6 Simple Habits To Budget Like a Pro

Budgeting isn’t nearly as complicated as you may think. In fact, these six SIMPLE, simple habits have been the game changers for so many successful YNABers and budgeters. Watch ‘em through, build these habits, and before you know it you’ll be CRUSHING the game, too!
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:22 Habit #1: Record New Money Immediately
1:25 Habit #2: Budget to Zero
2:52 Habit #3: Check Budget Before Spending
5:15 Habit #4: Enter Day-to-Day Spending Yourself
6:35 Habit #5: Reconcile Frequently
8:43 Habit #6: Change Your Budget
11:23 YNAB Win: Haley C!
12:53 Outro
13:17 Bloopers
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[@collincutler2278]

One habit I realized I needed is putting info of the purchase in the memo. Why did I spend $15.86 at walmart? Was it for groceries, home decor, car maintenance, etc? A simple description really helps.

[@YNABofficial]

Oh, memos are where it's AT, my dude. I detail evvvverything in the memo. There's nothing worse than waiting way too long to reconcile and then realizing you just literally have no idea what you bought at Walmart for $72, OR having no idea how the transaction should be split up into various categories. I even memo the splits on split transactions so I can remember what each general item was! 🌻 Hannah

[@conureron3792]

Entering the money as it comes in is the funnest part of budgeting. Yep, don’t enter it before you get it! A must in the YNAB realm.

[@mrswilbert]

"Funnest"?! 🙄🤣🤣🤣

[@YNABofficial]

Hey, I'm on Conure Ron's side. Funnest rules. 🌻 Hannah

[@mrswilbert]

@@YNABofficial "funnest" is not a word

[@YNABofficial]

Yeah, but it's the funnest way to say it. 🌻 Hannah

[@mrswilbert]

@@YNABofficial actually, it's the most illiterate way to say it.

[@avalonpenrosee]

One tip I have to make the most of the iphone widget is to pick the 7 category option & make sure that your daily expenses are listed before the monthly expenses on your budget! That way you can always see your daily expense categories at a glance on your home screen :)

[@YNABofficial]

Yes ma'am, there sure is!! I'm actually making a video on widgets right now, though it likely won't come out for a few months! You can learn how to set up widgets for Android with this help doc, though!! support.youneedabudget.com/en_us/ynab-widget-for-mobile-a-guide-HJPEEQYR9 🌻 Hannah

[@peterrak4291]

Hannah seems like the type of person who hangs out after church to, “you know, just catch up with people.”

[@YNABofficial]

Whaaaat? You mean when the last church staff member comes through and jokingly says "Hey, don't forget to lock up the place when you leave." Neverrrr... 😏 🌻 Hannah

[@mercyfae17]

Love the praise! It’s so important to not judge other people for how much they spend/what they buy for themselves.

[@YNABofficial]

Oh, absolutely! People might think I spend outrageous amounts on skin care or plants, but every penny of it is budgeted for and planned for! It always comes down to priorities and designing a financial life that GIVES you life, too! We HAVE to budget for the fun and the joy-makers! 🌻 Hannah

[@zhagata]

I tried YNAB 4 years ago, and it didn't stick. But now after the Hannah helpful and funny videos, I'm giving it a try again. Because I've caught myself thinking - I'm not buying anything I don't need, but I'm barely living paycheck to paycheck. I'm now very determined to stick with YNAB and get my money on the right track! I hope to see linking options with Latvian banks too. Thank you Hannah for inspiring me! Love you!

[@YNABofficial]

Ahh 🥺🥰 So honored to play a tiny role in your money journey! As someone who has come back from thousands in consumer debt, I KNOW you can do this-YNAB is just the tool to empower what you already have within you!! You got this, my friend!! 🌻 Hannah

[@fsmoura]

A.B.R. . . . A, always. B, be. R, reconciling-Hey, put that coffee down!!! Coffee's for reconcilers!! ( oДo)

[@YNABofficial]

Mmmm, reconciliation coffeeeee 🤤☕ 🌻 Hannah

[@ShoelessJoeChristian]

I'm a big fan of reconciling every day, first thing in the morning! Instead of entering day-to-day spending immediately, I prefer everyone in my household to keep receipts and then I enter them all right before reconciling every morning.

[@amypola5903]

Hi Shoeless Joe!

[@ShoelessJoeChristian]

@@amypola5903 Well hey, hi there! 👋

[@chrisb5103]

This is more of a critical public service message than a sales pitch. Super important info and super well presented. Hope it reaches loads of new people who need this kind of thoughtful guidance. Thanks for putting it out there and in this way.

[@YNABofficial]

🥰 Wow, how kind! And can I say-I agree!! The simple tips that will totally change your financial life. 🌻 Hannah

[@akynaston1]

Yea - well put Chris: I've loved the push for the core simple learning that the YNAB folks push on so hard. This is FANTASTIC. I've loved picking up new principles with these videos.

[@chrisdragn9264]

I think this is the single greatest software that I have ever owned, just saying

[@YNABofficial]

🥰🥰 I couldn't agree more. 🥰🥰 🌻 Hannah

[@andresfelipelondono9502]

Always wonderful!

[@Spp235.]

Great video. To the point with a lot of best practices.

[@Jone276]

What a great idea to make Ynab more accessible more quickly: the home screen widget to check 🎉 thx so much!!

[@andrewnewton2752]

I need to do this ASAP

[@hiddenspringshappenings3945]

Great video! I have been using YNAB for years and this was still a great refresher.

[@erikac7564]

Omg I’ve just started using YNAB again since 2020 and there is a widget now?!!! So helpful!!😍😍

[@av8r22]

I whole heartetly agree that in order to be successful at your budget you HAVE to roll with the punches. If you don't allow yourself to roll with lifes punches then we end up miserable. YNab reframes this and keeps me motivated at paying off debt! Well Done Hannah!

[@YNABofficial]

It's essential! Life changes-we must change too!! The budget has to go along for the ride just like the rest of us, so flexibility becomes the name of the game AND the trait that sets YNAB apart from most other money management methods! Plus... so much less guilt. That's probably the best part. 🌻 Hannah

[@christinemueller1508]

Hannah!!!!! I missed you. Your videos haven't been sending me reminders. So glad I found this one. You are such a breath of fresh air. Your calm voice makes me believe I can budget and keep on it! Ty for everything you do!

[@YNABofficial]

Uh oh! Maybe try unsubscribing then subscribing again? Or click the "bell" to get notified. Let me know if it happens again next time! My videos come out twice a month, alternating Wednesdays with the Budget Nerds episodes, so check in on Wednesday afternoons/evenings to see what's new! 🌻 Hannah

[@travismeredithsmith7991]

YNAB is awesome, We've used it for years and highly recommend it! I love these videos and have a request for a topic- could you make a video on tips and tricks for high net-worth and/or high income households. For instance, when things like rental properties, multiple investment accounts and long term wealth generation are involved.

[@YNABofficial]

Ooooh... I could sure try. I'd need to do a lot of research as most of that is over my head!! 😂 I'll add it to my ideas list! 🌻 Hannah

[@realtimerecruitinginc.1625]

Hannah - you are a riot. Thanks for doing what you do .....!

[@YNABofficial]

THANK YOU!! Glad to, I sure love it! 🌻 Hannah

[@lizp.9513]

Awesome video and great reminders. I am a successful budgeter!! Yay lol.

[@YNABofficial]

YAY! Something to celebrate, to be sure!! 🌻 Hannah

[@drloveslearning4744]

Great advice - I've budgeted for a long time (years with Mvelopes and new to YNAB) and these are excellent ideas and yes, look at the budget "every" day :-)

[@YNABofficial]

YAY! Welcome to YNAB!! Intentionality is key. You already sound like a pro! 🌻 Hannah

[@waschosen-]

I want to understand how to resolve the following situations: If encountering "You assigned more than you have", what would you recommend for the following two approaches? (1) Adjust the assigned items for each month to ensure the Ready to assign value is not less than 0 (allowing some items to be overspent) (2) Keep the "You assigned more than you have" value as it is, even if it is negative, without any adjustments, with the goal of finding ways to earn money to cover the over budget amount.

[@TwoPlusTwoEqualsFive32]

Also most banking apps allow push notifications for all transactions in or out of your account. This is good for remembering transactions if you are in a rush and forget the remember the amount or get a receipt. It also let's you catch potential fraudulent transactions more quickly. Use the YNAB widget with your main shopping categories on your main phones screen so everytime you open your phone your spending categories are right infront of you without having to open the app.

[@YNABofficial]

Broooooo. You are a mind reader. I just finished up a video on iOS Hacks a few weeks ago that show you a few tips and tricks on how to use iOS's Shortcuts app to improve your budgeting habits, AND my final tip is bank push notifications! They've been super helpful to me, especially when I forget to grab a receipt! And a video going more in depth with widgets is in the queue as well! You have a sixth sense! 🌻 Hannah

[@aloseman]

For the algorithm!

[@itsjustgarion]

Wait a minute, I heard that Hanna is from Kansas!?! A fellow Kansan here too! These videos are the absolute best - keep up the great work!

[@YNABofficial]

Oh heckkkkkkk yeah!! That's why I get grilled all the time for setting my "rent" or "mortgage payment" example categories too low 😂 We're not cheap, we're normal! 🌾 🌻 Hannah

[@itsjustgarion]

@@YNABofficial My wife commented yesterday about one of the examples and it occurred to me that ours is just too high...

[@YNABofficial]

Hey, maybe not! A lot of the time I was writing these scripts/budget examples as a SINGLE girl living on my own. So my groceries categories always seemed to be ridiculously low in examples, or on the flip side my husband each get $250 of fun money a month while I have co-workers who give themselves $25 in fun money a month and that difference really just blew my mind 😂 But we're kidless and that co-worker has four kids, so it makes sense that we would have different financial priorities! We're just soaking up the DINKer fun money while we still can 🙃 🌻 Hannah

[@intrepid_rain]

Hannah one thing I have to correct you on is do NOT record your gas transaction while you are standing there fueling up your tank!! It’s a fire hazard to be using your cell phone while fueling. Do it in the car before or after.

[@YNABofficial]

Oooooh 😬 That is one very essential correction. Thanks Sara! I always wait to enter when I'm "unhooked" from the pump and back in my car because I don't know the final total until then! 🌻 Hannah

[@kimlynn924]

I heard "widget" and immediately stopped to add that to my homescreen. I didn't know those existed!

[@YNABofficial]

No way! More detailed video on the YNAB widget coming soon! 🌻 Hannah

[@billriley2550]

Just became a budget nerd. Been watching videos on your KZbin channel. Please, Please share a screen showing what you are saying on all the videos. It's extremely important to show people what you are talking about. Everyone on your youtube channel should do this. Regardless of how easy things are for you, it's not so easy for us.

[@MetalSamantha]

I'm not sure how both of my accounts were out of whack with my budget today when I reconciled them literally yesterday. Oh well I'm doing the 30-Day Challenge now, so fewer transactions should be muddying the waters for a few weeks.

[@YNABofficial]

Huh! If you're utilizing direct import (linked bank accounts) and think there might be an issue with your bank connection, definitely write into support and see if they can help you! They're super good at that kind stuff. Otherwise, GOOD LUCK on the 30-Day Challenge!! So challenging, especially in the beginning, but SO rewarding-both financially and all the other ways... emotionally, mentally, physically. Amen. 🌻 Hannah

[@etownify]

Hannah, amazing shirt! I know this isn't a fashion channel (yet), but where did you snag it?

[@YNABofficial]

Oooh, thanks! Target, baby!! 🎯 🌻 Hannah

[@everettedl]

Just tried the long press on the category to add a transaction and it didn't work. I suspect that feature is on the iPhone version only at the moment 😕

[@YNABofficial]

Yes! Unfortunately I only discovered this myself last week when a few other Android users pointed it out. BUT, if it's a feature you'd like to see on the Android app in the future, go ahead and leave a feature request for our development team! youneedabudget.typeform.com/to/Pt6cek?typeform-source=docs.youneedabudget.com 🌻 Hannah

[@AIRFORCEFREAK1]

Like the video but if Venmo money is being sent to my bank account than its all but in my checking account. Venmo is another bank account in a different form.

[@YNABofficial]

Hey there! If you use Venmo a TON and never transfer money out of your venmo account (I've heard this is a pretty common practice among roommates who are Venmoing each other all throughout the month for different expense), then you can actually set up Venmo in your YNAB budget as it's own account! *Especially* if you have the Venmo credit card or account they offer these days. But, if you're like me and only use Venmo maybe once or twice a month to pay someone back, I always just immediately transfer the money from my Venmo app to my checking account, and count it as an inflow of money to assign to whatever category makes the most sense. 🌻 Hannah

[@MariaMolina-vz9rv]

Hello! When you show your YNAB the grocery have - - - on the bar … how do you do that ? Which video can I check that 😮 Thank you

[@YNABofficial]

Hey! That happened because I set a *weekly* spending target, but I set it up after we were already a week into the month. Weekly targets have you set a day of week when the target renews (let's say Monday, for example), and depending on how many Mondays are in that month, it will require you to set aside that many weeks worth of funds according to your weekly goal. So if I like to have $150 every Monday for my routine Monday grocery trip, and the month has five Mondays in it instead of the usual four, YNAB will prompt me to set aside $750 that month for groceries instead of just $600. Likewise, if I don't set up the target til halfway through the month and two Mondays have already passed, YNAB will only prompt me to fund my weekly spending target three times (three bars), since there are only three Mondays left in that month. If I didn't set up a weekly goal til the last week of a month, it'd only have me set aside one weeks worth of grocery money, and therefore would only show one bar that month (though the next month, it'd had four or five again, based on the amount of Mondays that particular month!) Hope that makes sense! It's more of an adjustment to help you start off your budget on the right track, and then it becomes more routine from there! 🌻 Hannah

[@MariaMolina-vz9rv]

@@YNABofficial how do you do that? Which video explain that 😊 I wanna do it like that

[@YNABofficial]

I break down weekly targets here!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qHyadGWFqM6We5Y 🌻 Hannah

[@MariaMolina-vz9rv]

@@YNABofficial Thank youuu… you are the Best ♥️

[@amberslamp7962]

Why do my budget categories not have icons like the example?

[@YNABofficial]

You add them yourself! Just pull up the emoji keyboard on your phone or computer and sprinkle some emojis throughout your budget! Instructions here: support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-use-emoji-in-your-budget-SJTNIyQAc 🌻 Hannah

[@brendan31415]

6:08 Long press on the category doesn't seem to work on Android. Is it just me, or is this functionality coming soon?

[@lucascrow348]

Long press is, I believe, an iPhone only thing.

[@YNABofficial]

Brendan, I apologize for not clarifying! In the future, anytime you see a feature you'd love to be brought to Android or YNAB in general, feel free to submit your idea here!! youneedabudget.typeform.com/to/Pt6cek?typeform-source=docs.youneedabudget.com 🌻 Hannah

[@Rocket5386]

How useful is YNAB if you are debt free? I am retired and have no 401k, so I am not planning for retirement or plan on getting a boat load of money anytime soon.

[@azureocean8]

I am debt free and use YNAB. It helps me save for things and keep spending under control in those easy-to-overspend areas like groceries, eating out. If I don't tell my money what to do or where to go, it will just go everywhere and I will wonder why I don't have any money.

[@1esk192]

I'm debt free and YNAB plays a big role in staying that way.

[@YNABofficial]

I echo Terri! The ability to tangibly see your savings goals come to life, AND keep track of them all. The "Age of Money" metric and ability to budget your money into the future so you can see how far your money can really take you. The accountability regarding overspending, and the freedom is gives you TO spend when you're following the budget! There are so many pros. Would highly encourage you to give the 34-day trial a shot if you wanna see how it would work for you! You don't need to enter any credit cards or payment info upon starting the free trial if you begin it through www.ynab.com, so there's no risk of forgetting to cancel and being charged when you don't want to! 🌻 Hannah

[@Rocket5386]

Thanks everyone, I decided to give it a shot and subscribed.

[@PatJones82]

Maybe the Government should learn how to use YNAB. I'm gonna give it a try. Maybe they can too. :)

[@YNABofficial]

Woo hoo!! Best of luck, Pat!! 🌻 Hannah

[@jimk8353]

Holy crap where can we get that coffee mug?!?

[@YNABofficial]

Every once in a while, YNAB has a pop-up swag sale! It only lasts a few days, but we sell exclusive YNAB merch! Make sure to be subscribed to our email or follow our social media to catch the next one! 🌻 Hannah

[@jimk8353]

@@YNABofficial Awesome! YNAB swag is now a category :)

[@mrswilbert]

Is this an arm exercise???

[@YNABofficial]

Toning your finances like a pro. 80's workout style. 💪🏽 🌻 Hannah

[@stephanieoubre2975]

Why do y'all always talk about the iPhone widget? There's plenty of Android users and I have an unlimited number of categories viewable in my widget as far as I can tell.

[@YNABofficial]

Hey Stephanie! We decided a few years back to streamline all teaching devices to iOS so that our tutorials were consistent across the board. However, I have a video coming out on the YNAB Widget real soon, which covers Android in depth as well-screen recordings and all! The Android widget only has two size options (small and large), and while the "small" option only allows you to select one category, the "large" option actually let's you choose unlimited categories for your widget that you can then scroll through directly from your home page. So you could actually add your whole budget to your Android widget if you truly wanted! More info on that here: support.youneedabudget.com/en_us/ynab-widget-for-mobile-a-guide-HJPEEQYR9#android 🌻 Hannah

[@steviemadison2127]

Are you receiving money for your Walmart and Target endorsements? If so that highly diminishes the trust in the YNAB brand.

[@YNABofficial]

Hi Stevie! No, this video is not sponsored. We just tend to use examples that a lot of our users might have in their budgets too. 🙂 - Ben M 🎨

[@ejn1011]

Hate to be a downer, but it is very dangerous to have your eyes down at your phone at a gas pump. The wrong type of people will see an opportunity to victimize you. Finish your transaction, get in your car, lock your doors, start your car, put it in drive, enter your transaction, leave.

[@nukedaddy]

Reconciling: Every time I've reconciled so far, I've had more in my bank than YNAB. I'm finding this is because YNAB isn't doing a great job of finding duplicates (I'm connected to my bank account).

[@nukedaddy]

Safety tip: don't use your cell phone while pumping gas. Wait until you put the nozzle back and close your gas cap.

[@tessa1961]

I always forget to look at the budget before spending it... 🥲 #3

[@YNABofficial]

I'M GETTING BETTER. But it will likely be a skill I'm allllllways developing and brushing up on 😂 🌻 Hannah