Anyone interested in a YNAB chat/support thread?

[OrangeBlossomsinthesun]

Hi,

I wondered if anyone was interested in a YNAb thread to chat about progress and help each other. I've just started the trial period a couple of weeks ago and, although it's quite a steep learning curve I'm really impressed with it.
I'm freelance so it's important for me to track money and be prepared for fallow periods. I had a thread here with some great advice. I'll add it as there are some good links www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/4327812-YNAB-help-for-a-freelancer?watched=1&msgid=110514876#110514876

Anyone up for some YNAB chat/support?

I thought they still did? I can't work out how to do it now though

docs.youneedabudget.com/article/1163-referral-program

I don't have a subscription, but I have a nynab fully funded category for when the inevitable happens to 4.

Tough 24 hours here. DH missed all his targets in September so his pay has gone down another £400. It was already down £400 on a normal month. I can roll with the punches and ynab it and make it work, but I'm so upset he didn't mention it, and has known since the 3rd October. I've been looking at swimming lessons for DS we can't afford, wanting to buy new clothes for me, and I feel stupid, stupid, stupid for forecasting.

I know we're more fortunate than most, ynab means we're in a good position to weather a global chip shortage storm, and I'm more upset about not being told than the lack of cash.

Although, if this carries on many more months the lack of cash will hurt too. It is not his fault, he's great at his job and he's never had a month like this before. I can't help if he acts like an ostrich. Ugh.

Oh that’s so tough @Callmecordelia, he must be hoping for a better month next time? Please don’t feel stupid for forecasting - I know it is not the YNAB way but we all do it, and surely it is the only way we can think about future goals etc? You are in a good place in that you can manage to roll with the punches and cope well, but it is very frustrating.

It's all so uncertain. I don't think he'll know right until the month is done and they can see whether things have arrived for delivery.

He's working so hard too, I think he's having difficulty accepting there's nothing he can do.

I feel stupid for forecasting because I naively thought it couldn't get worse than last month, and September is usually a big month - it's when I've filled up all the annual expenses, put a chunk by for next summer, thought about big expenses like the swimming lessons. I've just carried on with the normal routine when the world has changed and I didn't check.

I've put extra pressure on myself by trying to save £1000 for next July when DD will need secondary school uniform, and I'd like to buy her a laptop. I've spent some of it on a phone for Christmas.

@autumnlead I have found where it is. I can give you a referral code if you want it. let me know.

Very excited to see this thread 😊

Have used YNAB for years and years, at least 7 or 8. Have used it religiously and dread to think where our finances would be without it. I use it exclusively on my phone, very very rarely go onto the website.

I found the referral link. It's not in the app but is on the web version under "Love YNAB - pay it forward" link. You literally can't get to it on my app! Here it is if you still need one.

ynab.com/referral/?ref=FxEMUhi3yR07scYH&utm_source=customer_referral

Sorry I didn't post it ynab.com/referral/?ref=M1yh3-POcR992Zaa&utm_source=customer_referral

Six weeks in and I've just been paid. All going well so far, juggling money around to cover stuff I didn't think of in my original budget.

@Callmecordelia

I'm definitely more in control, but seeing the harsh reality of how much it costs to keep us going is an eye opener for sure. I used to wonder how everyone else afforded expensive holidays and cars now I know...

For Callmecordelia, there's no way to say this doesn't suck, but you are in a better place for knowing what expenses are in and better placed to roll with the punches. My DP still isn't and had a mini tantrum when I suggested sitting down to go through everything like I was trying to take all his money away. I'm the bigger wage earner so can sort everything but his head in the sand approach is driving me nuts. He then did relent and start tracking everything on as spreadsheet but I've backed off. Just need to know what his contribution will be and I'll handle the household stuff for now at least. Argh! Why do they ignore this stuff!

I haven't really involved my DH tbh. I have full access to his accounts and generally earn more than him although it varies. But if my business is going well I can earn double what he does. I tend to handle all the money stuff, always have done really.

Everything is set up as direct debits really and I tend to do the food shopping since YNAB. I've explained it all to him and allocated him money to do what he wants with and then I just get him to tell me if he spends and I add it to the app.

Thanks to @katplva and @kerberos for the nice messages. It could be so much worse, that is true. We'll be fine for a good while, and I've bought all the Christmas presents for the children. Hopefully things will start moving again in a few months, and the pendulum will swing the other way.

@Callmecordelia stick with it. Promise it'll get better.

We are in the middle of a huge low. It's awful. And we've just found out we are going to be down £1000 from now until January.

Equally though, I've just found out I'm about to have, essentially, a pay rise and will definitely put it to good use with ynab.

This last 3 months has been depressing so I'm looking forward to funding a few categories

It's hard when your income is variable. I'm only now beginning to earn what I used to after the pandemic. At least with Ynab you can get a handle on it, but I know that arrgh too much month at the end of my money feel all too well. xx

I suppose I'll tag my referral link on in case of any lurkers :o

ynab.com/referral/?ref=soiKTevMASnp4xke&utm_source=customer_referral

There's been a big update now for debts - have you seen that? So you could add that card to pay off back in as a debt account :) It's good because it automatically calculates interest etc for you. Seems like it's not always 100% accurate according to reddit - they must need to iron out some bumps. But I've found it useful for my loan and overdraft.

We got a payment for one of the blocks of maternity pay so I've done some forecasting and we're OK until the beginning of December now. End of December if we have to max out the overdrafts. But it's a bit depressing in that we were hoping to have time on parental leave to see people, go out for lunch, days out etc and we just haven't had the spare income to do that :( I suppose it means when we get it back, we can just save it but that's not really the point!

I've found the Reddit forum for YNAB to be really handy, has lots of traffic and stories.

Thanks, I will check out the reddit forum.

Big day for me here, for the first time my age of money is 15 days - I get paid every two weeks so this feels like a big step for me. I know it will not stay like that forever, but it’s the first time that I’m not spending a pay check straight away.

Brilliant! That's great!

I'm on 17 days and about to get paid but loads of things are about to go out possibly before that comes in (paid for with DH paycheck that arrived today so I think it might plummet.

I finally got DH to download the app and showed him how to input a transaction!

Woohoo! Go @BertieBotts’ DH! Do you think he will keep going with it?

Not sure but maybe it will stop him from constantly asking how much he has in his fund :o

I’ve just done the first full month budget (started mid October) and I’m shocked. We earn what I think is a good wage, and live in a way I think is modest- no cars, no big holidays except to see family (who all live far), no shopping for fun (eg clothes get replaced when needed, not when the fashion says they’re out). Big expenses are full time childcare for 2 kids and paying off the credit card which crept up in the last few years. And there’s SO LITTLE disposable income after that is all sorted!!

Seeing it like this is honestly shocking.

It is a big shock when you start, isn't it? For me it was how many long term expenses I needed to be covering and also that I was really underestimating how much we spend on food. We aren't extravagant but it was more than I thought.
I was also in the mindset of trying to pay credit cards of as fast as possible, but hadn't understood about long term expenses so was always getting stuck having to use credit cards again.
I think if anything, I've learned there are no quick fixes (apart from Euro Millions Haha)

I've started a new month at 6 days and should have money coming in tomorrow. So, quite pleased with that.

Happy new YNAB month! I am starting it not in my overdraft, age of money at 13 days and a bit of money coming in tomorrow as well. So overall I’m very pleased with how YNAB is going for me.

However I’d agree with @EatYourVegetables with the shock of how little disposable income we have when I look at the budget. I am trying to put money in to cover some of my true expenses categories, but that really leaves nothing for my goals categories (garden improvements, possible summer holiday etc). It is quite depressing!

Agreed! Explains why it takes a long time to get the money together for big jobs to be done but makes it easier to prioritise the stuff that really matters.