YNAB or “You Need a Budget” 4 is in my opinion an excellent bit of budgeting software both in its ease of use and in the rules/habits it is built on and tries to promote.
The 4 rules of YNAB are:
- Give Every Dollar a Job (Even if that job is going into savings, the point is to account in some way for where all your income goes.)
- Save for a Rainy Day (Not just an emergency fun, budget a little now for things you know will one day come up, be they known items like an annual membership or unknown but inevitable things like car repairs. 10-20/month adds up quickly and makes that new tire hurt a lot less.)
- Roll With the Punches (Life is messy, things happen, and sometimes you overspend by necessity or in a moment of weakness, accept the reality of the moment, address it in your budget, and move forward)
- Live on Last Month’s Income (Favorite. It takes time but slowly build up the money so that the bills you pay and the things you buy this month, are thanks to the paychecks you got last month.)
I’ve been using the software for a couple months as of this writing and am very impressed and very happy with were I am and where I am heading in my finances. I’ve also been thoroughly impressed with the company itself. They’ve done a great job of, if nothing else, presenting the image of a tight team of good and friendly people who really want to help. Whether you’ve purchased the software or not they offer a selection of Free, 1hr classes, where they go over not only various aspects of the software’s use but also best practices in budgeting and spending, lessons that can be applied whether you go with YNAB or stick to your current system.
Download the 34 day trial HERE, if you find yourself as impressed with it as I am you can use this link to get $6 off the current price. $6 off YNAB4 (http://ynab.refr.cc/75LCMFX)