How to Create a Budget Template in YNAB

[@DavidNeedham]

Ended up back here 4 years later and woah! The new UI changes and goal settings have vastly improved! Keep it up YNAB! 🎉

[@blairchristopher3073]

Hannah is killing it! Such personality in all these videos... AND informational!

[@leduke79]

YNAB landed a serious win, hiring this creator, back in '18. Hannah, your work is brilliant. Got a ynab email today, and my immediate thought was "Oh, perhaps there's a new one with that hilarious woman."

[@YNABofficial]

Thank you Anders!! It has been a blast being a part of this team and joining the KZbin community. We so appreciate your support and hope you'll keep comin' back for more watches!! - Hannah :)

[@victorgyulnazaryan2265]

We defiantly will Hannah!! Thank you for your personality that raises people’s moods around the world!

[@mimisakarett]

I agree 100%!!!!!!!!

[@RCThorne]

The closed captioning keeps calling "YNAB Users" "Wine Abusers" LOLOLOL

[@RCThorne]

@Stephanie M Uh, there's nothing wrong with that! I've got one lol

[@YNABofficial]

Haha! 😆 I wish I could say that this was the first time that has happened. I'm uploading professional captions right now. - Ashley

[@RCThorne]

@@YNABofficial Sorry Ashley but the damage has already been done. I will forever hear "Wine Abusers" now :) Great videos and program. Been using since December and have never been more non stressed about money. I've seen where my leak has been, made me more aware, and for the first time am ACTUALLY paying down my debt, instead of paying large amounts on my statements only to see I'm even or in more debt the next month. Thanks YNAB

[@YNABofficial]

@@RCThorne That's incredible! Thanks for sharing, R.C.! 👏 - Ashley

[@RyanPackard]

LOLOLOLOL!

[@tee_jadee]

I'm not even kidding, I never thought I would be one of those people/budgeters who looks forward to payday not because of the money, but because you get to update your budget! Thanks YNAB!!

[@YNABofficial]

Same. Same same same same same. So dang satisfying. -Hannah :)

[@LADfromTX]

Yes!! Me too!! Lol

[@pricklypear1111]

This is awesome! My annual income is $250,000 and using YNAB I can see that I am only living off of 40% of my income !!

[@devlinfae]

I’m binging these videos instead of Netflix. 🤣 Seriously though, I love the free resources. It’s so much better than paying for expensive programs.

[@angievandervinne5706]

I also add a note on the line item for how it's pd. For example, Manual, Bill Pay, EFT

[@leerv.]

Thanks, Hannah! I will try this technique next time I am budgetting at the start of the month! :) I think it would be a nifty feature if you could select some categories and half-fund them (for biweekly/bimonthly paychecks), or even quarter fund them, for those getting paid every week. While it's true that dividing by 2 if pretty easy (and doing it again to divide by 4 is not much harder), having a simple click option for it would remove that much more resistance to a great method!

[@brandondennis6433]

This makes so much sense. I've always struggled with budgeting looking forward. I took the 34 day trial but honestly I've already funded the purchase. Bahaha And these videos are amazing. You do such a great job of informing and entertaining!

[@thebudgetnurse]

You have a YNAB sticker on your laptop. I want one too!! Totally jealous.

[@noha9071]

me too! Where can we get these?

[@kirsten.mogensen]

Hannah, you are so much fun! Love your video contributions!!

[@ghostbreakergaming]

Been through, and even TAUGHT budgeting seminars and this video FINALLY made the light go off in my head

[@jacquelinemorris3581]

I have been a YNAB user off and on and never really understood how to use the budget template fully. Learned what the underfunded button was for and the differences between how to fund bills monthly or by date. Also learned how to make the budget template pretty with the emojis.

[@stevesmith4901]

This girl is so much fun to watch.

[@garydunken7934]

Thanks for the video. One improvement suggestion to developers: Please add a Required column to the budget screen to easily see how much funding is required for each category, if a budget goal is set on category. If we have this, we can avoid entering the amount required in the name category. And if we change the budget goal, then we don't need to change the category name each time. Perhaps another column for Due Day could also be useful.

[@YNABofficial]

G-this makes total sense! Definitely a suggestion worth noting and taking back to the team. Thanks for sharing your two cents!! I will pass it on! -Hannah :)

[@kevinbrown9119]

It shook me when she said a typical one bedroom apartment cost $800.....I’m not in Kansas anymore. California it can be like $1900 EASILY. 😂

[@meko3089]

in milwaukee its any where from 800.00 to 2000.00 plus. less then 800.00 if you don't mind living in a neighborhood where they will steal your car.

[@rachelglass8135]

Yeah Washington is $1,000 or more. $800 is almost impossible to find now.

[@terid6708]

Another great lesson. Love my budget template, use it each and every month. It has helped me get ahead on my savings goals without even thinking about them, just hit the underfunded button when I have the money.

[@autymnahner8887]

I don't know how many times I have watched this video I am so excited to start this process and begin making better financial decisions for my family and I's future

[@Amy623E]

This may be my favorite YNAB video ever! My bank account has a handy feature which allows you to set up recurring expenses and funding schedules (like payday) & then automatically moves a percentage of the money needed into the category depending on how many times you'll get paid before it needs to be ready. SO excited to find a way to make YNAB tie directly into that because that's how my brain functions these days - being able to see everything laid out as beautifully as YNAB does will certainly help a lot!

[@YNABofficial]

Amy, SCORE. Sounds like you've got a system and you are crushing the game!! We are so glad to be a part of it, and hope you'll keep popping in to share your money victories and budgeting excitement! :) -Hannah :)

[@artguy66]

Great job on the Hannah series of videos! My wife and I have been enjoying this series immensely! Informative and just enough entertainment value. Kudos to Hannah and the video editor as well as anyone else in the production of this series! Keep ’em coming!

[@davegeraghty2187]

YNAB this woman needs a raise, company videos are often tacky or false but this was easy to watch and puts forward a good personality to your product

[@YNABofficial]

Thank you Dave! I like the way you think ;) -Hannah :)

[@YNABofficial]

Thank you Dave! I like the way you think ;) -Hannah :)

[@YNABofficial]

Thank you Dave! I like the way you think ;) -Hannah :)

[@YNABofficial]

Thank you Dave! I like the way you think ;) -Hannah :)

[@Molebomb]

Great work Hannah! I love watching your videos. The technical term for that little guy is a checkbox :-) This video really helped me feel at ease with how I was doing my income (semi-monthly) and only putting in half of my budget on certain categories. The tip about putting in the dates is going to be really helpful! Keep up the good work!

[@efsaturn]

I've been using YNAB since before it was online, and I learned a lot from this video. I"ve never seen the emojis before.

[@joepall323]

how to get the emojis?

[@thelorax615]

Never comment on KZbin videos, This lady is fucken amazing. Makes budgeting fun and walked through step by step!

[@catnhat44]

I really enjoyed this! She's funny and yet...delivers the good info. Thanks Hannah!

[@NS-pf2zc]

I really appreciate these videos. Not only do I learn something new with each one, but I get entertained! (My teen thinks you're hilarious!)

[@midnightbudgets]

Really got a lot out of this video, I'm always re-tooling my YNAB Budget, working hard on making the 4 rules work for me - thanks Hannah

[@MrAmyhutto]

Hands down my favorite YNAB videos!

[@YNABofficial]

🥰🥰🥰 Your simple words made my week!! 🌻 Hannah

[@Sclark2006]

It's impossible not learn and laugh watching you. Love !

[@fourthesther]

Hannah, your videos are the best!!

[@YNABofficial]

Hi, Everyone! If you'd like emojis in your budget too, here are a couple resources - On the mobile app, Kelly shows you how here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXK9Zal8aM-mrKs. And here is how to do it on your computer - docs.youneedabudget.com/article/196-using-emoji-in-your-budget. - Ashley

[@collcook]

Love the budgeting template tips (emojis are my favorite part of my budget 💁🏻‍♀️) but what I really want to know is where your sweater is from. Got some money sitting in “🛍 Clothing” waiting to be spent!

[@tabithadente7139]

How did she bring up options for emojis??? I SOOOO wanna do that!

[@collcook]

​@@tabithadente7139 there is a keyboard shortcut to bring up the emoji menu on your computer, and you can enter them from there! On a Mac, it's CTRL+CMD+spacebar, and on Windows, I think it's the Windows key+period.

[@rediscovering_tanyah]

So glad I found this video. It makes the most sense of any videos out even though I'm going to have to move out west to bring this home biweekly. 😊

[@duanecottrell]

For years I always put the dollar amount in the title of *every* category, but after re-reading Jesse's book I'm experimenting with changing that. I still do it for fixed costs like rent and other bills, but for costs where I can control my spending (like eating out, entertainment, or even gas and groceries), I've taken away the dollar amount. I found that when the dollar amount was staring me in the face, it made me feel *worse* if I didn't fully fund my "Fast Food" category for the month. So, instead of feeling encouraged because I cut down on fast food to put more in my vacation fund, I would end up feeling bad because I "didn't even have enough money to fill my fast-food category." It's sort of a mind-game, but for me, it's about an attitude of abundance (I really do have enough) vs. an attitude of scarcity. There's no right or wrong here, but for me, putting fixed numbers in all the variable categories started to feel like budgeting future dollars instead of only the dollars I had. Anyway, I just thought this comment might help some folks, or maybe people have other ideas on the subject. I've learned so much from YNAB over the years, and you're a GREAT addition to the team, Hannah!

[@Thesweetdemonisdead]

I love the video especially the bloopers! Thanks!

[@sunnycyclist]

I’ve been using YNAB for years, but I didn’t know you could fund multiple categories at once! Yay!

[@YNABofficial]

Right?! You can also click a "category group" and fund that whole group of categories if each one of them has a monthly goal attached to it. SO HANDY. - Hannah :)

[@NolanGouveia]

This was such a great video! Love me some BUDGETS! Great financial knowledge here. Very similar to what I teach my students so thank you!

[@amandabrophy2869]

I totally got water up my nose from laughing at the category titles hahaha.

[@julialoosjes7769]

Yes, I finally understand the different goals 😀 your video’s are great 👍🏻thank you 😀

[@Mylifeonart]

This is my 3rd attempt at YNAB bc I just didn’t stick with it. As soon as I became confused, I would throw my hands up and cancel it. There is definitely a learning curve but it’s worth it. I find the more I play with different versions of my budget, the easier its been to perfect. That said, the reason I gave it another try is I bought a house out of state and still in my rental for another month (son is graduating). So I am currently using one version of my budget to account for the temporary additional expenses like packing and moving expenses, graduation expenses and work on my house, etc. After the move most of it will change. Its a lot of moving parts. I don’t know how I would have managed it all without YNAB.

[@lisacarreno2915]

You are so much fun to watch! And I learn a new tip with each of your videos. Thank you!

[@stephaniekipf2424]

Really enjoy the videos Hannah :) helps me feel like budgeting is fun

[@carrjar]

Very helpful (and funny) video. I was a long time MoneyWell user, hanging on for dear life that support would resume. Unfortunately, it was time to move elsewhere and YNAB seemed like the best fit for someone who likes to be able to customize. I was frustrated by the red underfunded warning. I was so use to the bucket (cash envelope system) of distributing my monthly income into categories, and then later filling those bucket as deposits would come in. Two paychecks (my wife and I), two times a month. After watching this video, the template spending goals were essentially the buckets, but way more intuitive. I love the 'Target Balance' option for my sinking funds. Great work Hannah and I think YNAB will be my new budgeting application! 🤞🏻

[@YNABofficial]

Oh Jared, wow-I'm so glad to hear that!! That's a good connection you made, there. If y'all receive multiple paychecks a month, it also might be handy for y'all to check out my most recent video called "Budget on Any Pay Cycle!" It can help you figure out budgeting pace if timing paychecks has ever been a challenge for y'all. So happy you're here, and we're glad we found you!! -Hannah :)

[@tee_jadee]

Hannah is THE best!

[@christiegh8427]

I LOVE these videos: they're both useful and super entertaining! Keep up the good work! 😉

[@YNABofficial]

Thank you Christie!! Will do, friend! -Hannah :)

[@08mamallama]

Hannah is awesome! Can we get a whole Hannah channel? I think I finally understand how to use YNAB!

[@YNABofficial]

😊

[@Kanisaletu]

Wow! What a great presentation? I love this girl

[@eKarly]

I love that your piggy bank is named "Banksy" 😂

[@YNABofficial]

Don't you?? He seems indifferent to it 😉 - Hannah :)

[@vinoi12]

love the funny side comments. will try making templates from now on

[@jenniferlarregui3315]

Thank you for this video. I had tried YNAB about a year ago and I did not like it because it kept saying I was overbudget everytime I tried to budget. I even watched the KZbin videos about the program. I just realized I was doing it wrong. I might try and use it again.

[@noha9071]

It definitely takes a little while to get the hang of it, but sooooo worth it once you do. Keep at it!

[@dianemccreary9238]

I did the same but I’m back after watching a lot of their videos. It’s starting to make sense the more I watch.

[@jenniferlarregui3315]

@@dianemccreary9238 Yeah same here. I have been watching the new videos and now I am starting to see the sense of it.

[@ANOOPBAL]

too complex to be honest!

[@YNABofficial]

We certainly won't deny that YNAB comes with a learning curve! Anytime we're learning a new skill it takes a fair amount of trial and error. We're so glad you're giving it a second go! I tried YNAB twice before it clicked for me the third time. I didn't invest in any education the first two times (us millenials... always skipping the instructions) and I think that was my downfall. So glad you're watching and learning! Feel free to reach out anytime with any questions! I'd also highly encourage you to join the "YNAB (You Need a Budget) Fans" Facebook group! There's lots of great accountability in there, and people who are eager to share their experience with others and answer any questions/road bumps you might be hitting on your budgeting journey. Best of luck, Jennifer! We're rootin' for ya'!

[@dalleenpente]

Totally blast indeed! Thanks so much for your very entertaining videos. Keep up making us 😄

[@sulamitaroco4613]

I got my YNTB app after watching this.... I'm thrilled!

[@YNABofficial]

🎉🎉🎉 That makes two of us!! -Hannah :)

[@suellendemaline665]

Awesome video & explanation! Hannah makes budgeting fun!

[@YNABofficial]

🥳🥳 -Hannah 🌻

[@crazycrazysnakeman]

I think she’s great. Always makes me smile

[@aaronf1762]

I am a bit confused about how you handled the rent bill in your example. You said that you paid February’s rent at the end of January and that the Rent budget in February is for March’s rent. Since you don’t need that money until the 1st of March, wouldn’t it make more sense to move Rent to the bottom of the “GOTTA PAY IT” category, maybe noting that it is due on the 1st of the next month? That way you could use the $400 that you budgeted towards Rent for other things you might reasonably use before getting your second paycheck (like Coffee or Fitness or something else).

[@StudioHannah]

She mentioned that paycheck at the beginning and I was like… ok, I don’t even make half of that… 😅 That’s why it’s so important for me to budget well.

[@friedrichvonfatsch8788]

Omg literally 5 minutes before that bit about the carrot I was asking myself what emoji I should use to represent all groceries and I went for the carrot too ^^

[@YNABofficial]

Great carrots think alike. 🥕 -Hannah :

[@izzyd.9864]

I didn't know about the savings goal by date, that is so very handy! I don't have a monthly allowance for clothes during the year, bc that's not something I want to spend too much on. So I can set up a yearly allowance and spend it and contribute to it during the year. So neat ;)

[@YNABofficial]

That's an awesome idea, Izzy!! Keeps your spending within a certain range, but accounts for the fact that you don't spend out of that category too much. Brilliant! -Hannah :)

[@WilliamSurles]

So funny! I prob won't use ynab, but I'm definitely in love. haha

[@JustJoia]

I have added my due dates and put them in due date order. Adding the emojis was cool. How did you do that?? This reminder on how to use this was right on time! Thank you. ☺️

[@IRL.johnny]

on a Apple/Mac computer, press control + command + space bar all at the same time.

[@beeceestory]

Are they not available on a windows machine?

[@IRL.johnny]

@@beeceestory Windows key + ; (semicolon) or Windows key +. (period) (says the internet, I've never tried it myself)

[@tinkerfly]

@@IRL.johnny Can confirm Windows key + . works in YNAB on Win10; that's how I labeled all my categories 😁

[@JillBusby]

This was super helpful, thank you! I played along as you went.

[@joymccracken1939]

LOVE IT!! Thanks again Hannah, as always fun and informational!

[@aprilbreon6210]

Thank you for making this fun.

[@akynaston1]

Love YNAB - thx guys. Cool video.

[@zelllers]

12:41 - "I have totally enough money for groceries" > Has $0 in groceries This was a great video otherwise. Thank-you YNAB education team.

[@suizilla]

i noticed that too 😂 human typo

[@debbiak]

Thank you! This makes so much more sense!

[@kathrynhoke4830]

Is there going to be an updated video of this with the new 3 different ways to set up a goal? (Needed for Spending, Target Savings Balance, and Monthly Savings Builder) I think I understand them now after some fiddling around, but a brand new user may not.

[@ecuadordave8076]

Thank you very entertaining as you teach the program....

[@DavidNeedham]

Great tips throughout, but my favorite part was the blooper reel at the end. 😂

[@lyncollins5070]

How do I get the emoji/art on my budget? What category do use for a vacuum cleaner, rugs, new pots and pans, items for new grandbaby. Pack and play etc...

[@JulieBlichmann]

And to think I've been doing this in an Excel spreadsheet! DOH!

[@amyhale5761]

I'd like to look at a complete budget template so I can see how much money I am targeting vs how much money I expect to make (rather than click on each budget line and then add up the total myself). Is there a way to do that? If not, I'd love to see that in the future.

[@dianemccreary9238]

Awesome video. Thank you for making it easier and fun.

[@YNABofficial]

Diane, our pleasure!! Fun is all I know 😎 -Hannah

[@mrrobinson10]

This is the exact video I've been looking for!!!!

[@YNABofficial]

Yesssss!! That's what we like to hear. 😁 -Hannah

[@yariarenas]

That Underfunded Button just made my day!

[@philm3271]

Loved the video. Would have liked to see in 5 secs what you would have done with the leftover 200+. Specifically would you have left it there as a positive and gone straight into March to start loading up there, or just bulked up a bit in Feb?

[@YNABofficial]

Philm-great question! Currently, whenever I have money leftover at the end of the money I scrounge it up and turn it into an extra loan payment for the month! In this case, it all depends on how solid I feel that month-whether I'd rather pad some of my monthly expenses or tuck it away for those savings goals I have going. 🤷🏻‍♀️ - Hannah :)

[@stevecontreras417]

Wow. This was so helpful

[@moniquegerken182]

How did you move the negative To Be Budgeted amount to the coffee category so quickly? Is there a shortcut I don’t know about?

[@wilburnforce]

Yas

[@bowwowers]

I don't need auto maintenance every month, would I consider that a savings goal? Also, I've watched this video more times than I care to admit.It's super helpful Thanks a bunch!

[@YNABofficial]

Ha! You can admit it to me, we're all budgeting nerds around here 😂 I too don't use auto maintenance every month, I just throw a little in every month so that when I DO need to take my car to the shop, the money is there and ready for me to pay for whatever repairs I need. This comment is all-too-ironic timing, because *just this week* my car's AC went out, started leaking brake fluid, and had a tail light go out. Going to the shop early next week and will probably be dropping a pretty penny to get my baby up and running again! Hoping I have most of the invoice, if not all of it, covered with the money I've built up in this account. I use a monthly spending goal for auto maintenance, not because I'm spending out of it every month, but more so because I don't have a target goal I want to save or a date I want to save it all by. In this instance, you could truly go either way (savings goal or spending goal) and it will function nearly the same way! Good question! -Hannah :)

[@bridgeywill]

This video just genuinely changed my life lol

[@Fredd49]

Why is the interface in the video is not the same as mine? Is it beacause it change in the last two years or because there's different type of interface? Either way, super nice videos thanks for all your good work!!

[@YNABofficial]

Hey Frederic! Yes, the app and website have both seen many changes since this video was published two years ago! Check out some of our more recent videos to see how to set up your budget. -Hannah 🌻

[@nicolebrown5987]

How did you place pictures via your computer? I would love that

[@kclark7103]

Someone posted this further down in the comments and it worked for me. Hope this helps! Start by inserting your cursor anywhere in YNAB that you can insert text On a Mac: Hold down CTRL + CMD + SPACE On a PC: Hold down the Windows Key + ;

[@YNABofficial]

You nailed it, K Clark! Nicole, here's a video if you're still needing some pointers!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXK9Zal8aM-mrKs -Hannah

[@gflack71]

How did you get icons next to groceries?

[@JustJoia]

Yes that was cool!

[@gflack71]

@Merlin's Bones Thanks for the help but I held the Windows key and the semicolon key and it didn't work . . .

[@ChristopherHills]

@@gflack71 you might be using windows 7 (rather than 10) the win key + ; or . only work in win 10 not 7. you can still use them by copy and paste, details in this link www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-use-emojis-on-your-windows-10-pc/

[@gflack71]

@Merlin's Bones I have 7. Thanks!

[@JustJoia]

Merlin's Bones thank you. Worked for me on my Mac. 😊

[@marie-linevillers7105]

what do you do with yearly expenses? Would they just fill up the page all year? For example YNAB payment :)

[@YNABofficial]

Hey Marie-Line! That's what I do! I create a category for an annual expense (for example, "YNAB Subscription: $84/yr") and set a "by date" goal for the day my card will be charged for that expense. So if I need to pay for my subscription again on October 1st of 2021, I'll set the "by date" goal to October 1st and it will tell me exactly how much to put in every month until the day finally arrives! I do this with my Christmas category and my old side hustle's website fees which was a big expense once a year. By the time it was time to pay, I had every penny I needed and it didn't take a hit to my wallet! -Hannah :)

[@sujitjoshi1240]

I love checking YNAB for transactions more than checking Facebook or Insta...is it just me?!!

[@YNABofficial]

Right?! Absolutely not just you. I guess I could always just spend more money to get more transactions to categorize... ;) -Hannah

[@sujitjoshi1240]

@@YNABofficial hmmmm....im not sure about that.😂

[@YNABofficial]

😂

[@apsjr1]

young Lady i was wondering can you do a more detail about the budget template that i can under stand better.

[@YNABofficial]

Hey Alfred! We have some upcoming changes coming to YNAB, and once those hit I'll update this video to be current and more detailed! -Hannah :)

[@NaturallyJWalkin]

me and this girl need to be friends....period!!! she seems cool!!

[@YNABofficial]

And with that, Hannah ended the day with one more friend than she started with. #jwalkinandhannahforever -Hannah

[@NaturallyJWalkin]

@@YNABofficial I'm glad I made a new friend as well!! I just started YNAB this month and it has seriously changed my life. Thanks for the educational yet, entertaining videos.

[@adrianmechelle3784]

What if you tithe, and put money aside for taxes? Do you put in your income after that?

[@YNABofficial]

Giving and taxes you need to withhold yourself can be specific categories in your budget. So I would enter your paycheck in as you receive it, then budget what you want to give and withhold for taxes to those specific categories.

[@kimharris3322]

Who thought "budgeting" could be so much fun :)

[@GhaliaVillanueva]

How can i get one of those ynab stickers🤗

[@hesasteadypacer]

Hahaha! Corn byproducts are pretty much in most of our foods. 😂

[@marie-linevillers7105]

Hi, i would also like to add icons but that option doesnt show on my desktop app page? thanks!

[@YNABofficial]

This link should help you figure out how to add emojis on your computer, whether Mac or Windows! docs.youneedabudget.com/article/196-using-emoji-in-your-budget -Hannah :)

[@GrahamScholton]

Why use goals for known transactions such as rent? Wouldn't it just make more sense to use an upcoming recurring transaction?

[@YNABofficial]

You can do both! They're kind of two different things! I use targets on my categories like our monthly mortgage payment because it helps me quickly assign the money to the category whenever we get a paycheck in-I just select all the categories I have enough money to fund and click the "Underfunded" button in the "Auto Assign" menu! Assigns the perfect amount of money to all my categories everytime in just a couple clicks. BUT, I also have our monthly mortgage payment set up as a scheduled recurring transaction as well, so that when we're charged for it (on the same day every month, usually the 2nd or 3rd), I don't have to enter all the transaction data myself-it just imports into the budget on it's own every month! Hope that helps make sense of their different functions and purposes. 🌻 Hannah

[@GrahamScholton]

@@YNABofficial Thanks Hannah, I am still a bit confused. Wouldn't an upcoming transaction still trigger the auto-assign and show up as underfunded?

[@YNABofficial]

Entering transactions and funding categories are separate functions that have to be completed independently of each other! Transactions don't *fund* the budget, they actually typically *defund* the budget! Before transactions even come into play, we have to fund the budget so we have money to spend and know where it's coming from. So, if I know I spend $2,200 on my mortgage payment every month, I'll want to fund my mortgage category with $2,200 from my "Ready to Assign" category. I like to do this by setting a monthly spending target for $2,200 on my mortgage category, so that when I use the "underfunded" auto assign button, it fills it up with $2,200 from my "Ready to Assign" category. Let's say I funded my mortgage category in full toward the end of April so that I'm ready to pay it come May 1st. The transaction is simply recording any spending that happens when it happens, so that that money can be removed from the appropriate category. So, when May 1st comes around and I make my mortgage payment, I gotta record it in the budget! I'll create an outflow transaction for $2,200 and categorize it to my "Mortgage" category. I had funded my mortgage category with $2,200 toward the end of April, and now that I've spent all $2,200 of that money on May 1st and recorded the transaction, the category will have $0 left in it. Pre-scheduling recurring transactions doesn't *fund* the budget, it's simply a way to pre-record spending. Since I *know* I always pay my $2,200 mortgage on the 1st of each month, I can preschedule that spending transaction to just pop into the budget for me on the first to automatically record that spending instead of me having to enter it manually right on the 1st of each month. Does this make any more sense? To summarize with less words: 1. First you have to fund the budget with the money you have, and a lot of people like to use "targets" to speed up this task and fund each category to the exact right amount! 2. Whenever you spend, you record that transaction in the budget, and it will defund that category for that amount. Prescheduling recurring transactions just makes it so the budget automatically records that spending for you, instead of you having to do it manually yourself every month. I hope I'm making sense! If not, I can try to point you to some other resources to help explain with a little more clarity! 🌻 Hannah

[@GrahamScholton]

@@YNABofficial Thank you so much Hannah! I really appreciate you taking the time to give such a thorough response! I guess it comes down to setting your goals a month ahead. Because, for example, I have upcoming transactions this month to transfer money to say, investments, I can see I am underfunded by the upcoming transfer amount. I can still use the underfunded shortcut to satisfy the upcoming transactions, similar to monthly spending goals.

[@TheShinx317]

Help! How do I create Budget template for Credit Cards?

[@semish1000]

I am paid by weekly and many of my bills are also by weekly. What is the best template to manage them? Should I create monthly budget or something like Wk1-2 bills and Wk3-4.? Thank you for any suggestion

[@debbiew263]

Nick True (MappedOutMoney) has YNAB YT videos on creating a budget according to your pay schedules. His videos are great. I think it's his Quick Start Guide (2018).

[@joepall323]

How do you get the little icons to show in front of the category?

[@YNABofficial]

That's built in to the web app. They should show up if you have targets on your categories.

[@elizabethmellen4178]

Because of Tim Allen 😂😂 You’re so fun

[@jayoungrn]

Is that really the average? I think that is the "reported to the IRS" number. The trades and service industry falsely lower that number.