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'm not trying to show off, and I hope this post isn't out of place on this thread not at all! I find things like that really inspiring!

Woohoo! YNAB UK file import is here!

Just tried it and works very well so far :-)

Sorry, am super tired - that should say direct import from UK banks is now available on YNAB!

And in the EU apparently! Haven't tried it yet.

My AOM has nose dived again haha

I've joined my bank up :)

DH would have done his but he couldn't remember his password

I have a question about little bits left over in your categories, what do you do with them? Do you scoop them up into other categories or just let them roll over?

So, for example, some of my every month expenses are variable. Like electricity. I budget 90 but sometimes it 88.44 let's say. So I have 1.56 left once it's paid. Do you just let that roll over into the next month or move it into another category so you can spend it, like into the food shop? Or maybe it depends how close to the wind you're sailing hahaha!

I tend to use them to cover overspending or I scoop it into my emergency fund. If I know it will get spent like food shopping, I just leave it there.

My emergency fund doubles as my shit I forgot to budget for that/overspent fund.

I tend to tidy everything up so every category ends in a nice round number, preferably divisible by 5 or 10.

Here's what I do with electricity and gas - in the warmer months, for six months I budget £10 more than the amount on the bill into the category. When it's winter I budget £10 under. That way I smooth out the amounts over the whole year, but I'm never building up a credit or debt, and I never have little bits hanging over.

@Callmecordelia

I tend to tidy everything up so every category ends in a nice round number, preferably divisible by 5 or 10.

Here's what I do with electricity and gas - in the warmer months, for six months I budget £10 more than the amount on the bill into the category. When it's winter I budget £10 under. That way I smooth out the amounts over the whole year, but I'm never building up a credit or debt, and I never have little bits hanging over.

Oh that's a good idea. I might try that next year.

I like tidy categories too so I tend to move the little bits into other categories (and often need all the pennies before the end of the month).

I've almost finished my Christmas shopping this year, which is amazing for me. It's usually mid December and whacked on the credit card and then I spend all year paying it off. Thsi year I've got the main thing (switch) on low interest over 9 months and the rest I've managed to just pay for. Haven't used the credit card since August either :)

Fuck me, electricity bill 189 this month compared to 88 last month!

@OrangeBlossomsinthesun

Fuck me, electricity bill 189 this month compared to 88 last month!

Ow, that is a painful increase!

I’m finding things financially tight at the moment - I know why so I just have to lay low this weekend before I get money in on Tuesday. It might not be easy as we are going to visit Santa on Sunday - December is certainly a tough month for outgoings.

Yeah, unfortunately it's because we're having to use heaters now so next month is going to be shit too and January as well. I'm definitely going to assigning more to electricity in the summer months to try to be prepared for this next year.
I can see why it takes a while to get a handle on things, it's always those long term expenses that get you.
But it also makes me feel like I WILL ultimately get a handle on it if I keep going.

We have a real fire so I've put that on tonight (and put up the Christmas tree ) and I'm going to treat myself to an electric over blanket for Christmas.

Our electricity is averaged over the year and then we get a credit or a bill if we've over or underpaid, but we also only pay it for 11 months of the year for some reason, I think so that in theory you can afford the extra payment if you go over without realising.

It has absolutely skyrocketed since Corona with DH working at home and us all eating more at home.

We had that for a year or so, then the company got bought out in the middle of the year and we'd been paying the set amount for only six months and, as those six months were the months we use much less, we had to pay a massive charge.

How's everyone getting on? I've got a mismatch between my account and YNAB and I can't find where it's come from for the life of me

Have you reconciled? I find I need to do that to keep myself on track. It helps you find the differences.

If it's Amazon making it difficult (for me that's usually the problem), there's a page on their website which is really useful.

Go to Your account, then Your payments, then transactions. Then you can see what each amount taken from your account relates to.

I usually reconcile every couple of days but with the long holiday here I was off Saturday to Wednesday so not at the computer (but spending) so there were a few. I've been over and over it and can't find it so I've done a YNAB adjustment in the end.

@OrangeBlossomsinthesun I don’t think it’s a big deal as long as you usually match it up and reconcile regularly. I’ve done a couple of YNAB adjustments when I really can’t find it, and it has usually been a very small amount of money. Better than leaving it unadjusted.

I find I am still at the stage of spending, and only allocating money to that category when I input the transaction. How do I get to the stage where I put money into categories so it is waiting there for me before I spend it?

After I'd done a ynab adjustment I found I'd overspent by 10 euro last month in a category so I think that was part of it and why I couldn't find it.

When you get paid can you cover all your categories? Or is this extra spending?

No I can’t cover all my categories really - I get paid every two weeks plus have a once a month child benefit income. So I try and put money into the absolute necessaries first, like groceries, but even then it’s still week by week. It just seems a bit haphazard still!

I can mostly cover my immediate expenses but I'm still dealing from a few long term expenses being due in full very soon after starting ynab so haven't really managed to make much headway with long term expenses until this month. Buuuut I have earned fuck all this month (self employed) so I'm possibly going to have to claw some of that money back next month unless things pick up next week.
I think it will gradually get easier as I start managing to put little bits towards long term expenses but it's slow.

It’s frustratingly slow. And there’s always something unexpected or extra that takes the cash every month.

I have been doing quite well this month with budgeting but have had fuck all work in this month so going to be a bit fucked next month if things don't pick up pronto.