Believe it or not, money can also be... for you. To spend on you and your wants. Many people carry around the idea that their money only exists for others, and that they are somehow unworthy of spending on themselves. But part of freeing yourself from money worry is freeing yourself to spend on yourself, to show yourself that you are worthy of having something for yourself.

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Money can be for now, it can be for later, but it can also be for ease. What do you mean, ease? Simply put, when you get one month ahead on your spending -- you start living on last month's income instead of yesterday's income -- your life gets simpler. No more timing games trying to figure out when to pay which bill so that you have enough to last until the next paycheck, no more late fees when you forget to pay on time, no more overdrafts. Your bills go on autopay, you know they are covered because you've already set money aside for them last month, and now you can rest at ease and think about longer term plans for your spending and your life.

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What does your money need to do? Last week, Jesse talked about the first answer to this question -- the money "for now," those non-negotiable expenses or goods that need to be paid for or bought in the immediate future. He urged you to consider what exactly what non-negotiable, and that the term encompasses fewer expenses that we think. Today, Jesse covers the second possible answer to the question -- money "for later," including bills and things that may not be non-negotiable but are nevertheless highly important, but also things which have some flexibility.

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Jesse continues discussing the new central question of the YNAB method -- what does your money need to do? -- which replaced the old commandment to give every dollar a job. There are only five ways to answer this question, but it is deceptively deep. One of those answers is "for now," that is, the money needs to be used now, for expenses that are imminent and non-negotiable. The mortgage, water and electricity, groceries (maybe)... but not necessarily all bills. Jesse warns that the "for now" category of answers is easy to get lazy with, and that simply deciding all your bills and commitments need to be paid now doesn't give you true clarity into what your money needs to do.

For instance, let's take groceries. You need food now, sure, but do you need to buy groceries right now? Maybe you have a store of food that has built up in the pantry, that you have forgotten about or are avoiding. You don't absolutely have to buy groceries if that's the case, and eating your stores offers some options with your money that you may not have identified otherwise.

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Jesse ponders the question -- what is enough? What if you set the bar at physical subsistance, enough food, shelter, and clothing to be secure? If that is enough, then everything you have beyond it is extra. When you set the bar there, then everything you spend on extra takes on more meaning -- it's not stuff you have to buy, it's stuff you get to buy, and therefore is more expressive of yourself.

What does your money need to do... once you have enough?

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In keeping with the theme of last week's episode and reducing your information intake, today Jesse encourages reducing your to-do lists as well. Referencing Oliver Burkeman's Four Thousand Weeks, he points out that waiting to relax and engage in leisure until after the to-do list is finished is a futile exercise -- the to-do list will never be finished, the sense of urgency to add more and do more will never relent... until you give yourself the grace to have a "human-sized" to-do list. Then relax, and slow down. In doing so, things will become clear to you in a way they never would in the ceaseless hustle and bustle.

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YNAB is all about creating clarity with your money, and that central question -- what does it need to do? -- and therefore, clarity in your life. Clarity is very difficut, if not impossible, to achieve when you are overloaded and overwhelmed with inputs. Today Jesse challenges you to unhook yourself from the matrix, turn off the feeds, leave social media, and drastically reduce your diet of information. Not just for a week, try it for a year. Maybe two years.

When you have fewer inputs into your thought process, you have more time to consider what is important to YOU, without having to parse what the algorithm is trying to push as important. You need space to think and reflect, and to get space you need to clear space. Give a try and see what happens! You may just find the answer you've been looking for (hint: what does your money need to do?)

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Jesse reflects on the technological and cultural sea change underway as AI permeates everyday life. After publishing his new book, Never Worry About Money Again, Jesse scheduled the release of the audiobook version -- which he recorded himself in a studio in Salt Lake City -- only to find that someone had already released an audiobook with an AI generated voice clone. There are many such cases nowadays, leading Jesse to wonder -- how do you know whether anything is authentic anymore?

Authenticity seems to be becoming a more and more valuable quality in an AI infused world, and how you spend your money is tangled up in the question as well. How do you know that what you're buying is authentic? How do you even know that where you are spending your money is authentic?

The most important things you spend your money may very well be the things that are right in front of you -- a physical book, groceries from a local farmer.

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In part 3 of the latest installment of Ask Jesse, Jesse reflects on his 2023 experiment of ditching his credit card and spending only with a debit card -- which he stills does today! He also answers a question about what he eats for breakfast, and shares how his experience leasing a Tesla (which he now owns) led to him to realize that his insistence on driving a 2002 Honda Civic was really just pride masquerading as frugality.

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In part 2 of the latest installment of Ask Jesse, Jesse offers some advice about how to work with a spouse who is reluctant or disinterested in YNAB. He also discusses savings accounts for kids, and how the Mecham family uses YNAB with the kids, at each stage of age and maturity.

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Jesse's answering questions from his inbox, including questions about which retirement accounts to contribute to, how to save money in retirement when you don't have an income, and how a young person can save for multiple goals at the same time.

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