Round 2: How long have you been using YNAB for?
Bonus questions: was it your first budgeting app?
Do you also use a spreadsheet?
3 years, I went off of it for 6 months thinking I could just manage it with a spreadsheet. I was somewhat successful but all the convenience YNAB gives you is really worth it and their bank syncing has gotten a lot better over the years.
I’ve been using YNAB for 2 years.
I have a spreadsheet that has over a decade of all transactions and historical net worth. However, I never incorporated an actual budget. YNAB is for the monthly budget and planning future purposes. Spreadsheet is because I need control and like to see our overall financial status.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
I’ve been in the game for about 8 months, but I’ve gone through like 4-5 different apps (I’m a Simple Bank refugee) before finding YNAB.
I definitely still spreadsheet, I can’t seem to give up my ultimate finance spreadsheet which has been in continuous use for almost a decade
About 10 years, starting with YNAB4 after it was on a steam sale.
I used to use a (really crap) spreadsheet I built myself, which was fine when I was a student and had (relatively speaking) simple finances and little money. After a few years of work, getting credit cards, and having to deal with a lot of work-related travel expenses (which could often be over 1k a month) I needed something I trusted a bit more than my excel-fu.
I held out on transferring to “nYNAB” for about a year, mostly because of the bad habits I had got in to (right arrow, entering pay early, and not using credit cards properly), but haven’t looked back since.
The only time I’ve considered leaving was the price hike - I was grandfathered in to the $45/yr tier - but the family / multibudget functionality brought me (and my partner) back as it meant the price basically stayed the same after we combined accounts.
YNAB for many years (at least three) and I still miss it. Then I took a break and lost control of finances and signed up for new YNAB and it’s worked well enough for the last 5 years.
I’d be a nervous wreck spending money if not for YNAB 😅
No spreadsheets for me now but that’s how I started. I created a spreadsheet to emulate the envelope budgeting method. But YNAB categories filled that need and did it better so I switched over to that at that time.
Using it for real since 2020 (had 2 failed attempts to use YNAB4 and nYNAB years ago). I had played around with Mint and I was a Simple bank user (only scratched the surface of their tools).
I’ve been using it for most of the past seven years. I stopped using it and looked for cheaper alternatives at some point, but I realized that with the toolkit ynab is everything I need. If they ever break the toolkit for good I’m gone.
It wasn’t my first budgeting app. I don’t use a spreadsheet.
I’m using it for almost 2 years now and I’ve come to be almost addicted for all money other than investment accounts. I’ve gotten through most of my life without any budget tool. I just had a good sense of how much money was available. I’m amazed at how I’ve adapted to YNAB.
Halfway into my second year. I tell people it saved my life. Married to an accountant for a decade and I never learned to budget for myself growing up. After we split I had a choice to either live paycheck to paycheck or grow up and make a plan.
Spreadsheets, free apps, auto organizing subscriptions… Nothing really worked until ynab and it’s worth every penny.