YNAB is focused purely on the money you have available and planning where it is going to be spent. The clean and uncluttered interface allows you to clearly see where all your dollars are sitting and the jobs you have planned for them. After 4 or 5 months most user will have set YNAB aside or use it in a much reduced role as I do. The reason for this is: I've used Quicken for a few years, but I've always been frustrated with the annual/biannual upgrade costs and the lack of a real budgeting function. No more overly optimistic guessing! I have used a well-known software program at my house for over a decade but have never been totally happy with it. Using the program as it was designed requires a change of focus from the dollars you have in your bank account to the dollars you have in your budget categories. This sounded a bit weird at first as I was used to frantically checking bank account balances to make sure we weren't about to overdraw, but once you start living within your budget categories the bank account balances take care of themselves.
It's a shame, because all the bits and pieces are there to make this a great personal accounting program - but the YNAB rules and lack of reports make it unusable, if you know what you are doing and don't need to be led by the hand. And if you aren't very familiar with keeping track of your finances, YNAB is so complex and inflexible it would be very hard to get it to work as it is designed.
It was easy to bring that in to $200 a month, which gives me an extra $300 to save or spend on my debt. You can't really budget a month in advance for a car wreck you don't know you're going to have. This software is designed for zero based budgeting. I have had it a day now and so far I like it.
For a while, I learned to write macros in Excel and started creating my own envelope system spreadsheet, but I was always searching for something else to make things simpler. Apparently the Quicken 2008 will allow for a more envelop budgeting experience, but I'm not going back. I am also doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University program and just this month have become debt-free except for the house. Last month on the DR forums I read about YNAB and how many DR followers use it. Rule Two is that you must operate a zero based budget. Every dollar of income needs to be assigned to a budget category. Instead of spending blindly and wondering where all our money went, we now know exactly where it went, but more importantly we know ahead where it is going. YNAB makes all of this easy to keep track of, but as mentioned by other reviewers it isn't a miraculous "fix it" program.
As things turned out, she was entitled to six months' severance pay under the terms of a merger agreement when her company was bought out. In addition, she found a new job with a 30% pay increase within two weeks of her severance date. The UI is intuitive such that beginners are not overwhelmed, yet has enough keyboard shortcuts to really keep you cooking entering transactions once you get the hang of it. The budget view/entry screen is clear and well thought out, and the reports are aesthetically pleasing in addition to being useful and informative.
The software does have learning curve to it, but I think that if you invest the time it takes to get up to speed on it, and to improve your financial self-control, you will be glad you did. If you are after financial freedom (and not by winning the lottery!) then this program is highly recommended. I was glad to be able to pay a bill without worry about when was my next paycheck because of the buffer. I recommend this product for those who want a simple budget without the financial jargon.
It's a shame, because all the bits and pieces are there to make this a great personal accounting program - but the YNAB rules and lack of reports make it unusable, if you know what you are doing and don't need to be led by the hand. And if you aren't very familiar with keeping track of your finances, YNAB is so complex and inflexible it would be very hard to get it to work as it is designed.
It was easy to bring that in to $200 a month, which gives me an extra $300 to save or spend on my debt. You can't really budget a month in advance for a car wreck you don't know you're going to have. This software is designed for zero based budgeting. I have had it a day now and so far I like it.
For a while, I learned to write macros in Excel and started creating my own envelope system spreadsheet, but I was always searching for something else to make things simpler. Apparently the Quicken 2008 will allow for a more envelop budgeting experience, but I'm not going back. I am also doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University program and just this month have become debt-free except for the house. Last month on the DR forums I read about YNAB and how many DR followers use it. Rule Two is that you must operate a zero based budget. Every dollar of income needs to be assigned to a budget category. Instead of spending blindly and wondering where all our money went, we now know exactly where it went, but more importantly we know ahead where it is going. YNAB makes all of this easy to keep track of, but as mentioned by other reviewers it isn't a miraculous "fix it" program.
As things turned out, she was entitled to six months' severance pay under the terms of a merger agreement when her company was bought out. In addition, she found a new job with a 30% pay increase within two weeks of her severance date. The UI is intuitive such that beginners are not overwhelmed, yet has enough keyboard shortcuts to really keep you cooking entering transactions once you get the hang of it. The budget view/entry screen is clear and well thought out, and the reports are aesthetically pleasing in addition to being useful and informative.
The software does have learning curve to it, but I think that if you invest the time it takes to get up to speed on it, and to improve your financial self-control, you will be glad you did. If you are after financial freedom (and not by winning the lottery!) then this program is highly recommended. I was glad to be able to pay a bill without worry about when was my next paycheck because of the buffer. I recommend this product for those who want a simple budget without the financial jargon.
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However, I wanted to get back in touch with my budgeting because I mainly do it in my head, and it can get stressful because I "budgeted" by limiting my expenses at all times. Laundry Cabinets.
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