The number one rule of personal finance: you have to save money. Why? Because it makes your grandma proud. Because everyone knows you’re supposed to live on less than you make. Because… Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring We’re YNAB (“why-nab”), a financial education company with a budgeting app. We teach Four Rules that create a new relationship with m… Read More

After years of living in Los Angeles—land of opportunity and sticker shock—my budgeting strategy of hiding from my bank account wasn’t working. I over-prioritized my love f… Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring We’re YNAB (“why-nab”), a financial education company with a budgeting app. We teach Four Rules that create a new relationship with m… Read More

Ready to create a simple budget template and take control of your money? In this article we’ll take you step-by-step through the process of making a budget plan that meets your needs w… Read More

Have you ever found yourself standing in the checkout line, mindlessly tossing a chocolate bar onto the conveyor belt because, well, cravings? Join the club—you’re among the 94%… Read More

A year ago, I developed some pain in my right shoulder.  (Hang with me—I’m going to tie this to personal finance, I promise.)  I figured I pulled a muscle so I tr… Read More

 Ah, fixed expenses. They’re like old friends. They’re reliable, predictable—you can always count on them to be there. Expensive friends, a lot of the time. Friends yo… Read More

When you’re filled with the optimism of a shiny new plan—the thing that’s surely going to help you get your life together once and for all—budgeting seems like a fair… Read More

Your budget is a beautiful thing—all of your passions and priorities lined up in front of you, prepared to do exactly what you tell them to do in support of the life you want to live… Read More

Sometimes it can seem like certain people just understand money. They have good credit. They have retirement savings. They (appear to) make smart decisions about spending and investing witho… Read More

In the late-1920s, Lithuania was an increasingly difficult place to live for Jewish families like my wife’s great-grandparents. They had built a stable life near the border of Germany… Read More

School’s out, and the hunt for the perfect summer job is on for teens! As a parent, you want your pride and joy to not only make some extra money, but also gain valuable life skills. T… Read More

I think the tears started when I asked “Ok, how many dollars a month is travel important to you?”. I was sitting on my living room couch next to my mom helping her get he… Read More

Moms have a lot of rules: Don’t run with scissors, eat dinner before dessert, no screaming at your brother, be home before curfew. There is a seemingly endless list of mom-enforced… Read More

Ask someone about personal finance and they’ll usually talk about financial planning for long-term goals like retirement accounts and investment plans. We’ve got some advice abou… Read More

Technology is amazing. We live in a world where almost anything your heart desires is a swipe, a tap, or a click away. Communication is instant, information is easily accessible, and transac… Read More

What is a Sinking Fund? A sinking fund is a fixed amount of money you save each month to prepare for a non-monthly expense like car repairs, home maintenance, or a twice-a-year insurance… Read More

Looking for tips about how to save money on Amazon? The answer may surprise you (but probably not.) Over the summer, I stumbled into my fiancé’s Amazon Prime account to watc… Read More

Trying to figure out how to pay off debt fast? Good for you. Once you commit—like, really commit—to tackling your debt, you might find that you get a little bit obsessed (in the… Read More

MeKenna and Kat are both on the Support team for YNAB. In addition to working for YNAB, they’re both side hustlers: freelance lighting designer (MeKenna) and freelance actor/performer… Read More

Article preview: Most people want to relax on vacation but spending stress tends to dampen the moodUsing the the Four Rules to plan your vacation budget results in less money stress … Read More

If you’re building out a budget for the first time and you’re being your best responsible self, it’s important to understand the advantage of turning those big non-monthly… Read More

If you’re trying to figure out how to budget with irregular income, we’ve got the solution for you. We can’t change the fact that you don’t know exactly when or ho… Read More

Feeling inspired to organize your finances once and for all? Our free budget planner printable can put you on the right path to less money stress in the new year and beyond.  January… Read More

I always think that I won’t like a daily routine. Don’t hold me back, Routine! Stop trying to tie me down, Routine! I’m sorry, Routine, I just want to keep my options op… Read More

Budgeting is all about aligning your money with your priorities—the things that matter most to you. All budgeting should be priority-based budgeting, really.  And it seems like… Read More

Learn how to get a month ahead with your bills and budget for less stress, and you’ll never have to worry about late fees or overdrafting. We’ve got some ideas to get you started… Read More

If you’re new to YNAB, you’ve probably found yourself wondering how to stress less about money at some point. We’re even willing to bet you might’ve tried budgeting b… Read More

Need tips for sticking to a budget? You are not alone. Figuring out how to stick to a budget is often the hardest part of budgeting! Sometimes it feels like one late-night snack run, one… Read More

Looking for some financial New Year’s Resolutions to help you master your money in 2023? Here are 20 ideas to get you saving more, paying off debt, building wealth, and meeting your fi… Read More

This post about best budgeting tips and habits was created in collaboration with Todoist—a popular digital task manager. Someone on Twitter compared our collaboration to the Avengers c… Read More

Budget reports! Budget reports! Long live, budget reports! You want to slice and dice your financial data every which way? Check. You want a high-level view of how you’re doing?… Read More

So, you’ve decided that you need a budget and this is the year you’ll finally tackle your finances! You’ve signed up for YNAB’s free 34-day trial, then cracked open t… Read More

Everyone deals with excess spending a little differently: some of us opt for an intense all-out sprint approach to financial health while others plod on with slow, steady consistency like hi… Read More

Healthy relationships are built upon a foundation of good communication, mutual respect, and a shared desire to achieve life’s goals together.  (And other important stuff, like… Read More

This fall, my wife and I dropped our only child off at college. I knew it was going to be a tough adjustment for me. So I did what any gadget- and music-obsessed dad would do: I bought a pia… Read More

Have you ever been in the middle of making a purchase that you knew you could only kind of afford? Like those maternity jeans that would be so comfortable for work. Or those last minute airl… Read More

Learn how adding some wiggle room for personal spending can help you and your partner budget successfully for the long haul. When it comes to handling money together, everyone needs a lit… Read More

Want to find more money to pay off your loans? The new Loan Planner from YNAB can help you save time and money on your loan payoff. Loans come in all flavors and sizes. Some drive you cra… Read More

You finally found the perfect gift for your partner. You’ve snuck it through the door under your jacket and tucked it away safely in your underwear drawer. They’ll never find it… Read More

Almost anyone with an established budgeting habit would tell you that their budget is more than an app or an Excel spreadsheet. Budgeting is a routine, a practice, a plan for the future, a r… Read More

Ah, this is 30, where my goals for the foreseeable future are 1) start wearing my retainers again and 2) find ways to make my money last so I can finally start saving up to buy a home. When… Read More

Susan is 73 years old, living in the DC metro area, and using YNAB to float through the tricky maze of managing her money in retirement. Here’s her story.  My Unexpected &ldquo… Read More

I love Christmas. The tree, decorations, stockings, presents, carols, turkey, and cranberry sauce—the whole holiday season, really. I could go on and on. I love planning it, I love doi… Read More

Personal budgeting challenges? Yeah, I’ve had a few–quite a few. I actually wonder if many people “succeed” with budgeting on their first attempt. It took years from… Read More

Once upon a time in the YNAB-verse, budgeting was an individual sport. You linked accounts (or didn’t), practiced YNAB’s Method, and gradually life got less stressful. You felt m… Read More

A lot of us are looking  for two main things on this journey through life: Love and money.  (And maybe some other stuff, like inner peace, calorie-free ice cream,  and the… Read More

So, you’re living the dream. Through hard work, diligent saving, and solid financial planning, you’ve reached the long term financial goal that so many strive to achieve: the gol… Read More

What does it mean to live within your means? Living within your means is when you are making more money than you are spending. Creating a monthly budget and sticking to a spending plan can h… Read More

We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software and educational resources around. (Those in the know call us YNAB, which is pronounced “why-nab”). For more… Read More

In all of the work and all of the effort that goes into saving more money, paying off debt (if that’s your priority) or breaking that paycheck to paycheck cycle (which I would absolut… Read More

What would you do with $5,050? Check an exotic locale off of your travel bucket list? Dive into your curiosity about investing? Free yourself of credit card debt? Put a hefty downpayment on… Read More

“Good things come to those who wait.” Ugh. Yeah. No one wants to hear it. So cliché. So annoying. And, unfortunately (because waiting is boring!), so true.  When i… Read More

As the late, great John D. Rockefeller once said, “I try to do the right thing with money. Save a dollar here and there, clip some coupons, buy 10 gold chains instead of 20, four summe… Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software around. (But people in the know call us YNAB, which is pronounced “why-nab… Read More

As a person who needs a clear written-out plan, *raised hand emoji* I love using YNAB to track my personal finance and investing goals. Every year on my birthday in July, I sit down and writ… Read More

Ernie, a teacher here at YNAB, and his wife Christy, a post-adoption coordinator, live in Eau Claire, WI. While they’ve never felt overly burdened by the amount of their debts, they&rs… Read More

Here at YNAB, we believe all budgets are beautiful. Because of course we do—we’re all about budgeting. However, objectively speaking, there’s a reason budgets aren’t… Read More

I’m coming up on my 10th anniversary of using YNAB and wanted to sum up a few things I’ve learned and what YNAB has done for me over the past decade. YNAB has helped me achiev… Read More

Oh, you didn’t know academic new year resolutions were a thing?  Well…they might be? They should be. New Year’s resolutions were kind of a bust this go-around, if… Read More

When it feels like stepping out the front door automatically costs $200, it’s hard to prioritize luxuries like entertainment. Adulthood is expensive (even more so lately!) and that can… Read More

Do you find yourself asking, “why can’t I save money?” Or looking for some simple ways to do it? You’re not alone. Saving money—by its very nature—is a… Read More

Whether it’s rising rent prices, the availability of remote work, or just good old fashioned wanderlust, a lot of working adults are trading a white picket fence for a passport or stat… Read More

A friend recently forwarded me a post that appeared on Slate.com: Toss Your Budget – Why a pillar of personal finance isn’t nearly as essential as we think. The essence of the… Read More

Ready to organize your finances and your life? Download our free printable habit tracker below.  As the lazy days of summer come to an end, a lot of us find ourselves being shoved ba… Read More

By the time August rolls around, parents are divided into two clear camps: Team Send ‘Em Back Already! and Team I Wish Summer Was Forever.  There’s also an overlap of par… Read More

I’m a productivity junkie—I’ve dabbled in most of the to-do list apps out there, and I’ve experimented with every variety of Post-it notes, pens, and fancy journals… Read More

The connection between money and mental health in college students is a significant one. College is a transitional phase of life where young adults are often living away from home for the fi… Read More

Download our free printable chore chart and budget workbook for kids below! Having your kids do chores can be a lot like hiring Amelia Bedelia but with a bad attitude—at best, it ca… Read More

A zero-based budget is a method of budgeting where you assign all of your money to budget categories that cover expenses, debt payments, and savings. Rule One of the YNAB method, Give Every… Read More

If you’re trying to decide which side to take in the 401k vs Roth IRA investment vehicle battle, we’ve got some advice. Take your ringside seats and LET’S GET READY TO RUMB… Read More

Let’s be honest, we save money in order to spend it. Whether we plan to spend it on our wants or our needs, the goal of saving—even for retirement—is to eventually spend. W… Read More

Summer spells freedom! Drop tops. Flip flops. Board shorts. Most importantly, road trips!  International travel restrictions and flight mishaps have brought one reality to the su… Read More

There are three basic questions when it comes to credit: What is a good credit score? Why do I need one? And how do I get one? It’s no secret that we don’t love debt here at YNAB… Read More

Grocery shopping on a budget is one of budgeting’s greatest challenges—especially as prices continue to rise. Get organized and cut costs with our free price tracker and gro… Read More

It happens to all of us at some point—we set our keys down or put something important somewhere “safe” because we’re so darn confident that our memory won’t fai… Read More

It’s 4th of July and you know what that means! A long weekend, family barbecues, patriotic color palettes for clothing, and everyone’s (except for dogs) favorite: fireworks… Read More

How many YNAB categories should I have? 12, 24, 158? This is a question we’ve been getting since the dawn of time—err, well, since the dawn of You Need a Budget in 2004. … Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software and educational resources around. (Those in the know call us YNAB, which is prono… Read More

AfterPay, Apple Pay Later, Sezzle, Zip, Klarna, Affirm, Paypal’s Pay in 4…the list of companies advertising four easy, no-interest payments continues to grow. But how does After… Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software and educational resources around. (Those in the know call us YNAB, which is prono… Read More

Although a lot of people think of budgeting as restrictive, those of us “in the know” (that makes us sound so much cooler, don’t you think?) understand that keeping a budge… Read More

You’ve probably heard of “The Great Resignation.” For you, it might not just be a buzzword. Maybe you’re a business owner struggling to find talent, an HR professiona… Read More

With the price of—well, seemingly everything—rising these days, it’s a great time to hone your creative saving skills. While it’s easy to make a half-hearted decision… Read More

So you’re dreaming of your next vacation: a cozy cabin getaway, or a wide-open sandy beach: something to just get you away from your current grind. The location is almost set, now you… Read More

“Can I afford it?” is a question many people ask themselves—for everything from home buying and car loans all the way down to seemingly insignificant purchases. And althoug… Read More

Organizing your budget is a bit like organizing your whole life. Your budget is a reflection of your family meals, your kids’ milestones, your aspirations, and that big vacation you wa… Read More

Hey, it’s uncertain out there. Wondering how to future-proof your finances? Build a bare-bones budget. You might be asking, what is a bare-bones budget? Sounds morbid. Hear me out&m… Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring  We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software around. (But people in the know call us YNAB, which is pronounced “wh… Read More

Budget confession: I used to have a bad Nordstrom habit. Needless to say, I had no interest in thrifting tips back in those days. Although I had a solid income in my 20’s, the money se… Read More

Want to spend less, shop less, and have more fun in the kitchen by cooking on a budget? We’ve got you covered. Ah, cooking. It’s easy on the grocery budget, but sometimes it c… Read More

Want to plan fun-tastic kids’ parties without breaking the bank? All you need is a plan, a budget category, and our handy-dandy birthday party planning template. Our Senior Support Man… Read More

When we enter our transactions faithfully, our budgets become a source of truth about our spending—and that data can be pretty telling about life in general. (Like that time I spen… Read More

Budget friendly meals—yes, even the ones cooked by you—can be delicious and easy, in addition to being cost-effective. And here are twenty cheap dinner ideas from real people as… Read More

About Us and Why We’re Hiring We build “You Need a Budget,” the best budgeting software and educational content around. (YNAB, pronounced “why-nab” if you&rs… Read More

As members of the YNAB Support Team, we’ve noticed some…let’s say mistruths…about our good friend Reconciliation, who has a serious PR problem.  Here’… Read More

You might not feel like you have your money all figured out yet, but your palms are itching for some financial control. You’re here! You’re ready to make a budget. Or a spending… Read More

Wondering how car insurance works, which insurance company to choose, and how to make sense of deductibles? At first glance, it can feel pretty confusing but knowing a few important things a… Read More

Have you ever wondered how to stick to a budget? It starts out so well, such a clean, fresh, organized budget. But then something comes out of left field. There goes the budget. But the t… Read More