✨ The Magic of a Zero-Based Budget ✨ 

After using YNAB for almost a year I can't imagine going back to budgeting on paper. I'm saving more now than I ever have because I can prioritize more effectively since every dollar is accounted for.

YNAB lets you look to your budget instead of your bank account. That is budgeting’s magic.

100% agree that moving money from category to category really teaches you about your true priorities, and can even give some priorities that you didn't know you had a chance to show themselves.

I'm in my 4th year of using YNAB and still use my Stuff I Forgot to Budget For category, usually to flex dining out or groceries or tbh games. The category started out at $100, is now down to $25, but I still use it! It's an important part of budgeting to have some wiggle room, but also understand that it's not what the To Be Budgeted section is for.

You really zeroed in on why zero based budgeting has been so helpful to me as I bet in control of my finances. One of the problems I faced before YNAB that I made a priority to fix was impulse shopping. If I saw an ad for a fancy new kitchen tool that I could imagine helping me in the house, well... I needed it, obviously! And pre-YNAB I never had to face or think about the opportunity cost of buying the gadget--what I was losing in exchange. Doing my budget when I receive a pay check, and when I'm not under the influence of the shiny new doohickey, let's me set my priorities and having to face those priorities when I want to go in and move money to buy the thingie is an amazingly strong deterrent to unnecessary impulse shopping. Another, complementary, thing I did was recommended by Chelsea Fagan of TheFinancialDiet--when I was making my first budget in YNAB I went through my credit card and Bank statements and flagged every transaction that I had no real memory of making: a bagel here, some socks off the internet there, etc. The fact that I had no memory of them meant they weren't important and didn't improve my life in a meaningful way, and therefore I could make a note to remember that those things should not be priorities for me when that impulse-purchase-itch starts back up.

Love you in these videos. Still trying to navigate budgeting. I do miss your other videos though, wish you could do both

You're my fav host in YNAB. Thank you for delivering great ideas in clear and calming way.

Great video! I have an actual category called "stuff I forgot to budget for" and "burning a hole in my pocket" they both get moved to more responsible categories if they go unused or as needed.

My favorite part of this video was when you used my last name 4:37. ❤️ We practice the YNAB rules, but we also have an Emergency Fund category. This is left over from before we started with YNAB. It gives us piece of mind even if we never use it for anything. Thanks for another wonderful video!

Thank you! Please make this one of the beginner how-to videos. So helpful!

Great video. I'm also sharing YNAB with family members. Awesome. Great video.

Liking all these new videos! Keep em coming 🤑🤑

Wow, such a good video! Really informative and made simple. Thank you :)

Wonderful video! Thank you so much.

Love the new intro & graphic!

Another great vid, thanks!

I have a "things I forgot to budget for" category

Yeah, I definitely like having a buffer for unexpected autopay expenses, but it’s definitely nice to make a zero based budget.

Thanks 🎉so simple

There are tons of people in groups for ynab that just leave. the money they don't need for the month in "to be budgeted" I cannot do that I have to do something with it lol

Great video

I’m 5 days into trying YNAB. I’ve used two major ‘Australian’ Budgeting tools/app over the last 6 years and wow I am impressed! I planned to quickly break rules - because I considered myself beyond a newbie to budgeting. Regardless, I quickly road tested the ‘recommended way’ and well - to my surprise - I can not speak more highly of manual entry of method for transactions (despite being a sync bank account person in the past), and ZBB (zero based budgeting) is a breeze. My my first app did ZBB well, the 2nd didn’t have it (it was more for tracking and not budgeting), but YNAB is superior to both I already have ‘old’ money and I can see this app is going to give me some insight that my previously apps were not able to do. The YNAB mechanisms for rolling with the punches (i.e. ‘robbing from Peter to pay Paul’) make it so FAST to shuffle the money. Shifting money via the YNAB mechanisms minimises the confusion; if anything it is a symphony in simplification once you have the hang of it. Well done YNAB! I can’t image go back to the old ways for the budgeting insight - I look forward to see what reporting tools are available (I would like it to I replace my other app which does track and pull data well). Tip - I did consuming many of the instructional guides and some videos (from all the various presenters) - to get the best feel before I dived in - and, that was a great grounding - it convinced me to try unexplored methods that I would have dismissed; many I will now add to my toolkit.

I’ve struggled with that myself.

Hi Ashley! I'm wondering what your thoughts are on an emergency fund. I'm working toward a goal of having a year's worth of expenses saved up in an emergency fund due to the income uncertainty of COVID. How do you suggest notating this in YNAB? Budget the money in future months? Have a general "Emergency Fund" or "Rainy Day Fund" category where the money goes? Budget the money to each category for future months (like having multiple months of rent/mortgage allocated to that category)?

I’m only here for Ashley! 😂 is there any chance you’ll sort your videos into playlists according to the presenter? Although I’d like to point out that zero based budgeting actually means you have to justify your spend each time. For example you spent $500 on food last month but that doesn’t automatically mean you start the next month with $500. You have to zero out your budget and justify the amount you plan to spend again.

Done.

Wow! This seems so useful, can't wait to try it out! Just one question, what if some of my income is not always certain from the beginning of the month?

Is there really a difference between 'leaving a little money unasssigned" and creating a "stuff I forgot to budget for" account?

I love YNAB. Been using it for years, ever since I bought it on Steam. But dang, I really wish they could get the account syncing issues fixed. It feels slow but I understand that this is probably out of your control.

I'm fine with moving money when I have to "roll with the punches" but I'm still I a little confused about the negative budgeted balances I get when I move money. I'd like to zero them out but I don't quite get how.

YNAB comes with a "Stuff I Forgot to Budget For" category but default. Does this defeat the purpose? EDIT: This category was mentioned in passing, but my question still stands.

Category called cushion or miscellaneous.

I normally have about £75 on "Stuff I forgot to budget for" category everybody. Another unintentional way of saving money.

She is ridiculously cute.

Magic? Where? Sometimes, YNAB just seems to say things in order to say things. It's off-putting.