
YNAB makes your budget simple, real-time, and easy to understand It sounded like a lot, but not as much as if I started thinking about it next June. And while August seems far away, YNAB pointed out that I need to set aside almost $650 every month if I want to write that check with zero stress. I took five minutes to go through my list of budget categories, and I came up with several I usually forget until the last minute: a car insurance payment, R.’s week-long ski camp in January, and preschool tuition due in super-distant August 2018. They make our short-term financial picture crystal clear. I’ve exclusively used the balance-by-date goals so far. With goals, you can set a category’s target balance, in general or by a certain date, or establish a target monthly contribution. This works fine, until I hit a month with multiple big expenses I haven’t prepared for. I’m notorious for living below my means and assuming I’ll have enough money for anything that comes along. Of all the convenience features, YNAB won me over with goals. My budget used to be based on guesses or wishful thinking. It can suggest a “quick budget” for each category based on previous spending, or you can easily view last month’s spending or average spending, right from the main screen. That means no surprises when the bill comes, even if you did lose all your receipts.Īfter you have a month or two under your belt, YNAB learns your spending habits. The app also puts money into your budget for credit card payments as credit transactions import. Transactions import automatically, which helps if you frequently lose or forget to ask for receipts. Reluctant budgeters will love YNAB’s automated features. It’s easy to see when new transactions come in, and it only takes a minute to categorize and approve them. This is great for people who struggle to sit down at a desk, but often look for ways to kill time with a smartphone. In other words, the app doesn’t let me slack off, nor does it get in its own way.įor the phone fidgeters among us, YNAB offers a full-featured mobile app. The mobile app places new transactions at the top to prompt me to approve and categorize them. When I overspend a category, YNAB asks me to move money from somewhere else. When I log in, helpful tips pop up just often enough to keep me moving. Post-setup, I check the app regularly because it has a clean, attractive, and simple user interface. I connected my relevant bank accounts and credit cards, added a line or two to the pre-fabbed budget, and was off and running.

YNAB took me around 25 minutes to set up. If you’ve failed in the past, YNAB may put effective budgeting within reach. It’s simple, easy, and automated, which saves time and energy most ADHD’ers aren’t going to put into their budget anyway. Turns out, I didn’t know everything, and YNAB is great for people with ADHD. I’ve been using it for almost three months now.

Without it, people with ADHD can face lifelong financial insecurity and stress.ĭespite thinking I knew everything there was to know about money, I decided to try You Need a Budget (YNAB), the money management app everyone’s been talking about. Growing up, I was fortunate to learn fiscal responsibility from my parents. We’re impulsive, we’re forgetful, we hate delaying gratification, and we have a lot of trouble making plans and thinking things through. You Need A Budget may also be known as or be related to You Need A Budget and You Need a Budget (YNAB).Many adults with ADHD struggle with money. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of You Need A Budget and its employees or that of Zippia. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by You Need A Budget. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at You Need A Budget. Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of You Need A Budget, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about You Need A Budget.
