Ernie interview Lauren, a single mid-30's physical therapist living in Arizona. Lauren is already a legend in the Budget Nerds community for YNAB'ing for years completely manually, without ever connecting a bank account. A true budget nerd, she logs in daily to enter transactions and reconcile. She's never even done a file import to enter transactions! Lauren shares h
#128 - Setup Your Plan Like a Budget Nerd: Advanced YNAB Concepts
A few episodes ago, Ben and Ernie walked through how to set up YNAB for the first time, focusing on the basics. Today, by popular request, they are covering the advanced setup, exploring every feature YNAB has to help you setup a spending plan that fits with your life. There's a lot here, so strap in nerds! As with episode #123 on the basic YNAB setup, this episode relies heavily on screensharin
#127 - Pay Off Debt vs Get A Month Ahead: Which Should You Do First?
Ben and Ernie take up arms in the age old personal finance battle -- pay off your debt first, or get a month ahead on your bills? While they have discussed this topic before, in today's episode they approach the two paths with a balanced view, weighing the pros and cons of each. While they have an obvious bias toward getting a month ahead on your bills, there are certain scenarios where really buc
#126 - Spending A Life of Adventure with Ashley L. (Live from FF Minneapolis)
At Fan Fest Minneapolis in June 2025, Ben and Ernie recorded their first ever live podcast of Budget Nerds! They invited friend, mentor, and fellow YNAB creator Ashley Lapato, who also runs @theorganizedwallet account on TikTok. Ashley tells her story of discovering YNAB after an especially embarassing failure to pay her bills on time while her husband was traveling for work. She resolved to final
#125 - All the Ways to Easily Add Transactions
You may have noticed some recent changes to the YNAB app, starting with no more "add transaction" button in the bottom row of the screen. It was a little jarring for Ben and Ernie at first, but they quickly realized that you can still add transactions easily within YNAB, and in fact, there are many ways to add transactions quickly within the app. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie walk through all
#124 - 7 Habits That Changed Our Money Forever
It's often said that sucess is the result of your daily habits. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie talk about seven habits that completed changed how they think about and act around money, including: Giving every dollar a job (the ultimate YNAB rule!) Only working with the money you have on hand right now Saving for non-monthly expenses Getting a month ahead Finding the money first in your plan, b
#123 - How to Start YNAB (Simple, No Hassle Setup)
YNAB is a powerful, flexible piece of software, but there is a learning curve. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie teach you how to setup a YNAB spending plan from scratch, and the essential features you need to know. If you've been sitting on the fence, wanting to jump in, this is the perfect time to get started! And remember, as Ernie says, you don't have to be perfect! The beauty of YNAB is you
#122 - Feeling Stuck? These 26 YNAB Wins Will Inspire You
It's been a while since Ben and Ernie have had a good old fashioned YNAB wins show, so here's another one! Ben and Ernie collected wins big and small from YNAB'ers improving their relationship with spending one transcation at a time. They cover wins ranging from paying off debt, to accomplishing big dreams and goals, to getting a month ahead, and simply getting back on track with the YNAB method.
#121 - The Weirdest Categories We've Ever Seen (and Loved)
Through all the category breakdown episodes, Ben and Ernie have seen some thought-provoking, inspiring, funny, and downright weird categories from YNAB'ers. Today's episode is all about celebrating the weird and unusual categories in your plan. Ben and Ernie polled YNAB'ers across Facebook, YouTube, and even some of the YNAB team members and highlight the funniest, most inspiring, and weirdest cat
#120 - Your Categories Are Not Alone! The New YNAB Templates
Have you felt overwhelmed trying to think of categories for your money when you start a fresh spending plan? Or just wished someone would come up with new categories for you when you need to plan for a major life event? You're in luck, someone has done all that work for you! They are called YNAB templates. In today's episode Ben and Ernie take a look at the new templates feature in YNAB, and share
#119 - Lauren's YNAB Categories (PLUS How She Breaks the Multi-Currency Rules)
In today's episode Ben and Ernie chat with Lauren, a long time YNAB user going back to YNAB4 and a Customer Support Specialist at YNAB. Though she was born in the US, Lauren is of Korean descent and since 2017 has been teaching English in South Korea. Her unique background has required some pro-level YNAB moves, since she is paid in US dollars but spends in both USD and Korean Yuan, which fluctuat
#118 - Getting the Most Out of YNAB
You don't have to be a power user for YNAB to help you gain control over your money, start loving the way you spend, and change your life. But there's a lot of power under the hood, and Ben and Ernie want to help you unlock it! In today's episode they walk through a handful of their favorite YNAB features and tools and show how you can use them to plan your spending like a true Budget Nerd. Reso
#117 - Ben and Ernie Fight!
Get your popcorn ready, because on today's episode Ben and Ernie are lacing up the gloves and going for 12 rounds! Twelve rounds of YNAB debate, of course. They have selected 12 YNAB hot topics and spend three minutes debating each one. Topics include: Using emoji's in category titles Using a cash account vs a cash category to track physical dollar bills Prioritizing an emergency fund or getting
#116 - YNAB's Future Vision with CEO Todd Curtis
In today's episode Ben and Ernie talk with the man himself, Todd Curtis, long-time YNAB team member and CEO since 2021. Todd has been a YNAB'er going all the way back to the YNAB3 days, and served as a beta tester for an early Mac version of the software before officially joining the company in 2010. In his tenure at YNAB Todd has touched on just about every aspect of the business, from customer s
#115 - How Heidi Overcame ADHD and Money Mistakes with YNAB
Today Ben and Ernie are joined by long-time YNAB'er Heidi to discuss her challenges of managing money with ADHD, and how she has used the YNAB method to reclaim control over her money. As Heidi explains, ADHD is characterized by impulsiveness and inattentiveness, both of which took a heavy toll on her finances, especially during phases of her career where her income was variable. Heidi was an earl
#114 - How to Handle a Windfall
Many of us approach YNAB from a position of scarcity, at least at first. We don't have enough money to do all the things we want to do, and we're living paycheck to paycheck. Giving every dollar a job and working through the 5 Questions helps us gain clarity about what our money needs to do for us, and finally get our financial life on track. But what if you have a surplus of money fall into your
#113 - How to Pay Off Debt The YNAB Way
It has been a while since Ben and Ernie have done an old fashioned debt payoff episode, but it's still one of the hottest topics when it comes to personal finance. And in their veiw, at least, paying off debt is where most of the personal finance world gets it wrong. YNAB has a unique method for paying off debt with an emphasis on sustainability and maintaining motivation. The key is to learn how
#112 - Ben and Ernie Fix a Messy Budget! (YouTube Livestream Replay)
Ben and Ernie are back again to fix a very messy budget, and this time they are doing it live! This is a replay from their YouTube livestream on Mar 26th, 2025. There is a strong visual component to this episode, so we recommend you watch the replay on YouTube (link below), but we are posting the audio on the podcast feed as well. Messy Budget Livestream Replay: https://www.youtube.com/live/tjK_
Budget Nerds LIVE on YouTube: Fixing a Messy Budget
Together they sail or sink! Today, March 26th at 3:00pm Eastern, Ben and Ernie will be livestreaming on YouTube and will attempt to fix a messy YNAB budget. This episode will have a heavy visual component, so you will want to watch it on YouTube at the link below. If you miss it, you can still watch the replay on YouTube, and the audio will be posted to the podcast feed in a couple days. In the
#111 - What's Your YNAB Routine?
Like the cycles of the earth, Sun, and moon, YNAB'ers have cycles too! Daily, monthly, quarterly, even yearly, there are things to do to manage your spending plan. In today's episode Ben and Ernie share what they do in YNAB at every stop in the calendar, including how they run budget meetings and how they include the family in the planning process. Try YNAB FREE for 34 days! https://www.ynab.com
#110 - Is YNAB Worth It?
It's a common question for those not already committed to YNAB: is it really worth it? I mean, paying for a budgeting software? It's a legitimate question, and you can probably guess where Ben and Ernie land on answering it (of course!). Today Ben and Ernie don't want to offer their opinions on why YNAB is worth it, they want to share some cold hard facts from a recent study the YNAB marketing tea
#109 - Don't Make These Common YNAB Mistakes!
YNAB is an incredible tool for learning to love how you spend, but it does come with a learning curve. Ben and Ernie have taught thousands of folks how to use YNAB, and throughout their years working with newcomers a handful of common mistakes occur again and again. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie outline seven mistakes people make in YNAB, and how to avoid them. Resources mentioned in this
#108 - Spendfulness: The Word We've Been Looking For All Along with YNAB Dave
In today's episode, Ben and Ernie are joined by Dave from YNAB, a YNAB teacher and contributor to many YNAB articles and blogs and a master of money analogies! Dave discovered YNAB while deeply in debt and making a move across the Atlantic. He saw the wisdom and value of the YNAB method quickly, however, and steadily worked himself out of debt over an eight year period. Along the way, he learend m
#107 - You Can Start YNAB Whenever You Want
Starting YNAB is like starting anything else -- a new workout routine, new eating habits, learning a new skill -- you just have to jump in! Many people struggle to take the first step, however. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie discuss some of the reasons why people drag their feet starting YNAB, and how you can reframe the way you think about money to get started right now (today!) with small, ea
#106 - YouTube LIVE: Spendfulness and the 5 Questions
Happy New Year! On January 1, 2025, Ben and Ernie went live on YouTube to talk about some big changes at YNAB, and the unveiling of an important new word: spendfulness. Ben and Ernie review some of the history of YNAB and it's four rules, and how spendfulness is a whole new way of thinking about your spending. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNAB
Ben and Ernie LIVE on YouTube: Spendfulness and the 5 Questions
Some BIG changes are afoot at YNAB, and Ben and Ernie the Budget Nerds are going live on YouTube today at 1:00pm Eastern time to talk about them! Link below. If you missed the livestream, we will post the full replay in the podcast feed shortly after it airs. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams Budget Nerds Episodes: https://ww
Budget Nerds LIVE at YNAB Fan Fest 2024 Salt Lake City
In September 2024, YNAB invited over 150 fans to Salt Lake City to celebrate the 20th annivesary of YNAB and enjoy the camaraderie of people with a passion for the YNAB method. Ben and Ernie were there, and hosted a live episode of Budget Nerds. In this bonus episode, they chat with Teisha and Katie, two budget nerds who have some excellent YNAB wins that demonstrate their resilience and the YNAB
#105 - Dealing with Major Financial Setbacks
Setbacks are a fact of life. Fortunately YNAB gives you the tools to be flexible with your spending plan. While we plan our spending based on normal months, life often has other ideas and our months often don't align perfectly to the "normal" or ideal. Some months, or even years, really don't align with our plans, and the unexpected expenses just keep piling up. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie t
#104 - Silly Things YNAB Makes Us Do
YNAB'ers are great people -- as evidenced by the camaraderie and stories heard at the recent YNAB Fan Fest in Salt Lake City -- but let's be honest... YNAB'ers can also do some weird things with their money! It's a testament to how powerful the YNAB method is, that many people make big, lasting habit changes around their money, but it comes with some funny side effects. In today's episode, Ben and
#103 - Fixing a Messy Budget
Today Ben and Ernie try something different: they are looking at a messy budget -- a VERY messy budget -- sight unseen and attempting to clean it up. This one is a doozy, with dozens of uncleared transactions, multiple accounts including credit cards, transfers between accounts, and even a cash account. As Ben points out early on, whenever you're dealing with a neglected budget like this, you have
#102 - LIVE Q&A: New YNAB Features, Cash Only YNAB, Budgeting with Partners, and More!
Ben and Ernie hosted a Live Q&A on the YNAB YouTube channel on Oct. 30th, 2024. If you missed it, here's the full replay! They fielded questions from YNAB'ers and discussed some brand new YNAB features. Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com Follow Ben B live on Facebook! @ynaboffi
Budget Nerds Are Going LIVE on YouTube - Oct 30th, 2024
Ben and Ernie are going LIVE on YouTube at 1:00pm Eastern on October 30th, 2024. Come and join us! If you're tuning in after the Live show, the full replay will be posted to the podcast feed soon. Budget Nerds on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
#101 - Planning on a Variable Income, YNAB at Your Workplace, and Free Swag!
In today's episode, Ben and Ernie chat with Veronica Brashler, who is in charge of the Corporate Wellness program at YNAB. Veronica's YNAB story starts with working freelance as a wedding photographer with a highly variable, and seasonal income. Both she and her husband were self-employed at the same time, while raising a young family, and the stress of variable income was high. In her words, they
#100 - The 100th Episode! Ben and Ernie Reflect
Today's episode is officially the 100th episode of Budget Nerds (if you count the YouTube episodes that were published before the audio podcast feed)! Ben and Ernie reflect on the past few years, the most and least viewed episodes, their favorite episodes, and the many YNAB wins they've had a chance to share and celebrate along the way. Thank you for listening and supporting the show with your e
#99 - Ben Actually Changes His Budget
If you're standing up, you might want to take a seat, because something big has happened... Ben actually changed his budget! Over the last year Ben has had some major life changes that have resulted in more monthly cashflow and also bigger expenses, so it was time, at last, to overhaul his budget. In today's episode Ben discusses the circumstances that prompted the change, how he learned to actual
#98 - Many Goals, One Plan
One of the interesting parts of working at YNAB is you get to observe human behavior related to personal finance. As Ben and Ernie have noticed over the years, YNAB'ers tend not only to reach their financial goals -- such as paying off debt or saving for a big purchase -- but also complete a number of other goals at the same time. There's something about the YNAB process that leads to knocking dow
#97 - What If YNAB Paid You to Use It? And Other Sketchy Ideas from Ben Markley (Sketchy Advice)
On today's episide Ben and Ernie welcome another Ben to the show -- Ben Markley, host of YNAB's Sketchy Advice series on YouTube. Ben has a reputation for striking metaphors and thought provoking ideas about money and putting YNAB's principles into daily practice, and today he shares some of his favorite ideas, including: Why you should go ahead and buy that latte YNAB is really just an elaborate
#96 - Ask the Nerds: Grab Bag Edition
Ben and Ernie get a handful of recurring questions that aren't quite big enough topics to make into their own episode, but nevertheless deserve to be answered! In today's show, they tackle some of those questions, including: What does Ben mean when he talks about the "matchy matchy game?" Helping kids learn to budget Should you have separate categories for kids' expenses? Tracking investments in
#95 - Managing Variable Income as a Busy Graduate Student: Jasmin Green, PhD Student UC Davis
The Budget Nerds have covered the spending habits of a lot of married folks with families, but what about the single people out there? In today's episode, Ben and Ernie speak with Jasmin Green, a PhD student in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. Jasmin is an avid YNAB'er, who credits the methodology with keeping her bank account in order during the financially challenging years of gradu
#94 - How Does It Feel to Be a Month Ahead? Budget Nerds Weigh In
Getting a month ahead with your money is a milestone for many YNAB'ers. Being a "month ahead" means that when the first of the month hits, all your bills and expenses for that new month are already paid for -- the money for them is sitting in your bank account, and assigned to the respective categories in YNAB, waiting to cover those costs. And boy does it feel good! In today's episode, Ben and
#93 - Dream Bigger Than Your Bills!
Today Ben and Ernie are joined by returning guest and YNAB Lead Educator, Erin Lowell, who posed the idea of thinking bigger with your money. Many people come to YNAB seeking a way to escape the paycheck to paycheck cycle, pay down debt, build an emergency fund, and reduce their stress and anxiety around money. These are wonderful goals! However Erin reminds us that there are things you can do wit
#92 - Are You Doing YNAB? Tracking Expenses vs YNABing
It's a common story: a person finds YNAB and starts using the software, only realize months (sometimes years) down the road that they weren't actually following the YNAB method. They were just tracking expenses using YNAB's software. Tracking expenses is not a bad thing -- tracking brings awareness of your spending habits and where your money and energy is going -- but the magic of YNAB is in the
#91 - Windfalls, Learning to Invest, and YNAB 4: Jeremy Schneider of Personal Finance Club
Ben and Ernie chat with Jeremy Schneider, an entrepreneur turned personal finance teacher who aims to demystify the confusing world of investing with simple, unbiased information. In his early 20's, Jeremy founded an internet startup and ran it for 12 years, never taking home more than $36k/year -- while living in San Diego, CA! This experience required him to get surgical with his spending, and d
#90 - YNAB Mega Wins: Round Two
Ben and Ernie open their inboxes for another mega round of YNAB wins -- stories from YNAB users about positive outcomes, reduced stress, and newfound confidence with their money. In today's mega episode, they have broken up the wins into several themes: Partner wins Gaining control Getting a month ahead Paying down debt Clarity Stress reduction Building confidence Simplifying Priorities Saving
#89 - Find the Money First
YNAB is well known for the Four Rules, or what many YNAB'ers are now calling the Four Habits, which describe the process of gaining control of your money and learning to spend with joy rather than shame or regret. The Four Rules are: Give every dollar a job Embrace your true expenses Roll with the punches Age your money In today's episode, Ben and Ernie discuss a concept that is implicit in the
#88 - Swim Fins and Why You Shouldn't Compare Yourself to Others
In today's episode, Ben shares a story about swimming at the YMCA. One of Ben's favorite forms of exercise is swimming laps at his local YMCA, and while it's a great solitary form of exercise, sometimes you can't help but notice how your pace compares to others in the pool. One day Ben started swimming laps only to notice an older lady absolutely hauling in another lane. Which was... discouraging,
#87 - Stop Making Boring Financial Goals
Ben and Ernie respond to a recent survey reported by Jill Schlesinger on CBS Morning about American's 2024 financial resolutions. The top responses: save more money (41%), pay down debt (38%), and spend less (30%). BORING! Ben rants about why "spending less money" is not a good financial plan, and Ernie highlights the importance of putting a why behind goals like paying down debt. There's nothing
#86 - Cash Categories vs Cash Accounts
In today's episode, Ben and Ernie discuss what to do with cold, hard cash money. For many YNAB'ers debit and credit card spending fits nicely into the YNAB paradigm, since YNAB can interface directly with financial institutions and pull online banking data. Cash transactions, on the other hand, can create a stumbling block since they exist outside the easily trackable, traceable online banking sys
#85 - Do I Have to Give EVERY Dollar A Job?
The short answer is yes. But why? Ben and Ernie dig into the reasons why giving every dollar a job is essential to creating a stress-free life around money. As Ben explains, the point of YNAB is to ruthlessly root out self-delusion, and be honest about both what you want your money to do for you and what tradeoffs you will have to make to accomplish that. When you leave money in the Ready to Ass
#84 - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Unexpected Expenses
Rule Two of YNAB's Four Rules is "embrace your true expenses." True expenses are expenses that may not be regular, but are a normal part of life: new tires, HVAC repairs, emergency doctor visits. Sometimes they are expected -- every car and house will need repairs eventually -- and sometimes they are unexpected, like a trip to the emergency room. All the same, we usually end up cursing them when w
#83 - Kath Eats: An Interview with Nutrition Blogger Kath Younger, RD
Ben and Ernie invite Kath Younger, Registered Dietitian and popular nutrition and wellness blogger, onto the show to discuss how her health journey led her to seek financial health and wellness. Kath started her blog katheats.com in 2007 to record her experiences exploring healthy foods and healthier eating habits, and has now expanded to cover natural beauty products as well as lifestyle topics l
#82 - YNAB's Four... Habits?
Behind every rule, there's a habit. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie explore YNAB's Four Rules, but in the context of the habits they build. After all, budgeting well is not so much about following (or breaking) hard rules, but rather consistently following certain habits, to help you plan and make better tradeoffs with your money. Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com
#81 - YNAB Wins Mega Episode
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 me
#80 - There's No Such Thing As Saving Money
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 cha
BONUS - Live Q&A on YouTube (11/29/2023)
Ben and Ernie went live on YouTube on November 29, 2023 to answer questions, share their budgets, and nerd out about YNAB. This bonus episode is a rebroadcast of the YouTube live, which you can find by following the link to the YouTube channel below. Link to Q&A on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/BR8-jcK-9xA?si=Ied1f-fgnHTjF9G8 Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.co
#79 - ANNOUNCEMENT! Live Q&A Today at 3:00pm EST (Nov 29th, 2023)
Set your reminders, Ben are Ernie are going live on the YouTube channel today at 3:00pm EST. They'll be answering your questions and getting nerdy about finances, so join in! If you are tuning in after the Q&A, you can still watch the replay -- just go to the Budget Nerds YouTube channel in the link below. If you want to send them a question to answer during the Q&A, send it via email here! budg
#78 - Are Impulse Purchases Wrecking Your Finances? A YNAB Study Finds Out
Everyone spends on impulse from time to time, even the most staunch adherents to frugality. According to a new study funded by YNAB, 94% of Americans admit to impulse spending. It's common nowadays to "treat yo'self" after a hard day, for instance. But is impulse spending a bad thing? Not necessarily! If your spending is aligned with your values and priorities, then spending should be fun. It shou
#77 - Are You On the Credit Card Float? Credit Card Alerts Can Help
The credit card float, as it has been termed, is the situation in which a person is reliant on the month-long grace period of the credit card to meet their obligations. In other words, they spend money now with a credit card, which they pay off later when their paycheck comes in. A person in this situation may pay off their card in full each month and never pay interest! But the fact remains that,
#76 - The Most Elegant Budget We've Ever Seen? An Interview with Budget Nerd Lee Bond
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
#75 - The Ultimate Guide to Targets in YNAB
Forecasting is kind of a dirty word at YNAB, because the Four Rule are all about budgeting the dollars you have now, and not counting on future dollars that haven't arrived yet. However, it's still useful to plan for future expenses, and understand how the timing of those expenses will affect how much money you need to set aside each month to cover them when they come due. Expense timing can be co
#74 - The Unexpected Benefits of Budgeting
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 spendi
#73 - Saving Dollars? Sure, But How About Saving Time!
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
#72 - Paying Off the Mortgage: Erin Walks Through How She Did It
Long time YNAB'er and Lead Educator at YNAB, Erin Lowell, shares her experience paying off her mortgage using YNAB principles. Mortgage Professor loan calculator http://www.mtgprofessor.com/ext/home2.aspx Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
#71 - Inside the Categories with Budget Nerd Gabi Bradley
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.
#70 - Focused Views: A Powerful New YNAB Feature!
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 categori
#69 - Budgeting a Month Ahead
Ben and Ernie share their different strategies for applying Rule Four -- aging your money -- and specifically budgeting for the month ahead. Ben budgets for the next month in real time, allocating paychecks to categories in the next month on the calendar. Ernie, on the other hand, uses a holding category to park dollars that will be applied to the next month, and waits until the beginning of the m
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