YNAB You Need A Budget

michael19_2

Hi 
I have been using the YNAB method of budgeting since February and can honestly say it is by far the best thing I have done for our families finances. 
We have never had so much control over our money and feel laser focussed on our goals. 

If you have struggled with money or just want a system that helps you manage it better give YNAB a go. It really has changed our lives in the 5 months we have been using it
Feel free to PM if you want to know more 
Fire away with any questions you have or if you already use YNAB and think its as good as I do. 

ratechaser

More suited the the referrals board perhaps?

Late1stTimeBuyer

It certainly is something I've looked at, but to be honest I can't get my head around paying for it. I'm looking at sorting our budgeting but will probably end up using a spreadsheet. 
I do like the idea behind YNAB with "giving every pound a job".

Archi_Bald

If you don't want to pay and want more than your personal spreadsheet, have a look at MS Money, Money Dashboard etc.

michael19_2

ratechaser said:

More suited the the referrals board perhaps?

Removed the part about referral...

Archi_Bald said:

If you don't want to pay and want more than your personal spreadsheet, have a look at MS Money, Money Dashboard etc.

The above is true. I had both MS Money and Money Dashboard. I also had OnTrees and a host of other apps. All those apps did was track our spending. YNAB is completely different and certainly changed the way we deal with our money. 

Late1stTimeBuyer said:

It certainly is something I've looked at, but to be honest I can't get my head around paying for it. I'm looking at sorting our budgeting but will probably end up using a spreadsheet. 
I do like the idea behind YNAB with "giving every pound a job".

It does have a steep learning curve but there is loads of support and when it clicks it really does work. I was dubious about paying for what is effectively a really advanced spreadsheet but trust me it is so much more.

greensalad

I am always on here evangelising about YNAB haha. Yes, it has a steep learning curve and yes, it does have a cost but it is probably one of the handful of things in my life that I can count as "best decision ever made". Seriously. I wouldn't be close to paying off my debt and feeling in total control of my finances if I didn't use it. 

I used it for free for a year as a student first so perhaps that helped me get bitten by the bug. It's well worth the money IMO. I love saving for goals and feeling like I'm constantly on top of everything.

Could I do everything for free on a spreadsheet? Probably. But it'd be hard and no way near as easy to use. I'm a web developer so creating systems like that including some of the more advanced formulae wouldn't be a problem but I still would rather pay for it than attempt to recreate it in Excel.

captainlongtoes

I use the MSE budget spreadsheet and the planner in Money Dashboard and allocate the weekly shop and any other expected expenditures on it, so far so good and I like that I have the app as well as the website. I tried YNAB but may give it another go in the future, my brain couldn't quite grasp how to use it!