YNAB: You Need a Budget (for your Leaf) :)

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cdub

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 15, 2010
Messages
1,073
Location
La Crescenta, CA
I just thought I'd give a shout out to the best budgeting and finance software on the planet as it has really helped me save for a downpayment.

Seriously - this app has changed my life. I've paid off so much and increase our net worth quite a bit ever since I've started using it... and best of all I know for sure that I'll be able to afford the monthly payments for the Leaf and it has even helped me save up the money I need for the downpayment.

I found this app because I was sick of Quicken for the Mac never being updated or just being plain bad. It really is an amazing piece of software.

In a nutshell it acts as the "envelope" budgeting system where you take money each month and put it into different "envelopes" for each budget category. It's actually more of a philosophy than a piece of software.

And the best part... is that after using the software for a while... it has you living on LAST month's income. So you always have a buffer of a month if god forbid my freelance gig ended earlier than expected.

Check it out. I can't sing enough praise about it.

http://www.youneedabudget.com/
 
Thanks for the link. I, too, got sick of Quicken Essentials for Mac and asked for a refund. Complete junk software!

Now, I'm simply using an Xcel spreadsheet as a checkbook register and to track spending, but it doesn't do ANY graphs or show budget info. But because I use my debit card for virtually EVERYTHING, it's nice to have that data electronically displayed AND I use my iDisk to store the file 'off-site' so there are no HD crash worries. :D

I'll check out YNAB and see if the 7 day trial shows me enough to make me budget the $55 for the software! :cool:
 
Yup, I am still using a spreadsheet (Google---I try to avoid MS products as much as possible, as well as Intuit....though you can't escape either for certain applications).

I will definitely take a look.
 
I need to move to something since MS Money has been discontinued. But looks like YNAB is rather basic. I might have to go to Quicken - as that is what is supported by all the banks etc
 
evnow said:
I need to move to something since MS Money has been discontinued. But looks like YNAB is rather basic. I might have to go to Quicken - as that is what is supported by all the banks etc

YNAB is completely compatible with Quicken bank download files.

YNAB is also more of a cash flow budgeting software but it has increased my net worth tremendously and reduced 90% of my money worries. Quicken just showed me where I was losing all my money. :)
 
cdub said:
YNAB is completely compatible with Quicken bank download files.

I need 3 basic things
- autoconnect and download all transactions from banks, investment accounts & credit card companies
- import MS Money data (I've a decade worth!)
- handoff to turbotax

Reading the reviews, it sounds like it won't do all these things.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/you_need_a_budg.html

1) One who needs a budget, otherwise they’ll spend whatever they can get their hands on, and then some,
2) One who does a pretty good job by themselves, stays out of debt, but could defintely benefit from a proper budget, or
3) One who is so anal about their money, that they don’t need a budget. They already scrutinize every purchase before they make it.

Let’s face it. Most of us are #1 or #2. So that’s why I agreed to review the YouNeedABudget (YNAB) Budgeting Spreadsheets.

I'm somewhere between 2 & 3 above.
 
evnow said:
cdub said:
YNAB is completely compatible with Quicken bank download files.

I need 3 basic things
- autoconnect and download all transactions from banks, investment accounts & credit card companies
- import MS Money data (I've a decade worth!)
- handoff to turbotax

Reading the reviews, it sounds like it won't do all these things.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/you_need_a_budg.html

1) One who needs a budget, otherwise they’ll spend whatever they can get their hands on, and then some,
2) One who does a pretty good job by themselves, stays out of debt, but could defintely benefit from a proper budget, or
3) One who is so anal about their money, that they don’t need a budget. They already scrutinize every purchase before they make it.

Let’s face it. Most of us are #1 or #2. So that’s why I agreed to review the YouNeedABudget (YNAB) Budgeting Spreadsheets.

Well yes it won't do those things. But... I know many people who use both. Quicken for past data ans taxes... and YNAB for budgeting and cashflow.

I'm somewhere between 2 & 3 above.
 
Actually... I'd think being anal with your money would be living on a budget. YNAB pretty much forces you to give every $ a job.
 
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