Ernie is kicking off the new year with a fresh plan... but not a fresh start! For years, Ernie has made a fresh start at the beginning of every year, but the allure of data history and being able to search for transaction across multiple years was too strong this year. So Ernie is rolling forward his spending plan from 2025 into the New Year, but with some changes.

Ernie has also updated his 2026 plan with fresh emojis (some cute, some inscrutable). In today's episode he breaks down his categories and category groups, with some stories about how they came to be and how they have evolved through the years.

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Happy New Year! Ben and Ernie kick off the 2026 season of Budget Nerds with a YouTube livestream, answering listener questions and engaging with comments. If you missed the livestream, this is your chance to listen to the playback on the podcast feed!

Be sure to subscribe to Budget Nerds on YouTube if you haven't already. As a subscriber you'll get notifications and updates about future livestreams.

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In today's episode resident social media gurus Amber and Sarah, of Instagram and TikTok fame respectively, join the show to talk about the personal finance trends that are going viral among the Gen Z population right now. The economy is difficult to thrive in, especially for young people, and the Zoomers have come up with creative ways to use their native digital environment to execute the common goals of all people trying to improve their finances: pay off debt and get out of the paycheck to paycheck cycle.

In this episode Sarah and Amber share six TikTok and Instagram videos as examples of popular trends, including:

• "No Spend" November
• "No Swipe" November
• Making micro debt payments to stay engaged with the goal of paying off debt
• Gamifying likes and social media engagement to pay off debt

Ernie shares his enthusiam for personal finance challenges and trends that bring a social element to finance, while Ben ponders whether using social media to help pay off debt is creative or dystopian. One thing is for sure -- young adults are finding creative ways to improve their relationship with money and bond with others working toward the same goal.

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In today's episode, Ben and Ernie interview Lauren, a single mid-30's physical therapist living in Arizona. Lauren is already a legend in the Budget Nerds community for YNAB'ing for years completely manually, without ever connecting a bank account. A true budget nerd, she logs in daily to enter transactions and reconcile. She's never even done a file import to enter transactions!

Lauren shares her YNAB story which began with graduating from school and working her first job. Her newfound income felt like a financial safety blanket, and she began spending, unbeknowst to her, well beyond her means. She found herself deep into debt from both credit cards and student loans, and had to ask her mother for help making ends meet. Eventually Lauren discovered YNAB, learned how to spend more thoughtfully with cash on hand rather than debt, and slowly began to take control of her situation. In just a few years she paid off well over $100k of debt!

Lauren also shares her challenges planning as a single person, including the hidden costs of being single. Housing, taxes, products and services... many aspects of personal finance today are geared toward couples and families, and may not offer good options for single adults. Single people also face unique emotional challenges. While they may only be accountable to themselves financially, they also solely bear the burden of saving for potential job loss and other unforeseen events that could impact their cash flow. Many couples and families have the peace of mind of two incomes, as well as the emotional stablity of two people working toward a common goal of financial stability.

Finally, Lauren breaks down her YNAB categories as well as her daily habits, including using a checkbook and reconciling her balances by hand in the register!

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A few episodes ago, Ben and Ernie walked through how to set up YNAB for the first time, focusing on the basics. Today, by popular request, they are covering the advanced setup, exploring every feature YNAB has to help you setup a spending plan that fits with your life. There's a lot here, so strap in nerds!

As with episode #123 on the basic YNAB setup, this episode relies heavily on screensharing of the YNAB app, so we recommend heading over to YouTube to watch the video version of the podcast.

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Ben and Ernie take up arms in the age old personal finance battle -- pay off your debt first, or get a month ahead on your bills? While they have discussed this topic before, in today's episode they approach the two paths with a balanced view, weighing the pros and cons of each. While they have an obvious bias toward getting a month ahead on your bills, there are certain scenarios where really buckling down on paying off debt might be the best move.

The beautiful thing about this problem is that either way, you are making progress toward a better you. Simply thinking through your approach and evaluating your emotions around debt, financial resilience, and day to day expenses helps align your actions with your priorities -- and at the end of the day, that's what YNAB is all about.

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At Fan Fest Minneapolis in June 2025, Ben and Ernie recorded their first ever live podcast of Budget Nerds! They invited friend, mentor, and fellow YNAB creator Ashley Lapato, who also runs @theorganizedwallet account on TikTok. Ashley tells her story of discovering YNAB after an especially embarassing failure to pay her bills on time while her husband was traveling for work. She resolved to finally learn how to take control of their money and become a positive finanacial contributor to their marriage. Ashley discovered YNAB, and, as you can see now, the rest was history!

Ashley also walks through her categories, including setting aside money for fostering new relationships and leaving room for "side quests," as she calls them -- adventures and experiences that help you grow and learn new things.

Follow Ashley L. on TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@theorganizedwallet?lang=en

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You may have noticed some recent changes to the YNAB app, starting with no more "add transaction" button in the bottom row of the screen. It was a little jarring for Ben and Ernie at first, but they quickly realized that you can still add transactions easily within YNAB, and in fact, there are many ways to add transactions quickly within the app. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie walk through all the ways you can add transactions in YNAB, on all platforms, including:

• iOS shortcuts and widgets
• iOS spotlight
• Using voice commands via Siri
• Android widgets
• From the lock screen of your phone

Whether you're new to YNAB or a veteran, there's probably some new ways to add transactions you haven't explored yet, including ways to auto-populate categories and payees. This episode relies heavily on screenshots and visual references, so we encourage you to watch it on YouTube as well.

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It's often said that sucess is the result of your daily habits. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie talk about seven habits that completed changed how they think about and act around money, including:

1. Giving every dollar a job (the ultimate YNAB rule!)
2. Only working with the money you have on hand right now
3. Saving for non-monthly expenses
4. Getting a month ahead
5. Finding the money first in your plan, before you spend
6. Holding on to your cash as long as possible
7. Changing your plan regularly to reflect new life circumstances

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

• Understanding the credit card float in YNAB

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YNAB is a powerful, flexible piece of software, but there is a learning curve. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie teach you how to setup a YNAB spending plan from scratch, and the essential features you need to know. If you've been sitting on the fence, wanting to jump in, this is the perfect time to get started!

And remember, as Ernie says, you don't have to be perfect! The beauty of YNAB is you can easily change your plan anytime you want, as new circumstances come up in life and as you gain more insight into what you want your money to do for you.

Note this episode relies heavily on screenshots of the software, so we highly recommend you check out this episode on YouTube too! You can follow along with Ben and Ernie and setup your plan quickly and easily.

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!

[email protected]