Budget Nerds

Latest Episodes:

BONUS - Live Q&A on YouTube (11/29/2023) Dec 01, 2023

Show notes

Ben and Ernie went live on YouTube on November 29, 2023 to answer questions, share their budgets, and nerd out about YNAB. This bonus episode is a rebroadcast of the YouTube live, which you can find by following the link to the YouTube channel below.

Link to Q&A on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/live/BR8-jcK-9xA?si=Ied1f-fgnHTjF9G8

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#79 - ANNOUNCEMENT! Live Q&A Today at 3:00pm EST (Nov 29th, 2023) Nov 29, 2023

Show notes

Set your reminders, Ben are Ernie are going live on the YouTube channel today at 3:00pm EST. They'll be answering your questions and getting nerdy about finances, so join in! If you are tuning in after the Q&A, you can still watch the replay -- just go to the Budget Nerds YouTube channel in the link below.

If you want to send them a question to answer during the Q&A, send it via email here!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#78 - Are Impulse Purchases Wrecking Your Finances? A YNAB Study Finds Out Nov 15, 2023

Show notes

Everyone spends on impulse from time to time, even the most staunch adherents to frugality. According to a new study funded by YNAB, 94% of Americans admit to impulse spending. It's common nowadays to "treat yo'self" after a hard day, for instance. But is impulse spending a bad thing? Not necessarily! If your spending is aligned with your values and priorities, then spending should be fun. It should bring you joy. And with a good spending plan, it doesn't have to wreck your finances either!

Ben and Ernie explore the YNAB study that asked various questions about impulse purchases, including the various reasons it happens: emotional support, fear of missing out (FOMO), dining out, and seasonal influences (like Christmas). By understanding the nature of impulse spending, you can plan for it and set aside some money for indulgances, so you don't miss the money when other bills come due. Ben and Ernie also offer some tips for experienced YNAB'ers struggling with overspending in their categories due to impulse spending.

The YNAB Study:

https://www.ynab.com/blog/impulsebuying

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#77 - Are You On the Credit Card Float? Credit Card Alerts Can Help Nov 01, 2023

Show notes

The credit card float, as it has been termed, is the situation in which a person is reliant on the month-long grace period of the credit card to meet their obligations. In other words, they spend money now with a credit card, which they pay off later when their paycheck comes in. A person in this situation may pay off their card in full each month and never pay interest! But the fact remains that, if they are on the float, they are in debt -- they do not have the cash to handle their current expenses.

What's insidiuous about the credit card float is that it can happen slowly. As life changes and spending changes along with it, credit card expenses can slowly start to overwhelm the amount of cash you have coming in. Fortunately, YNAB has features to help you manage that!

Ben and Ernie walk through the new credit card alert feature in YNAB, which alerts you when overspending in a category causes you to not have enough cash to cover your credit card balance. Or, if you add a credit card to YNAB with an existing balance, it will alert you to assign dollars to cover that existing balance before handling other expenses.

Heard It from Hannah on the Credit Card Float: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3fkNO1XfpU

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#76 - The Most Elegant Budget We've Ever Seen? An Interview with Budget Nerd Lee Bond Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

As the principal budget nerds at YNAB, Ben and Ernie have seen their fair share of elegant budgets, but the one featured in today's episode might take the cake for the most refined of all time! Long time YNAB'er and bona fide budget nerd Lee Bond joins the podcast to discuss his history of using YNAB, his category structures, his unique use of "transfers," and his various adventures trying to push the boundaries and break YNAB.

Lee has thought through every category and transaction with precision and an eye for cleanliness and efficiency. If you call yourself a hardcore budget nerd, or aspire to be one, then you will enjoy this episode with Lee!

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#75 - The Ultimate Guide to Targets in YNAB Oct 04, 2023

Show notes

Forecasting is kind of a dirty word at YNAB, because the Four Rule are all about budgeting the dollars you have now, and not counting on future dollars that haven't arrived yet. However, it's still useful to plan for future expenses, and understand how the timing of those expenses will affect how much money you need to set aside each month to cover them when they come due. Expense timing can be complex, too -- some things hit weekly, biweekly, monthly, others hit at odd intervals like every 3 weeks or 6 months. YNAB has tools to handle these! Targets are a powerful way to organize and understand your expenses no matter how complex the timing is.

Ben and Ernie dive deep into the various target types available in YNAB, and clever ways you can use them to track expenses, track debt pay down, and more.

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#74 - The Unexpected Benefits of Budgeting Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

Ben and Ernie share insightful comments from a recent conversation in the YNAB Fans Group on Facebook in which one YNAB'er asked: what's one benefit to using YNAB that surprised you? YNAB is of course all about getting your money straight, but the reality is that when you get your money right, other aspects of life tend to follow suit. After all, getting your money right means alinging your spending with your values.

Whether it's improved friendships and marriages, reduced stress and worry, discovering new insight into your behaviors through tracking expenses, or simply watching your bank account balance climb to historic levels -- there are many benefits to budgeting that affect all aspects of life!

YNAB Fans on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/YNABFans/

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#73 - Saving Dollars? Sure, But How About Saving Time! Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

YNAB is all about giving dollars a job, but what about your time? Ben and Ernie poke at the edges of common budgeting practices in YNAB to determine what is really necessary, and what can be thrown out in the name of efficiency and time management. It's a fun exercise -- and often insightful -- to take practices or "rules" that you take for granted and tear them down to see how essential they are to the task of budgeting.

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#72 - Paying Off the Mortgage: Erin Walks Through How She Did It Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Long time YNAB'er and Lead Educator at YNAB, Erin Lowell, shares her experience paying off her mortgage using YNAB principles.

Mortgage Professor loan calculator

http://www.mtgprofessor.com/ext/home2.aspx

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

#71 - Inside the Categories with Budget Nerd Gabi Bradley Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

Ben and Ernie interview fellow budget nerd and YNAB power user Gabi Bradley. Gabi is a busy mom balancing work, family, and changing financial obligations (including daycare!). She shares her unique category structure, which she assembled using various strategies outlined on Heard It from Hannah and Budget Nerds, and how her family uses the budget to handle their ever-changing financial needs.

Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!

budgetnerds@ynab.com

Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected