You need a budget!  This is the assertion of the envelope budgeting software called YNAB Pro.

I chose YNAB Pro as my budgeting system over a year ago and I couldn’t be happier!  YNAB makes managing my finances a snap saving me a ton of time over the systems I used in the past.

My budget helped my wife and I become debt free except for our mortgage.   We paid off over $28,000 in debt in about 20 months!  I sleep a lot easier now knowing all we owe on is our house which we will have paid off in the next 4 or 5 years.  We never could have done it without a budget. 

Ask yourself, “How would it feel to not owe anyone in the world a dime?”

Welcome to My Visual Tour of YNAB Pro

YNAB Pro is a fantastic system!  It does everything I need and more.  I wholeheartedly endorse this system.  Of course, you don’t have to rely just on my word.  You can read the hundreds of customer testimonials on their site!

If you are looking for a personal finance and budgeting system, you can’t go wrong with YNAB Pro.  Want to learn more?  Great because I’ve put together a brief visual tour of the software that I’d like to share with you.

YNAB Pro Will Help You Get Control of Your Money

There is no doubt in my mind that a well organized budget is essential to winning with money.  YNAB Pro will absolutely give you the tools you need to put you in charge of your finances.  As far as I’m concerned, it is one of the best investments that I ever made!

You can visit the YNAB website to learn even more!

Disclosure:  I make a small commission if you visit the YNAB site by clicking one of the links above and decide to buy YNAB Pro.  The proceeds support this site.  However, I would endorse YNAB whether I made money from it or not.  I firmly believe it can help you get control of your finances and win with money.  It has certainly helped me to do so!

I think we all need a budget and a good software application to help us manage our finances.  That’s why over a year ago, after asking for recommendations from my readers, I switched to YNAB Pro as my new personal finance system.

YNAB Pro has a lot of great features and I can honestly say that it makes managing my money quick and painless.  It cut the time I spend on my personal finances in half which thoroughly delights me.  I’d much rather be using my time for more enjoyable activities.

One of things that is unique about YNAB is that it was created with a specific set of financial rules in mind as the guiding principles for how the software operates.  I like this purpose-driven aspect of YNAB.  So, I thought I’d share a little about my experience with these rules.

My experience with the YNAB Rules for Money Management

The creator of YNAB was just an individual that wanted to “watch his money”.  He researched the other budgeting systems out there and realized none of them provided what he wanted.  Not one of the existing systems allowed him to create a living budget that adhered to the financial principles he felt were essential.  Thus, the birth of YNAB.

The rules certainly make YNAB unique from any other software out there that I’ve tried.  Therefore, you really need to understand the rules and their impact on YNAB Pro to determine if it is the right system for you.

Since I’ve got over a year’s experience now using YNAB Pro, I can tell you exactly how I like the way each of the four rules reveals itself in the software and how it affects me.

Rule One: Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck

YNAB wants you to live on last month’s income instead of the paychecks you are earning this month.  Click on the short video to the left for more of an explanation.

Personally, I don’t do this.  It may seem strange that I use and recommend YNAB Pro when I don’t follow their first rule of money management.  Could I do it?  Yes, I believe I could get there, but I haven’t seen the need since I have an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses. 

I suppose it would make things a little easier in that I wouldn’t have to schedule certain transactions for the second half of the month after my mid-month paycheck, but that’s never really caused a problem for me so I’ll probably keep doing what I’ve always done.

Fortunately, in the software, it is easy to work around this.  As it demonstrates in the video, you have the choice of claiming income as either primary or supplemental.  Primary income is allocated toward next month’s budget while supplemental is applied toward this month’s budget.  I just tell YNAB that most of my income is supplemental and it all works like I want.

This is just one example of how flexible the software is which is one of the things that I enjoy about using it.  I hate being forced to do things somebody else’s way!

Rule Two : Give Every Dollar a Job

If you’ve read this blog for any time at all, then you know that I fully embrace Rule Two.  I completely believe in using a budget to assign every dollar a job in advance at the beginning of each month.  This rule aligns itself perfectly with my Smart Living Rule 6 and is one of the reasons that I love YNAB so much!

YNAB Pro is based on the envelope budgeting system where you create categories that act like electronic envelopes for your spending.  At the beginning of each month you allocate a certain amount of your income to each envelope or category and then as the month progresses, you assign what you actually spend to the appropriate envelope.

It only takes me about 15-20 minutes per month to set up my budget and maybe another 20-30 minutes a month to track my spending.  This is time well invested to be sure my money is spent according to my priorities and not just scattered to the wind.

YNAB Pro has several nice features that really make this fast and easy.  For example, I’m able to import my transactions from my Credit Union into YNAB.  It then automatically assigns these transactions to an envelope that I then only have to right-click and approve!

Rule Three: Save for a Rainy Day

The idea behind Rule Three is to save money in advance for known and unknown future expenses.  As mentioned in the video, this savings is for things like buying Christmas presents or paying your car insurance premium every six months.

I follow this rule religiously!  I have several categories set up in YNAB so I can budget a certain amount each month for things like periodically having to buy license tags for my vehicles and paying my annual life insurance premium.  YNAB Pro accumulates my monthly allocations and carries over the balance from one month to the next.  This way the money is setting there in an envelope ready when the expense actually occurs!  It eliminates the “surprise” bill that leaves you short at the end of the month.

Another great way to use this is to create some discretionary spending envelopes.  For example, my wife and I have a date fund.  We put $50 a month in this envelope.  We don’t always get an evening away from home every month so the money accumulates.  Then when the kids go spend the weekend with Grandma, we’ve got some money put back to enjoy a night out without feeling guilty or stressed about money!  It is awesome!

Rule Four: Roll with the Punches

The last YNAB Rule recognizes that a plan made at the beginning of the month that attempts to predict the future is never perfect.  I’ve pointed out before that A Rigid Budget Will Die A Quick Death.  Even seasoned budgeting pros occasionally make mistakes and need to make mid-month corrections.  YNAB Pro handles this beautifully!

The software forces you to address overspending.  The video really illustrates how this works.  I encourage you to watch it.  This aspect of YNAB Pro took a little getting used to, but now I really like it.  Where before I could have just ignored a problem category in a given month, this rule makes that impossible.

Once you understand how YNAB handles this then it becomes very simple and reassuring.  I know that my budget is consistent, yet flexible.  I don’t stress about it as much as I used to.  I know I can work it out and start each month off with a clean slate!

The YNAB Rules Are What Makes This System Great!

I really like the idea that YNAB Pro is built on simple, yet solid money management principles.  It is what makes the system great!  I also like how all the built-in features make managing my money so easy. 

I’m not the only one that feels this way.  There are a ton of great customer testimonials on the YNAB site that I encourage you to take a look at.  YNAB Pro is a budgeting and money management system that won’t steer you wrong!

Are you going to give YNAB Pro a try?

Photo by baslow

Money is the fuel of life.  No matter how much or how little you earn, no matter how much or how little you need to live your chosen lifestyle, getting the most of out of your money is smart living.

It takes money to do just about anything.  Good financial management will give you more options and freedom to live the life of your choice.  This is living life to the fullest!

3 smart living techniques for getting the most out of your money

Getting control of your money to make it do what you want is not all that hard.  In fact, it is amazingly simple, yet not always easy to do. 

Winning with money is 80% behavior and 20% head knowledge.  You do not have to be a financial guru which is good news for me.  However, you do have to decide to reel in your bad money habits which can be a difficult thing to do.

Dave Ramsey says, “You have to get sick and tired of being sick and tired” before you’re going to choose to change.  I believe this is true. 

If you are fed up with barely getting by one month to the next, then you might be ready to implement what I believe are the three most important techniques for getting the most out of your money.

1.  Get control of your money with a budget

You have got to be willing to get control of your money to get the most out of it.  A budget is not a hammer used to bang yourself and your family over the head for bad behavior.  It is a tool that allows you to align your spending with your family’s priorities.

A good budgeting system tells your money what you want it to do in advance every month.  It focuses your resources toward the goals that you set.  The key is to get everyone to agree to the plan up front to avoid conflicts.

Another purpose of a budget is to help you start spending less than you earn.  You cannot live life to the fullest while you are buried in debt, but we’ll talk more about that in a moment.

A budgeting system will help you plan for the expected and the unexpected expenses of life.  It gives you a way to start saving money for specific purposes like Christmas presents, a college education, a busted water heater and car repairs.

Finally, a budget provides you a feedback loop to let you know whether you are actually spending according to your plan.  This is indispensable.  This ongoing process will whip your finances into shape in no time!

2.  Get out of debt to give yourself more freedom

I am a firm believer in living without debt.  I know some people feel differently, but this is the choice my wife and I have made for our family.  We think it is smart living.  Let me explain why we feel this way.

First, by being debt-free, we have reduced our risk.  If we lost our income unexpectedly for any reason, we could still survive for several months because our monthly expenses are relatively low. 

With the monthly payments that come with debt, many people are spending every dime they earn and would soon be in big financial trouble should they experience even a significant reduction in income.  It happens way too frequently!

Second, we believe that the borrower is slave to the lender.  Less debt means fewer commitments.  This opens us up to the opportunities life presents us.

Freedom from debt has created margin in our finances.  We have money to give and to help others.  We can also use the power of cash to get some really great deals!

Overall, a debt-free life is just simpler and cleaner.  It offers a higher quality of life with less stress and more freedom which in our opinion is smart living!

3.  Get started investing so your money can work for you

Once you are living on a budget and have paid off your debt, then it is time to start investing so your money can grow.  This is the way to build wealth and prepare for the future.

Investing wisely means putting your money in long-term investments that have a solid track record of success.  There are many reasons to do this, but let me mention a couple of the bigger reasons here.

First, someday you are going to want to do things that require big piles of cash.  I’m mainly talking about things like sending one or more kids to college and retiring from full-time work.  The only way to do these things with dignity and without accumulating more debt is by investing wisely.

Second, getting your money working for you magnifies and perpetuates your financial success.  The sooner you begin, the bigger and better your nest egg will be.  This means the sooner you’ll be able to shed things holding you back from living life to the fullest!

Investing is a fundamental practice for getting the most out of your money!

Assignments: Start getting the most out of your money

“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.”
~ African Proverb

Again, starting to get the most out of your money is pretty simple.  It just takes a little effort on your part.  If you’ll do these things, then I think you’ll be amazed at how fast it all begins to improve your life.

Here are the assignments for this rule to help you get started:

1. Believe it is possible – The first thing to do is convince yourself that it is possible for you to live on a budget, pay off your debt and start investing.  This is likely the biggest hurdle you have to overcome.  It was for me, but now I am living testimony that it works.  The best suggestion I have for you in this regard is to start listening to Dave Ramsey’s radio show.  You will hear great advice and you’ll also be encouraged by the stories of those that are winning with money!
   
2. Start your budget – I believe the best method for budgeting your money is the envelope system.  I highly recommend purchasing YNAB Pro to help you get organized.  I also offer you the following articles for more information on how to get started with your budget.

   Things I Learned Living on a Budget – Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3
   Back To Basics- 79+ Brilliant Budgeting Resources You’ll Love
   How To Avoid Buying Things You Do Not Need!
   

3. Begin paying off your debt – Many people have successfully used the debt snowball technique to pay off their debt.  This is the best method that I have run across.  It works much faster than you think.  My wife and I paid off $28,000 in debt in about 20 months!  My article Getting Debt-Free Using The Debt Snowball Technique explains exactly how to set up and manage your debt snowball.

Smart living requires you to get the most out of your money

Using your money wisely will help you live life to the fullest!  It will relieve you of a lot of stress and give you so much more freedom to do the things you really enjoy!  This is truly a big step toward smart living.

Follow this link to discover all the rules for Smart Living.

Photo by Jbangelo

A budget is essential because we all need a predefined plan for exactly how we want to use our money.  It will help us get the most out of it.  Otherwise the cash we have just evaporates never to be seen again.

In today’s economy no one can afford to let their money slip through their fingers.  Every dollar needs to perform the job it is assigned.  This is where YNAB and the envelope system can help.

The basics of using an envelope budgeting system

I am very fond of using the envelope budgeting system.  In it’s purest form, you divide your cash into paper envelopes that match your spending categories.

Once the cash from your grocery envelope for this month is gone, then you don’t spend anymore on groceries.  You get by on what’s in the cupboard.  This helps you control your spending.

Of course, technology affects almost everything nowadays and envelope budgeting is no different.  There are a wide-range of software and online systems out there that will allow you to create virtual envelopes instead of using paper ones.

A little over six months ago, I chose YNAB Pro as my new personal finance software.  It has served me well.

The things I really appreciate about YNAB Pro

Since I first started using it, I have grown to really appreciate the ease of YNAB.

I’m a firm believer that technology should enhance your life to be worth its cost.  YNAB makes it simple for me to plan my budget, track my spending and to remain consistent from month-to-month.

Here are the specific YNAB features that I derive the most benefit from:

1.  Ability to quickly copy last month’s budget to this month

I use this every month.  With just a click, I can copy my budgeted amounts in each of my spending categories forward from last month to this month.

I then go through them and tweak things to customize my budget for the current month, but most of the allocations do not change from month-to-month, so this feature saves me some time.  It also reduces the potential for errors.

In the previous system I used, the spending plan wasn’t specific to each month.  It was global.  I could change it monthly, but I couldn’t go back to see what I had allocated in a particular category three months ago.  All I could see was the current value.

I like the added detail I get in YNAB.

2.  YNAB suggests spending categories when I import transactions

I am able to export my transactions from my credit union’s online system in Quicken format and then import them into YNAB.  Being able to import transactions from one or more banking systems saves tons of time, but now YNAB suggests which spending category I should assign to each imported transaction.

It remembers how I assigned similar transactions in the past and then recommends the same category for future transactions.  All I have to do is click to accept YNAB’s suggestion!

This is a relatively new feature and I absolutely love it.  It is just one more way that YNAB has made my life easier.

This feature doesn’t work when I need to split a transaction between multiple categories, but that’s okay.  It handles about 90% of my transactions leaving me only 10% to categorize manually.

3.  Provides numerous at-a-glance features that makes budgeting easy

Each month’s budget is shown in a spreadsheet-type view in YNAB Pro.  At the top, the total amount of money I have left to allocate or budget is clearly displayed. 

If I hover my mouse over that dollar figure, I get a bubble pop-up that displays my total inflows and outflows for the month.

Below that, all my spending categories are grouped according the master categories I created.  Everything is so well organized that it is a cinch to read.

For each category, YNAB plainly displays the amount I budgeted, the total amount I’ve spent month-to-date and the amount I have remaining in that category or envelope.

It is a breeze to scroll through my budget to see exactly where I am at any given time.  Any negative values are shown in red so they immediately jump to my attention.

If I hover my mouse over the amount I’ve spent or the amount remaining in a category, YNAB will pop-up another bubble with more details.

I love how easy it is to drill-down into the detail I need without even having to click the mouse!  I just hover over what I need to know more about and up pops the info!

YNAB really is a great system that makes budgeting easy

I couldn’t be more pleased with choosing YNAB Pro to manage my budget.  It is a comprehensive system with a ton of time-saving features.

Because YNAB is so simple to use and hassle-free, I don’t dread having to manage my money like I did before.  In fact, I’m always amazed at how fast I get everything done.

YNAB has a ton of great testimonials and success stories documented on their web site, so you don’t have to depend solely on my opinion. 

If you are interested, please click the link below to check out YNAB for yourself.  If you make a purchase, then I get paid a little commission that helps me continue to operate this site.

Click here to learn more => How can your money work for you? — You Need A Budget.

The cool thing is that if within 60 days of your purchase you decide you don’t like YNAB for any reason, you can get a full refund!  You can’t beat that.

Do you use YNAB?  What do you like about it or your present system?

The facts that make budgeting attractive right now

We have enjoyed many years of prosperity, but times may be changing and if they do, then every dollar is going to need to have a job for us to survive financially.  Here is some recent news that is worth noting:

1.  Unemployment is at a 14-year high

In October, 240,000 people lost their jobs and therefore their income.  Most of us think it won’t happen to us, but how long could you survive financially if you lost your job?  Ford recently announced it was cutting 10% of its workforce.  Unemployment has been on the rise all year and it is very likely that this trend will continue for awhile.

2.  Weakest retail sales in 39 years

This October was the weakest in terms of retail sales since 1969.  Many retailers saw as much as a 10% drop in sales with the holidays just around the corner.  Things typically start to pick up in October.  Many feel this indicates we will see slower than normal growth in sales in the 4th Quarter.  Of course, this is the time of year that many retailers make their money. 

3.  The stock market continues to tumble

We usually see a bump in the stock market right after a Presidential election, but not this year.  In fact, in the two days after the election, the markets dropped another 10 percent.  It has been a wild rollercoaster ride lately with stocks and most of us have seen a decline in the value of our investments.  Hopefully, the market will hit the bottom soon and things will start to get better, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

All these indicators point to less than stellar health in the economy.  It is not time to panic, but it is time to take action.

The good news is you can be a financial hero!

At this point, you might ask, “Where’s the good news, Jeff?”  I don’t mean to be a downer.  I’m tired of hearing all the bad news about the economy as much as you are.

However, it is important we face the facts and prepare ourselves.  I’d hate to go on about my business, not say anything, and see people suffer when there are simple steps everyone can take to weather the potential financial storm.

You need to start living on a budget to prepare yourself and your family in the event things get worse before they get better.  This action will help you mitigate the impact of a recession on your family finances.  You will be the hero!

Steps to take to start living on a budget

There are a few simple steps you can take to start getting things under control and ready for what may lay ahead.  It isn’t hard to do these things, but the pay off could be huge.

1.  Fire the old you and hire a budgeting genius

Given the present state of your finances, would you hire yourself to manage your money?  Think of your home as a small business.  Would you hire you to run it? 

If not, then fire your old self and start fresh with a new you.  Now is the perfect time to make some changes and get things in order. 

Sure, there may be some resistance, but there always is when change is necessary.  Be an agent of change, be a leader, be the one that becomes a budgeting genius and saves your family finances!

2.  Train yourself to be a budgeting genius

How much time have you spent learning and training to do your job?  Whether you work for yourself or for someone else, I imagine you have spent a great deal of time becoming the expert you are in your job. 

Now, how much time have you spent learning to manage your personal finances?  Have you trained yourself properly?  Your job generates your income, but what you do with it after you earn it is equally as important.

Fortunately, I recently put together a free list of 79+ Brilliant Budgeting Resources You’ll Love.  This is a great place to start training yourself on how to live on a budget. 

This resource doesn’t just include my advice, although you will find a few of my articles listed.  It has links to articles from a wide-array of personal finance writers.  If you start with it, you will soon discover a wealth of information to help you become the genius you want to be.

3.  Locate some useful budgeting tools

Most people that are serious about budgeting use some kind of software to help them manage their finances.  Personally, I use a package called YNAB Pro.  I wrote a review of YNAB awhile back explaining why I chose it.

Of course, this is not the only software available to help you manage your budget.  There are a lot of others including systems like Mvelopes, Mint.com, PearBudget, Quicken, and even some homegrown systems.  You will find reviews of these  systems in my list of budgeting resources.

I do want to point out that you don’t need to spend a fortune in order to start budgeting your money properly.  This would be completely counterproductive.  A good tool helps, but it doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated.

4.  Just budget it!

Nike says, “Just do it!” and I say, “Just budget it!”  Your budget doesn’t have to be perfect.  It probably won’t be at first.  You will most likely make some mistakes.  You will go over in some areas and under in some others for the first few months.  Don’t let any of this frustrate or deter you.

Budgeting is a learning process.  It will take some time to work out the kinks.  The most important thing you can do is to simply get started. 

Living on a budget is like starting to exercise.  You probably won’t want to do it even though you know it is good for you.  You may even grumble about it and dread it for awhile, but if you just do it, you will wake up one day and realize just how good it makes you feel.  This is financial freedom starting to blossom!

Living on a budget is a very smart move

There is no better time than right now to start your personal finance budget.  The economy is crazy, but for most of us there is still time to get things under control.  I don’t think the worst of the financial crisis has hit home yet, but even if I’m wrong, you will be a lot better off living on a budget.

What has been your experience living with or without a budget?

More articles you might find useful…
How To Avoid Buying Things You Do Not Need!
Things I Learned Living on a Budget – Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3
Snowflaking Will Melt Your Debt And More!
My Back To Basics Series on How To Succeed With Money

Photo by ken +

In early June, I asked my readers to help me find a better way to track my personal finances.  In the article, I explained how I was using Mvelopes Personal and the issues I was having with it.  I really like the envelope budgeting system so, I wanted something that would fit this model.  I also listed the other features that I was interested in for the new software.  For instance, it needed to have a way to import my transactions from my credit union’s online system.  This was one of the key problems I was having with Mvelopes.

I got a lot of great suggestions when I asked for help and I want to thank everyone for their responses.  I reviewed each system carefully and finally made a decision.  I chose You Need A Budget (YNAB) Pro at the recommendation of Lynnae at beingfrugal.net.  Thanks Lynnae!

The YNAB rules for personal finance.

I knew right away that YNAB was a little different the minute I visited their website and read their Four Rules.  The Four Rules define an awesome philosophy for managing your money and the software is designed specifically to support these rules.  The rules are as follows:

1. Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck
2. Give Every Dollar a Job
3. Prepare for Rain
4. Roll with the Punches

I liked the rules as soon as I read them.  They certainly meshed well with the way I want to manage my finances.  The Four Rules are explained very plainly on YouNeedABudget.com.  I especially recommend watching the short videos.  They will give you a good look at the software, how it operates, and how the rules apply.

YNAB really wants to help you do better with money.

The cool thing about YNAB is that they aren’t just trying to sell you software.  They seem to really want to help you improve your financial situation.  For instance, they offer a free budgeting course that explains the reasoning behind their philosophy and how to implement their software for maximum benefit. 

They also include a book when you purchase the software that explains the methodology.  These are excellent resources if you are just getting started with budgeting.  I highly recommend taking the course and reading the book.  You will definitely learn things that will help you see your finances in a new light.

YNAB offers two versions to fit everyone’s needs.

The next step for me was determining which version I wanted to buy.  The regular YNAB is a spreadsheet-based budgeting system.  It is compatible with Excel, OpenOffice, and NeoOffice (Mac).  You can think of this as the “lite” version of YNAB.  It is sold for $19.95.

I determined right away that I would need YNAB Pro because it supports the ability to import my banking transactions.  It also includes the ability to split transactions into multiple budget categories, to run reports, and to automate recurring entries.  These were all features that I wanted.  I bought YNAB Pro for $39.95 knowing that I had a 60-day money back guarantee just in case.

The YNAB purchasing process.

YNAB is purchased online from the website.  The author uses Google Checkout or PayPal to complete the transaction.  I used Google Checkout.  After completing the purchasing process, I started receiving multiple e-mails confirming my transaction. 

I got a little confused at this point.  I received several e-mails, but none of them told me how to download YNAB Pro.  My problem was that I expected to immediately be given the information I needed to get started.  You do not get this right off.  However, it does arrive in your inbox if you are just patient.  I just got a little antsy, but after checking around, I found some information that told me to just wait.  It wasn’t long and I received the e-mail I needed.  In my opinion, this process could have been explained more clearly up front, but it wasn’t a big deal.

YNAB Pro was easy to set up and start using.

YNAB Pro includes a great help file with a step-by-step procedure for getting things set up.  I recommend following their advice.  It didn’t take me long and I was very pleased with the ease of getting it configured.  Here’s the main steps that I took.

1.  Create budget categories.

The first thing I did with YNAB Pro was create my budget categories.  This was very easy.  I was able to simply mirror the categories that I had in Mvelopes.  If you haven’t ever set up a budget, then this might take you a little longer.  The process in YNAB couldn’t be easier, but you will need to take time to figure out all the categories where you spend your money.

2.  Create accounts and enter beginning balances.

The next thing I did was create accounts for checking, savings, and a few accounts that I have at ING Direct.  I then entered beginning balances for each of these accounts.  I entered the beginning balance in my checking account as supplemental income in YNAB so I could assign it to various budget categories.  This was necessary in my case because I had some balances in various envelopes that I needed to carry forward.

3.  Start entering transactions.

Finally, I tested exporting transactions from my credit union’s online system.  I performed a date-range search in the credit union’s system to narrow things down to the transactions that I needed to import into YNAB.  I then exported these to a file in Quicken format.  I switched over to YNAB and easily imported the transactions.  Everything comes over beautifully.  All I have to do is assign each transaction to the proper budget category.  This is as easy as picking a category from a dropdown list.  Yea!  The main problem I had with Mvelopes is solved!

4.  Copy your budget forward for next month.

Another nice thing about YNAB Pro is that it allows you to copy your budget forward each month.  Of course, you still need to tweak the amount assigned to each category for the new month to allow for variations in spending, but this sure makes it easy!

The bottom line on YNAB Pro.

I’ve been using the system for about a month now without any issue whatsoever.  It is very easy and for me it eliminates the monthly cost of Mvelopes.  The purchase price for YNAB Pro is roughly equivalent to about three months of Mvelopes service so there is a nice ROI for me. 

I am very happy with YNAB!  The system is very intuitive, flexible, and it does everything I need.  The few questions that I’ve had I have found answers for using Google or by searching the forums at the YNAB website. 

I highly recommend YNAB Pro to manage your finances.  I am very glad that I found it.  I must not be the only one that feels this way because there are a ton of awesome testimonials on the YNAB website.  You should check it out!

Photo by Joshua Davis