YNAB is a terrific money tracking tool. If you enter (or import) and categorize all your transactions, you’ll have a great record of your spending. And that can be very informative. But YNAB starts to become life changing when you actually change your behavior and start checking your budget before you make an expenditure.
Notice I didn’t say checking your bank balance before spending. When you’ve been using YNAB for awhile, your bank balance is sure to balloon, because you’re saving for future expenses. But that money’s allocated; it’s not available for you to spend, unless you move money around in your budget. So checking your bank balance does not give you accurate information about whether you can afford to buy something.
Rule 3, Roll with the Punches, is great. It gives us the freedom to move money around between categories to cover spending. But it feels so much better (and is more effective) to move that money before you have a transaction to enter. For me, it’s the key to feeling at peace with my budget and in control of my money.
Photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
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