When I started budgeting this was my number one lightbulb moment. Treat savings (and retirement) like an expense. Here are some of the tips it teaches you and some I’ve put into practices through my years of budgeting: 1. I love that is has consolidated my budget system from multiple online spots to just one with everything all in one place. YNAB takes away all the tricks and keeps a nice register for you. Basically it took my old spreadsheet system and made it a lot more legit. I’ve been using YNAB for a month now, and there are many things that I really like about it. Roll with the punches (be flexible! you are always in charge of your own budget and can change it) Rule FourĪge your money (build enough of a buffer to stop living paycheck to paycheck) Give every dollar a job (predict what your expenses will look like before they happen) Rule TwoĮmbrace your true expenses (those expenses that aren’t monthly regulars but pop up by surprise) Rule Three YNAB teaches four rules that help you take control over your money: Rule One If I had to live without one, however, Mint could go.
So the two apps serve very different purposes for me. I only have two accounts linked in my YNAB: checking and credit card.
Their retirement calculator is the best I’ve used.īut YNAB is by a landslide a better budgeting app and better way to track your spending. I think Personal Capital is better than Mint as a net worth tracker. YNAB by a landslide!! I think Mint is great for seeing ALL of your accounts at once – investments, retirement, property, college savings, checking, credit cards.
I have three months free for all of you readers (no credit card required) so check it out here if you’d like to give it a try. What Is YNAB?Įnter You Need A Budget (YNAB), a personal budgeting web app that does all the organizing for you. I truly believe that just like staying mindful of fitness and nutrition is important for living your healthiest life, keeping a close eye on your spending is imperative to healthy finances. I have tried all kinds of budgeting methods and even shared my own spreadsheet a few years back in my NERD KERF series. While it’s not always fun to not buy something because of a budget constraint, I enjoy keeping a close eye on my spending and saving, as it makes me feel super organized! It’s quite a necessity as a self-employed businesswoman. This budgeting method helps you be intentional about where your money goes.īelow, we review the You Need A Budget (YNAB) app to give you all the details on its features, including the tools, perks, safety, pricing, availability and ratings so you can decide if it is the right app for managing your money.If you’ve been reading KERF for years, you’d know that I love budgeting with YNAB. This is known as the "zero-based budgeting system," where you assign every dollar a purpose in your budget.
Instead of using traditional budgeting buckets, YNAB users map out a plan for every dollar. Out of a dozen-plus apps that CNBC Select compared when rating the best budgeting apps and best expense tracker apps, YNAB stood out for being the best app for serious budgeters. If you're the latter, then the You Need A Budget (YNAB) app is for you. Maybe you need an app that can also help curb your spending, save you money and put you on the fast track to debt payoff. Think about whether you want help tracking your incoming and outgoing cash, or if you want more than that. Consider your needs before settling on just any free budgeting app.