I still feel as if I am chasing money to be honest. However, I have made a BIG effort to have 2 hours for “Finance Fridays” each week that helps me stay on top of my spending. I reconcile YNAB, follow up with the cellphone company when they charge me for International calls I haven’t made etc. Purposely putting “finances” into my google calendar each week, helps me have a little more peace.
I am not stressed anymore about finances as we have been ynab-ing for years. My husband was laid off as his employer closed up and we were great as things were covered. Back to funding in case of any layoffs at new company he with now. In the past 2 years almost every appliance has been replaced in our home and all paid with cash (including new HVAC). For the longest time only debt we had was mortgage but someone totaled our 2013 truck in November so we had to replace that with a newer one. Did a huge down deposit and have a small loan that will paid off in under 2 years.
Honestly, my money stress pretty much evaporated about 5 years ago after a year of using YNAB. It’s not completely absent but the stress that remains is more about the hard choices around what I value and want to fund and not about how am I going to pay the bills. Over that 6 years I went slowly from paycheck to paycheck life with some serious credit card debt to being debt free (except my mortgage) and a month ahead. I never have to think about my bank account balance. When I recently split with my partner YNAB helped me figure out my new reality with confidence. Just try it. You can absolutely change your life.
Recently on vacation my son-in-law venmo'd money to me to repay us for an event we paid for in advance. I sent it back to him and asked him to please keep it, then proceeded to show him our YNAB app where the current and next 2 vacations were already fully funded so he need not worry. He finally agreed to keep the money. I've been using YNAB for 10 years or more and am so grateful I found it through The Simple Dollar blog many years ago. Thank you YNAB & Trent Hamm!
Unfortunately, my thought goes WAY back -- to the late 1980s? I was a couple years out of college in a steady job with steady, mostly predictable income, and I was spending freely. I came across a show on the radio, How to Manage Your Money with Larry Burkett that literally changed my life. I soon understood that I would be better off if I knew where I was spending my money so I could be intentional about future spending. I went back to my checkbook and laboriously wrote down all of my spending for the prior six months. As a single guy, I discovered I was spending $300 each month (in 1980s dollars, mind you) that I could not account for. I began tracking spending on columnar paper, then was later thrilled to be able to use spreadsheet software in the 90's. When Quicken came along, I thought it could not get any better, but they and their product lost their way after 15 years, so I found my way to YNAB.
Having money available for a need is freeing from anxiety. Getting to that place can be a marathon, but ever 26.2 miles is attainable over time, one step at a time.
Wow, amazing that you have such a crystalline memory of that first encounter. Completely agree that knowing you can meet a need (even – especially – if you don't know what exactly will be) relieves major anxiety.
I still feel as if I am chasing money to be honest. However, I have made a BIG effort to have 2 hours for “Finance Fridays” each week that helps me stay on top of my spending. I reconcile YNAB, follow up with the cellphone company when they charge me for International calls I haven’t made etc. Purposely putting “finances” into my google calendar each week, helps me have a little more peace.
I am not stressed anymore about finances as we have been ynab-ing for years. My husband was laid off as his employer closed up and we were great as things were covered. Back to funding in case of any layoffs at new company he with now. In the past 2 years almost every appliance has been replaced in our home and all paid with cash (including new HVAC). For the longest time only debt we had was mortgage but someone totaled our 2013 truck in November so we had to replace that with a newer one. Did a huge down deposit and have a small loan that will paid off in under 2 years.
Honestly, my money stress pretty much evaporated about 5 years ago after a year of using YNAB. It’s not completely absent but the stress that remains is more about the hard choices around what I value and want to fund and not about how am I going to pay the bills. Over that 6 years I went slowly from paycheck to paycheck life with some serious credit card debt to being debt free (except my mortgage) and a month ahead. I never have to think about my bank account balance. When I recently split with my partner YNAB helped me figure out my new reality with confidence. Just try it. You can absolutely change your life.
Recently on vacation my son-in-law venmo'd money to me to repay us for an event we paid for in advance. I sent it back to him and asked him to please keep it, then proceeded to show him our YNAB app where the current and next 2 vacations were already fully funded so he need not worry. He finally agreed to keep the money. I've been using YNAB for 10 years or more and am so grateful I found it through The Simple Dollar blog many years ago. Thank you YNAB & Trent Hamm!
The Simple Dollar helped me SO much as well! (Also, YNAB :)
The next two vacations fully funded?! That must feel GREAT.
Proud to say that for the first time, I just paid my $260 accountant bill with money siphoned off month by month!
Yahoo! Your accountant would be proud!
Unfortunately, my thought goes WAY back -- to the late 1980s? I was a couple years out of college in a steady job with steady, mostly predictable income, and I was spending freely. I came across a show on the radio, How to Manage Your Money with Larry Burkett that literally changed my life. I soon understood that I would be better off if I knew where I was spending my money so I could be intentional about future spending. I went back to my checkbook and laboriously wrote down all of my spending for the prior six months. As a single guy, I discovered I was spending $300 each month (in 1980s dollars, mind you) that I could not account for. I began tracking spending on columnar paper, then was later thrilled to be able to use spreadsheet software in the 90's. When Quicken came along, I thought it could not get any better, but they and their product lost their way after 15 years, so I found my way to YNAB.
Having money available for a need is freeing from anxiety. Getting to that place can be a marathon, but ever 26.2 miles is attainable over time, one step at a time.
Wow, amazing that you have such a crystalline memory of that first encounter. Completely agree that knowing you can meet a need (even – especially – if you don't know what exactly will be) relieves major anxiety.