YNAB (You Need a Budget)

[Bompalompalomp]

Hnnng, is anyone else use/is completely in love with this software? Aside from the fact that it keeps reminding me how skint I really am despite what's in my account...

 

(Apologies if this isn't the best forum for it, but it's personal not educational or enterprise software so I dunno...)

https://www.youneedabudget.com/

 

It's a bit pricey on its own without a sale, though. I picked it up during the Steam sales and I'm trying my best to stick to it and my limits after no other budgeting software or app has been "personal" enough for me. Thought it might be handy for some people here so I'd give it a mention. Does anyone have any experience with their courses? I thought about maybe hopping on one about saving.

[AMLinington]

Hnnng, is anyone else use/is completely in love with this software? Aside from the fact that it keeps reminding me how skint I really am despite what's in my account...

 

(Apologies if this isn't the best forum for it, but it's personal not educational or enterprise software so I dunno...)

https://www.youneedabudget.com/

 

It's a bit pricey on its own without a sale, though. I picked it up during the Steam sales and I'm trying my best to stick to it and my limits after no other budgeting software or app has been "personal" enough for me. Thought it might be handy for some people here so I'd give it a mention. Does anyone have any experience with their courses? I thought about maybe hopping on one about saving.

 

Never used it but I DO have my own budget spreadsheet I use. I did try to use budget software once but it was pre-smartphone and was a pain to administrate.

 

I really want to install the demo now!!!

Edited July 2, 2014 by AMLinington

[LosOjos]

I've been looking for a good personal budgeting tool, somewhat ironically however $60 is a bit out of my budget!

 

Also don't like that you're only covered for updates on current major version. It's good that they're up front about it, but is there any guarantee that if/when v5 comes out, you'll still be able to use cloud services to sync v4 with your mobile?

[Bompalompalomp]

I've been looking for a good personal budgeting tool, somewhat ironically however $60 is a bit out of my budget!

 

Also don't like that you're only covered for updates on current major version. It's good that they're up front about it, but is there any guarantee that if/when v5 comes out, you'll still be able to use cloud services to sync v4 with your mobile?

 

I'm not entirely sure but since I got it on sale I'm fine with transferring what I have to a backup and possibly grabbing it gain when at reduced. I might hazard a guess to say since it is on Steam it'd be updated through the same ID.

[hardtailstar]

bit pricey, I do have my own way of budgeting but I want a program that I can log into on computer and my phone.

[AMLinington]

bit pricey, I do have my own way of budgeting but I want a program that I can log into on computer and my phone.

 

This. I'm the same. I have a spreadsheet for our Joint account for the household bills but my own personal account could use better management. I'd love to use this software but I installed the demo and found that to use the cloud application you have to have DropBox. Really. I loathe when applications demand other application dependencies to work. I've uninstalled for now but it's so enticing!

[pcstru]

bit pricey, I do have my own way of budgeting but I want a program that I can log into on computer and my phone.

A google docs spreadsheet (a little bit awkward on a phone but do-able)?

 

I've always just used a spreadsheet at times when I need to get a bit more in touch with my poverty. I've never found anything quite as flexible.

[LosOjos]

Isnt it one of lifes many skills that your learn to deal with? Is there an app for breathing or eating?

 

If you have the ability to remember exactly where your account stands at any given time, good for you. The rest of us mere mortals use some form of tracking, as that's how we learnt to deal with it

 

A google docs spreadsheet (a little bit awkward on a phone but do-able)?

 

I've always just used a spreadsheet at times when I need to get a bit more in touch with my poverty. I've never found anything quite as flexible.

 

I started with a Google Docs sheet but my $deity was it a PITA to maintain on my phone!

 

Started using this and it seems pretty good so far (and it's free!): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.expensemanager&hl=en

[hardtailstar]

A google docs spreadsheet (a little bit awkward on a phone but do-able)?

 

I've always just used a spreadsheet at times when I need to get a bit more in touch with my poverty. I've never found anything quite as flexible.

 

I use that too and have issues using it on my phone too

[Bompalompalomp]

Isnt it one of lifes many skills that your learn to deal with? Is there an app for breathing or eating?

 

It's more about convenience and multiple platforms and not just being incompetent with money. I've used a google spreadsheet in the past to update on my phone but sometimes you just want something you can enter quickly and not have to faff around with.

The thing I use the most on it is scheduled transfers and payments. All automatic and calculated on an interval and don't need re-entering every month.

[Mayki5]

I've used it for over a year, also picked it up cheap on steam. A spreadsheet was mentioned to me, but convenience weighed in by the time I had my current account, savings, credit card and PayPal account configured. One sticking point for me was the lack of a WP8 app, so can't check on my phone, but the cloud sync works well enough to keep my desktop and windows tablet up to date with each other.

 

For those not bothered about mobile sync but still want cloud sync, it does work by making it a local budget, then sharing the folder the budget files are stored in. The way YNAB 4 saves the budgets should stop conflicts from overwriting. Share your budget without using Dropbox | YNAB

 

EDIT: In terms of how I use it, it's there to give me a general idea of how things are going. Set budget amounts at the beginning of the month, and every week or so, add in purchases and see if I'm on track or if I need to move some money around. While I log everything, I don't really check the budget for individual small purchases. With the KFC example for me, it would usually be me checking the budget and thinking "Oh, I've spent a bit much on KFC, time to cut back".

Every so often, the reporting features comes in handy to provide a rundown of what I've spent either by Payee or Category. As @Bompalompalomp mentions, the scheduled payments is really handy.

 

In brief though, YNAB vs Spreadsheet: I got YNAB cheap and putting together a spreadsheet with comparable features would have taken me more time than I wished to spend on it.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Mayki5

[Bompalompalomp]

Im thinking when you would use it. Would you use it to justify lunch at KFC or is this to nail down all your major ingoing / outgoings?

What if you needed a new pair of shoes, do you have to consult your app to see what you need to do without?

 

Really struggling to understand how this would help you but can think of many in how this is hindering you.

If you cant swim do you install an app to stop you from going near deep water or do you learn how to swim?

 

If I had a problem with money (which I dont), where is the logic of buying an expensive app?

 

 

I'm finding it rather hard to not take this offensively, but okay:

 

I don't use it to justify anything. It's just a tool to manage and track my spending and saving, calculate how much I need for x and can afford to spend and take from y to something else on a flexible month by month basis that also tells me on what day to expect a bill.

 

I don't have problems with my money but I do have to sort out my savings more effectively, and PERSONALLY this helps me realise where I'm going wrong. I also got it for 7 quid so if one needed to you could just wait like most Steam consumers. A tool isn't a crutch.

[pcstru]

If you have the ability to remember exactly where your account stands at any given time, good for you. The rest of us mere mortals use some form of tracking, as that's how we learnt to deal with it

Even my bank doesn't seem to know exactly what my balance should be! My philosophy has been to make sure I'm not getting into trouble in the long term (month on month deficit) but not worry about recording every small purchase. My ex used to sit down every couple of weeks and enter all her receipts into (istr) quicken. To me life seems to short for that but I guess it does depend on your situation and she seemed to actually enjoy it.

I started with a Google Docs sheet but my $deity was it a PITA to maintain on my phone!

I would think a little careful thought and a few short scripts could significantly ease the pain. What you want to do from a phone is probably quite limited (record new expense, show balance ...) so you just want to make those things really easy to do.

[LosOjos]

@Galway - as my mother used to say, "if you have nothing useful to say, STFU"

 

More seriously, your posts aren't helping anyone, you're just turning *yet another thread* in to an argument (not that you particularly have a habit of doing that, it just seems to be becoming a painfully frequent occurrence on EG these days)

 

If you don't want/need an app to keep track of your expenses, good for you. Telling others you don't need the help they do very rarely helps them though. At best you come across cocky, at worst you outright offend people.

 

Back on topic: as @pcstru quite rightly says, banks seem incapable of providing a real time balance. I can't count the number of time I've incurred a £25 fee plus £6 daily fee because when I checked my balance, it appeared to be in credit but actually I'd already spent some money that wasn't showing yet. To make matters worse, I use a text alert system with Lloyds to warn me when my account is below £x. Incredibly, they fail to text me when I'm overdrawn. In fact, if I don't get a text alert, I assume I'm overdrawn!

 

So keeping track myself allows me to see where I really stand. I don't do every little transaction to the penny, but if I spend £20 on Steam, it goes in. £5 on eBay, in it goes. £15 on a pub lunch, we'll track that too. Then, when I get a text saying "OMG, you have to see this band!", a quick check of my tracking allows me to see whether I can really afford it this month.

 

We've not all got enough disposable income to not worry about it!

[AMLinington]

Im thinking when you would use it. Would you use it to justify lunch at KFC or is this to nail down all your major ingoing / outgoings?

What if you needed a new pair of shoes, do you have to consult your app to see what you need to do without?

 

Really struggling to understand how this would help you but can think of many in how this is hindering you.

If you cant swim do you install an app to stop you from going near deep water or do you learn how to swim?

 

If I had a problem with money (which I dont), where is the logic of buying an expensive app?

 

"I've used a google spreadsheet in the past to update on my phone but sometimes you just want something you can enter quickly and not have to faff around with."

 

It's about keeping track.

 

For example, When LeBoyfriend and I get paid we pay £XYZ each into the joint account giving us a total household budget of £ABCD. From this, we pay all the household bills - mortgage, insurance, utilities, phone, internet, council tax, etc. We also have a food budget of £EFG. Whenever we do a shop I update our spreadsheet so I know how much of our food budget we have left, which bills have and have not been paid etc. This helps us decide whether or not we can afford a takeaway etc.

 

The same goes for my Current account. I try to keep my DDs going out at the same time but these days it's mostly impossible to get everything out on the same day so When I've paid my £XYZ into the joint account I have £ABC left in my account, of which £DEF has already been earmarked for personal Direct debits - Car insurance, mobile phone, Cat insurance (yes, my Cat is insured - much cheaper than the bills), WoW subscription, Car loan payment, credit card payments, Cat vaccination DD scheme at local vet, etc etc. BUT, it can be hard to track how much of £ABC is MINE vs how much is a DD waiting to go out.

 

This is what I'd use the app for.

 

It's not about not being able to manage money (and I won't be drawn into the fiscal responsibility argument again), it's about whether or not you can mentally keep all the incomings and outgoings (more outgoings than incomings usually) organised. It's hard to keep track of it all when so many are in different places - you have bank accounts, credit cards, mortgages, utilities etc. You keep phone numbers in a contacts list on your smartphone because it's difficult to remember each and every phone number. This is the same thing but with money. I think wanting to keep track of your finances is the mark of a responsible person whether you have disposable income or not.

 

As I like to say - it's better to have it and not use it than not have it and need it.

Edited July 2, 2014 by AMLinington

[LosOjos]

One thing I'm finding extremely irritating with most of the apps I've tried is that they only show net figures over the specified time frame, rather than a rolling balance. I just can't see the logic in that, especially as most of them don't let you set a manual time frame (which I could work with)

[visioN]

And what does TNAB app do with all this accurate spending data? hmmm

[AMLinington]

And what does TNAB app do with all this accurate spending data? hmmm

 

LOL Data Brokerage I imagine.

[Bompalompalomp]

And what does TNAB app do with all this accurate spending data? hmmm

 

Depends on the data and what you need it for?

 

Example:

> Be Viking

> While I'm out raiding I decide to buy a barrel of the finest elderberry mead. The priest who hasn't been blood-eagled or sold as a slave offers it to my if I spare his life, worth approximately £50.

> Do I have that much? Whip out my smartphone and check my drinks budget.

> It's halfway through the month so my drinks budget is only down to the £30 that I planned to spend. (This was before my son got dragged off by wolves last week and I drank until I saw Þorr...) So my priorities have shifted in the past week.

> I needed to stay within my budget, because my sea-steed's captain is kind of a jerk and I think he might try to throw me overboard and I needed a backup way of getting home. Because of this, I allocated an extra £40 for an emergency passage that I could use.

> Luckily I killed the captain while everybody was out collecting gold crosses, so that's no longer required in my rainy day fund along with my "in case of sudden visit to Valhalla" horde of treasure.

> With the stored data I can save time and either micromanage it slightly more by reallocating the saved money from the passage...

 

Or I could just axe him in the face and take it anyway.

[pcstru]

Or I could just axe him in the face and take it anyway.

Are you sure it's your money you need to take control of?

 

(Note to self, be somewhere else if @Bompalompalomp comes to town).

[Bompalompalomp]

Are you sure it's your money you need to take control of?

 

(Note to self, be somewhere else if @Bompalompalomp comes to town).

 

I hope you're not implying I don't have my physical assets under control! All of those villages and barrels of ale are completely balanced, I will have you know.

[abillybob]

You need budget software to budget to buy this software.

[X-13]

Or I could just axe him in the face and take it anyway.

 

Good sir, may I...

 

~Viking hat goes on~

 

AXE YOU A QUESTION?

 

YEEEEEAAAAAAH...~axe~

 

 

[David Caruso is now a viking]

[hardtailstar]

Thanks for the insight. I didn't realise such things were such a big problem for some.

Pm will be sent to address other issues, wouldn't want to be accused of poisoning or locking 'another' thread.

 

What's easy for one isn't always easy for another.

[north-ict]

Hey guys just to let you know 'You need a budget' software is currently on sale for £7.49 (75% off) at steam.