Budget Nerds
You Need a Budget
- 1 hour 2 minutes#112 - Ben and Ernie Fix a Messy Budget! (YouTube Livestream Replay)
Ben and Ernie are back again to fix a very messy budget, and this time they are doing it live! This is a replay from their YouTube livestream on Mar 26th, 2025. There is a strong visual component to this episode, so we recommend you watch the replay on YouTube (link below), but we are posting the audio on the podcast feed as well.
Messy Budget Livestream Replay:
https://www.youtube.com/live/tjK_lxpdVm0?si=EGTA5iMo6oyJ3jrL
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29 March 2025, 6:00 am - 1 minute 56 secondsBudget Nerds LIVE on YouTube: Fixing a Messy Budget
Together they sail or sink! Today, March 26th at 3:00pm Eastern, Ben and Ernie will be livestreaming on YouTube and will attempt to fix a messy YNAB budget. This episode will have a heavy visual component, so you will want to watch it on YouTube at the link below.
If you miss it, you can still watch the replay on YouTube, and the audio will be posted to the podcast feed in a couple days. In the meantime, happy YNAB'ing!
http://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial
26 March 2025, 6:00 am - 1 hour 2 minutes#111 - What's Your YNAB Routine?
Like the cycles of the earth, Sun, and moon, YNAB'ers have cycles too! Daily, monthly, quarterly, even yearly, there are things to do to manage your spending plan. In today's episode Ben and Ernie share what they do in YNAB at every stop in the calendar, including how they run budget meetings and how they include the family in the planning process.
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Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
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12 March 2025, 6:00 am - 48 minutes 30 seconds#110 - Is YNAB Worth It?
It's a common question for those not already committed to YNAB: is it really worth it? I mean, paying for a budgeting software? It's a legitimate question, and you can probably guess where Ben and Ernie land on answering it (of course!). Today Ben and Ernie don't want to offer their opinions on why YNAB is worth it, they want to share some cold hard facts from a recent study the YNAB marketing team conducted on YNAB user behavior.
What they found was a clear quantitative reason to sign up for YNAB: the average user saves $600 in their first month of using the YNAB. That's nearly six times the annual cost of YNAB, saved in just the first month. The numerical arguments for using YNAB are some of the least convincing, however. The qualitative benefits of using YNAB are positively inspiring! Ben and Ernie walk through a number of statistics demonstrating how YNAB'ers have improved their quality of life, from feeling less stressed, arguing less with their spouse, and actually feeling good about spending their money.
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Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
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Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
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26 February 2025, 7:00 am - 1 hour 4 minutes#109 - Don't Make These Common YNAB Mistakes!
YNAB is an incredible tool for learning to love how you spend, but it does come with a learning curve. Ben and Ernie have taught thousands of folks how to use YNAB, and throughout their years working with newcomers a handful of common mistakes occur again and again. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie outline seven mistakes people make in YNAB, and how to avoid them.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
https://www.ynab.com/blog/common-money-mistakes
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Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube
Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
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12 February 2025, 7:00 am - 53 minutes 53 seconds#108 - Spendfulness: The Word We've Been Looking For All Along with YNAB Dave
In today's episode, Ben and Ernie are joined by Dave from YNAB, a YNAB teacher and contributor to many YNAB articles and blogs and a master of money analogies! Dave discovered YNAB while deeply in debt and making a move across the Atlantic. He saw the wisdom and value of the YNAB method quickly, however, and steadily worked himself out of debt over an eight year period. Along the way, he learend many lessons about sustainability and resilience -- learning to balance his priorities of enjoying life now and becoming debt free, while creating a buffer for unexpected expenses so they didn't put him further in debt. Two steps forward, three steps back, as Dave says.
When the YNAB team landed on the word "spendfulness" to describe this state of alignment with your money, it instantly struck a chord for Dave. The YNAB method, which for many years was represented by four rules, always really boiled down to one rule, the first one: give every dollar a job. There was always something special about Rule One, he points out. The problem was, the rules didn't fully explain the method in and of themselves. When Dave would run workshops, "embrace your true expenses" (Rule Two) was typically followed by the quesiton: what's a true expense? After spending so much time explaining and clarifying the rules, it became clear that YNAB needed a different way to explain what made it different from traditional budgeting advice.
Dave explains why spendfulness is such an important concept, and how the Four Rules have been transformed into 5 Questions which clarify the only rule that ever mattered: giving every dollar a job.
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29 January 2025, 7:00 am - 34 minutes 35 seconds#107 - You Can Start YNAB Whenever You Want
Starting YNAB is like starting anything else -- a new workout routine, new eating habits, learning a new skill -- you just have to jump in! Many people struggle to take the first step, however. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie discuss some of the reasons why people drag their feet starting YNAB, and how you can reframe the way you think about money to get started right now (today!) with small, easy goals.
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Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
15 January 2025, 7:00 am - 1 hour 14 seconds#106 - YouTube LIVE: Spendfulness and the 5 Questions
Happy New Year! On January 1, 2025, Ben and Ernie went live on YouTube to talk about some big changes at YNAB, and the unveiling of an important new word: spendfulness. Ben and Ernie review some of the history of YNAB and it's four rules, and how spendfulness is a whole new way of thinking about your spending.
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Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
4 January 2025, 7:00 am - 1 minute 4 secondsBen and Ernie LIVE on YouTube: Spendfulness and the 5 Questions
Some BIG changes are afoot at YNAB, and Ben and Ernie the Budget Nerds are going live on YouTube today at 1:00pm Eastern time to talk about them! Link below.
If you missed the livestream, we will post the full replay in the podcast feed shortly after it airs.
Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube
Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
1 January 2025, 7:00 am - 18 minutes 19 secondsBudget Nerds LIVE at YNAB Fan Fest 2024 Salt Lake City
In September 2024, YNAB invited over 150 fans to Salt Lake City to celebrate the 20th annivesary of YNAB and enjoy the camaraderie of people with a passion for the YNAB method. Ben and Ernie were there, and hosted a live episode of Budget Nerds. In this bonus episode, they chat with Teisha and Katie, two budget nerds who have some excellent YNAB wins that demonstrate their resilience and the YNAB method in action.
Teisha went from living paycheck to paycheck to finally getting ahead and paying off her student loans after years of chipping away at them with little to show for it. Katie used the spending habits she learned using YNAB to support her acting career in Los Angeles (a notoriously expensive city) with a highly variable income. She also managed to get through the stressful process of having her car stolen with the help of her YNAB memos, where she stored vital information like VIN numbers and insurance information.
If you're interested in attending a future YNAB Fan Fest, there are more events coming in 2025! Check the link below to sign up for dates in San Diego, Minneapolis, and New York City.
Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
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Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
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Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
18 December 2024, 7:00 am - 46 minutes 34 seconds#105 - Dealing with Major Financial Setbacks
Setbacks are a fact of life. Fortunately YNAB gives you the tools to be flexible with your spending plan. While we plan our spending based on normal months, life often has other ideas and our months often don't align perfectly to the "normal" or ideal. Some months, or even years, really don't align with our plans, and the unexpected expenses just keep piling up. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie talk about some of their financial setbacks in 2024, including tax withholding issues, major medical expenses, and a seemingly ever-increasing pet category.
Even veteran YNAB'ers have setbacks, but luckily YNAB doesn't just help you prepare for the unexpected, it teaches you to be resilient and brings calm in the storm when life decides to throw you curveballs.
Get your tickets to YNAB Fan Fest 2025! Coming to San Diego, Minneapolis, and NYC. Tickets are ON SALE NOW:
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Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie!
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