Budget Nerds

Have you felt overwhelmed trying to think of categories for your money when you start a fresh spending plan? Or just wished someone would come up with new categories for you when you need to plan for a major life event? You're in luck, someone has done all that work for you! They are called YNAB templates. In today's episode Ben and Ernie take a look at the new templates feature in YNAB, and share their experiments incorporating templates into their own spending plans.   There are a number of templates available, ranging from very general, such as the beginner and minimalist templates, to highly specific, such as getting a new puppy or renovating your kitchen. Templates have categories preloaded and organized for you, and some even have targets with ballpark figures. The idea is to help you think of the various things you need to plan for, big and small. For instance, when planning a vacation most people immediately think of airfare and hotels or Air B&B, but there are also small expenses like parking and souvenirs that can add up to big bucks over the course of a trip! With the travel template, all these things have already been considered for you, so you can just import the template directly into your plan and set targets that fit your trip.   Ben and Ernie each picked a template to import into their plan (it's easy to import templates -- just find the one you want to use, one click and it imports straigth into your plan). Ben chose travel and used it for a recent beach vacation. Ernie chose food since he and his family have recently changed their habits around eating out and shopping for groceries. Of course, templates aren't set in stone, so Ben and Ernie modified them to fit their own situation.   If you find yourself stuck on building categories in your plan, or just need some fresh inspiration, try out a template!   Find your YNAB template here: https://www.ynab.com/templates [https://www.ynab.com/templates]   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams [https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams] Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g]   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com [budgetnerds@ynab.com]

In today's episode Ben and Ernie chat with Lauren, a long time YNAB user going back to YNAB4 and a Customer Support Specialist at YNAB. Though she was born in the US, Lauren is of Korean descent and since 2017 has been teaching English in South Korea. Her unique background has required some pro-level YNAB moves, since she is paid in US dollars but spends in both USD and Korean Yuan, which fluctuate in value relative to each other.   YNAB's recommended solution is to maintain two plans, one in each currency, so that currency fluctuations don't cause your plan to drift over time. This is a reliable method, but it requires you to maintain two plans and keep track of duplicate categories in each currency. Lauren prefers to manage her money in one plan, and simply makes the currency conversion when she enters her transactions in YNAB.   In today's episode Ben and Ernie dive into Lauren's categories, and discuss her unique way of managing multiple currencies in one plan.   Resources mentioned in this episode: * YNAB Templates: https://www.ynab.com/templates [https://www.ynab.com/templates]   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams [https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams] Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g]   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com [budgetnerds@ynab.com]

You don't have to be a power user for YNAB to help you gain control over your money, start loving the way you spend, and change your life. But there's a lot of power under the hood, and Ben and Ernie want to help you unlock it! In today's episode they walk through a handful of their favorite YNAB features and tools and show how you can use them to plan your spending like a true Budget Nerd.   Resources mentioned in this episode: * YNAB Templates: https://www.ynab.com/templates [https://www.ynab.com/templates] * Heard It from Hannah -- 10 Features You Might Have Missed: https://youtu.be/-N94FQjaVyU?si=hIsKCZlQbZj42tw0 [https://youtu.be/-N94FQjaVyU?si=hIsKCZlQbZj42tw0]     Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams [https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams] Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g]   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com [budgetnerds@ynab.com]

Get your popcorn ready, because on today's episode Ben and Ernie are lacing up the gloves and going for 12 rounds! Twelve rounds of YNAB debate, of course. They have selected 12 YNAB hot topics and spend three minutes debating each one. Topics include: * Using emoji's in category titles * Using a cash account vs a cash category to track physical dollar bills * Prioritizing an emergency fund or getting a month ahead * And more!     Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams [https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams] Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g]   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com [budgetnerds@ynab.com]   Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW: YNAB.com/events [https://ynab.com/events]

In today's episode Ben and Ernie talk with the man himself, Todd Curtis, long-time YNAB team member and CEO since 2021. Todd has been a YNAB'er going all the way back to the YNAB3 days, and served as a beta tester for an early Mac version of the software before officially joining the company in 2010. In his tenure at YNAB Todd has touched on just about every aspect of the business, from customer service to product development, and now leads the company and helps shape and focus the core values of spendfulness that YNAB stands for.   In this episode, Todd discusses his history with YNAB and how a fateful email to Jesse led to him getting a job. He talks about the evolution in philosophy from budgeting to planning, the five questions, and how some recently released features on the YNAB app aim to guide new users to plan their money without having to reference supporting materials. Todd also discusses the future vision of the company, and how he sees the app and the method evolving to better support YNAB's core mission to teach people to live more spendfully.   Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams [https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams] Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g]   Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! budgetnerds@ynab.com [budgetnerds@ynab.com]   Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW: YNAB.com/events [https://ynab.com/events]