Andre - first I have to say that I love your analogies. The logging, your "tech stack" - it's so true. You're really inspiring me to seek out more product parallels in how I think about financial planning... and use my familiarity with that framework to shed light on what more I could be doing to foster my financial situation. So thank you!
Also, I agree wholeheartedly about YNAB. I LOVE it and its mindful approach to spending so much. Money, in a sense, is irrelevant to budgeting, and instead it's about understanding your priorities and using money as a means of satisfying them. Such a beautiful and sustainable mindset. It has truly changed my life over the last year that I've actually been "giving every dollar a job" and not just expense tracking. I agree 100% that it is worth every penny. They should hire us to do their commercials. Have you played around with different category structures in YNAB? What about your current structure do you like and why?
> Most good budgeting tools will involve tracking.
I'm curious which one(s) you've found that don't, and what they do instead?
I agree that YNAB's charting functionality is a bit minimal. But they do seem to have a decent API. I've been thinking about messing around with it and some D3 - have you had any ideas for visualization, tooling, or views that you wish it supported?
I'm new to your blog but can't wait to keep reading. I'm getting ready to take some time off work, so I'm really looking forward to your forthcoming healthcare post. I think the personal natured posts are helpful for others to realize they're "not alone" in asking these types of questions. They can inspire people who "get an allergic reaction to the word 'budget'" to see that it really should be approachable and could not be more opposite from the "restrictive" reputation it has, when you're really doing it right.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and honest writing!
I used to have an Amazon category, but why is Amazon special? It's just a store. You don't track your groceries by what store you buy it at, do you? I do get Amazon Subscribe & Save groceries - so that's how I categorize those! If it's clothes, it goes in that category. If it's hard to find a category because it's something "neat" on Amazon, I try not to buy it!
Andre - first I have to say that I love your analogies. The logging, your "tech stack" - it's so true. You're really inspiring me to seek out more product parallels in how I think about financial planning... and use my familiarity with that framework to shed light on what more I could be doing to foster my financial situation. So thank you!
Also, I agree wholeheartedly about YNAB. I LOVE it and its mindful approach to spending so much. Money, in a sense, is irrelevant to budgeting, and instead it's about understanding your priorities and using money as a means of satisfying them. Such a beautiful and sustainable mindset. It has truly changed my life over the last year that I've actually been "giving every dollar a job" and not just expense tracking. I agree 100% that it is worth every penny. They should hire us to do their commercials. Have you played around with different category structures in YNAB? What about your current structure do you like and why?
> Most good budgeting tools will involve tracking.
I'm curious which one(s) you've found that don't, and what they do instead?
I agree that YNAB's charting functionality is a bit minimal. But they do seem to have a decent API. I've been thinking about messing around with it and some D3 - have you had any ideas for visualization, tooling, or views that you wish it supported?
I'm new to your blog but can't wait to keep reading. I'm getting ready to take some time off work, so I'm really looking forward to your forthcoming healthcare post. I think the personal natured posts are helpful for others to realize they're "not alone" in asking these types of questions. They can inspire people who "get an allergic reaction to the word 'budget'" to see that it really should be approachable and could not be more opposite from the "restrictive" reputation it has, when you're really doing it right.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and honest writing!
I used to have an Amazon category, but why is Amazon special? It's just a store. You don't track your groceries by what store you buy it at, do you? I do get Amazon Subscribe & Save groceries - so that's how I categorize those! If it's clothes, it goes in that category. If it's hard to find a category because it's something "neat" on Amazon, I try not to buy it!
How on earth did you find a savings account paying >1.9%?
1800 a month on Amazon!!
I’d be curious to hear more about why you didn’t buy a house? That’s effectively a mortgage payment (even in SF)
Also, when it comes to saving/budgeting, do you think more about absolute dollars or relative percentage of income on things?