Budget Nerds

By You Need a Budget

What's Budget Nerds about?

Personal finance experts Ben Barlowe and Ernie Reppe get nerdy with numbers as they share budgeting tips, strategies for categorizing transactions, and lessons learned from using the revolutionary budgeting system known as You Need a Budget.

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Budget Nerds episodes:

05.01.2024
#89 - Find the Money First
YNAB is well known for the Four Rules, or what many YNAB'ers are now calling the Four Habits, which describe the process of gaining control of your money and learning to spend with joy rather than shame or regret. The...
04.17.2024
#88 - Swim Fins and Why You Shouldn't Compare Yourself to Others
In today's episode, Ben shares a story about swimming at the YMCA. One of Ben's favorite forms of exercise is swimming laps at his local YMCA, and while it's a great solitary form of exercise, sometimes you can't help but...
04.03.2024
#87 - Stop Making Boring Financial Goals
Ben and Ernie respond to a recent survey reported by Jill Schlesinger on CBS Morning about American's 2024 financial resolutions. The top responses: save more money (41%), pay down debt (38%), and spend less (30%). BORING! Ben rants about why...
03.20.2024
#86 - Cash Categories vs Cash Accounts
In today's episode, Ben and Ernie discuss what to do with cold, hard cash money. For many YNAB'ers debit and credit card spending fits nicely into the YNAB paradigm, since YNAB can interface directly with financial institutions and pull online...
03.06.2024
#85 - Do I Have to Give EVERY Dollar A Job?
The short answer is yes. But why? Ben and Ernie dig into the reasons why giving every dollar a job is essential to creating a stress-free life around money. As Ben explains, the point of YNAB is to ruthlessly root...
02.21.2024
#84 - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Unexpected Expenses
Rule Two of YNAB's Four Rules is "embrace your true expenses." True expenses are expenses that may not be regular, but are a normal part of life: new tires, HVAC repairs, emergency doctor visits. Sometimes they are expected -- every...
02.07.2024
#83 - Kath Eats: An Interview with Nutrition Blogger Kath Younger, RD
Ben and Ernie invite Kath Younger, Registered Dietitian and popular nutrition and wellness blogger, onto the show to discuss how her health journey led her to seek financial health and wellness. Kath started her blog katheats.com in 2007 to record...
01.24.2024
#82 - YNAB's Four... Habits?
Behind every rule, there's a habit. In today's episode, Ben and Ernie explore YNAB's Four Rules, but in the context of the habits they build. After all, budgeting well is not so much about following (or breaking) hard rules, but...
01.10.2024
#81 - YNAB Wins Mega Episode
Through 80 episodes (and counting!), passionate YNAB'ers have been sharing their personal finance wins, big and small, with Ben and Ernie. Whether it's paying off debt, handling an emergency expense, or simply feeling more relaxed and at peace about money,...
12.27.2023
#80 - There's No Such Thing As Saving Money
What if... saving money wasn't actually a thing? Crazy, right?! Well, if you subscribe to YNAB's philosophy -- the Four Rules -- then money is properly understand as a spending tool. The whole point of money, and your budget, is...
12.01.2023
BONUS - Live Q&A on YouTube (11/29/2023)
Ben and Ernie went live on YouTube on November 29, 2023 to answer questions, share their budgets, and nerd out about YNAB. This bonus episode is a rebroadcast of the YouTube live, which you can find by following the link...
11.29.2023
#79 - ANNOUNCEMENT! Live Q&A Today at 3:00pm EST (Nov 29th, 2023)
Set your reminders, Ben are Ernie are going live on the YouTube channel today at 3:00pm EST. They'll be answering your questions and getting nerdy about finances, so join in! If you are tuning in after the Q&A;, you can...
11.15.2023
#78 - Are Impulse Purchases Wrecking Your Finances? A YNAB Study Finds Out
Everyone spends on impulse from time to time, even the most staunch adherents to frugality. According to a new study funded by YNAB, 94% of Americans admit to impulse spending. It's common nowadays to "treat yo'self" after a hard day,...
11.01.2023
#77 - Are You On the Credit Card Float? Credit Card Alerts Can Help
The credit card float, as it has been termed, is the situation in which a person is reliant on the month-long grace period of the credit card to meet their obligations. In other words, they spend money now with a...
10.18.2023
#76 - The Most Elegant Budget We've Ever Seen? An Interview with Budget Nerd Lee Bond
As the principal budget nerds at YNAB, Ben and Ernie have seen their fair share of elegant budgets, but the one featured in today's episode might take the cake for the most refined of all time! Long time YNAB'er and...
10.04.2023
#75 - The Ultimate Guide to Targets in YNAB
Forecasting is kind of a dirty word at YNAB, because the Four Rule are all about budgeting the dollars you have now, and not counting on future dollars that haven't arrived yet. However, it's still useful to plan for future...
09.20.2023
#74 - The Unexpected Benefits of Budgeting
Ben and Ernie share insightful comments from a recent conversation in the YNAB Fans Group on Facebook in which one YNAB'er asked: what's one benefit to using YNAB that surprised you? YNAB is of course all about getting your money...
09.06.2023
#73 - Saving Dollars? Sure, But How About Saving Time!
YNAB is all about giving dollars a job, but what about your time? Ben and Ernie poke at the edges of common budgeting practices in YNAB to determine what is really necessary, and what can be thrown out in the...
08.23.2023
#72 - Paying Off the Mortgage: Erin Walks Through How She Did It
Long time YNAB'er and Lead Educator at YNAB, Erin Lowell, shares her experience paying off her mortgage using YNAB principles. Mortgage Professor loan calculator http://www.mtgprofessor.com/ext/home2.aspx Share your YNAB wins with Ben and Ernie! [email protected] Follow Budget...
08.09.2023
#71 - Inside the Categories with Budget Nerd Gabi Bradley
Ben and Ernie interview fellow budget nerd and YNAB power user Gabi Bradley. Gabi is a busy mom balancing work, family, and changing financial obligations (including daycare!). She shares her unique category structure, which she assembled using various strategies outlined...
07.26.2023
#70 - Focused Views: A Powerful New YNAB Feature!
Ben and Ernie discuss the exciting possibilities of a powerful new feature in YNAB called "Focused Views." Focused Views allow you to see a subset of your categories depending on what you want to learn, analyze, or review. Sometimes you...
07.12.2023
#69 - Budgeting a Month Ahead
Ben and Ernie share their different strategies for applying Rule Four -- aging your money -- and specifically budgeting for the month ahead. Ben budgets for the next month in real time, allocating paychecks to categories in the next month...
06.28.2023
#68 - Applying YNAB Principles Outside the Budget
Ben and Ernie discuss YNAB's Four Rules, and whether they can be applied to other areas of life outside the budget. As it turns out, yes they can! Whether it's Ernie's favorite pasttime (lawncare) or Ben's devotion to good systems,...
06.14.2023
#67 - 9 Ways to Master the Memo
Ben and Ernie return to their nerdy roots and talk memos today, all about that little field in the transactions next to the category and balance. Turns out, the memo field can be used in many clever and creative ways...
05.31.2023
#66 - Emergency Fund vs Month Ahead
YNAB is not like other budgeting methods. Rule Four is "age your money" and it encourages folks to spend last month's earnings on this month's expenses, thereby breaking the paycheck to paycheck cycle in which so many find themselves stuck....
05.17.2023
#65 - Gamifying YNAB
Budgeting is pretty fun already... if you're a budget nerd. But what's even more fun than reconciling your account, or assigning that fresh pay check that just hit your account? Making a game out of it! Ben and Ernie discuss...
05.03.2023
#64 - Real Life Debt Pay Down (Without the Guilt)
Ben and Ernie tackle the topic of paying off debt, with a different bent than the typical personal finance podcast or blog. Where many sources focus on paying debt off at all costs, using extreme measures or simply throwing every...
04.27.2023
BONUS: Budget With Ernie Livestream!
Ernie is hosting a live "Budget with Me" session on the Budget Nerds YouTube channel. Ernie will be sharing his actual budget and demonstrating his process for budgeting his April paychecks. The livestream will air on May 1, 2023...
04.19.2023
#63 - Ben Shares His Categories
It's Ben's turn! Ben shares a whopping 84 categories from his budget on today's show, from "BMI" to "sundries" (Ben's favorite word). Ernie will be budgeting LIVE on YouTube with his actual April paychecks, to show you his budget...
04.05.2023
#62 - Ernie Shares His Categories
Ever wonder what Ben and Ernie's budget looks like, in detail? Today you'll find out! Ernie shares every category in his budget -- all 60 of them -- how he uses them, and how they developed over time. Share...
03.22.2023
#61 - The Wide, Wonderful YNAB Community
Ben and Ernie discuss the rich and diverse YNAB community across the web, from subreddits to Facebook groups to YNAB-hosted seminars and workshops. There are YNAB groups for multiple languages, YNAB groups for people with disabilities, and YNAB groups for...
03.08.2023
#60 - Can I Afford This?
Ben and Ernie tackle the age-old question: can I afford it? Many people who are stressed about money face this question regularly, and without a solid plan for their money, there's not a good answer to the question. The answer...
02.22.2023
#59 - LIVE Q&A on YouTube (Feb 22, 2023)
ANNOUNCEMENT: Ben and Ernie are going LIVE on YouTube on Feb. 22, 3:00pm EST to chat with you and answer your questions. If you missed the Q&A;, you can still watch the replay -- just head on over to...
02.08.2023
#58 - All About Pets with Hannah (Heard It From Hannah)
Ben and Ernie invite Hannah, from the popular YouTube budgeting show Heard It From Hannah, on to the show to talk about everyone's favorite topic -- pets! Dogs, of course, are man's best friend (sorry cat people), but they can...
01.25.2023
#57 - Ben and Ernie Review Their 2022 Purchases
The good, the bad, the meh, and everything in between -- Ben and Ernie review their most memorable purchases in 2022. Ben discovers that tree management is actually a true expense (and not a small one at that), while Ernie...
01.11.2023
#56 - Simplify
Simplification is kind of a running theme in Budget Nerds, but Ben and Ernie haven't done a whole show dedicated to simplifying -- simplifying the budget, your bank accounts, even your life! Today they discuss various ways they've tried to...
12.28.2022
#55 - 2022 Year In Review
Ben and Ernie look back at 2022 and discuss the themes for the year, celebrate some budgeting wins, and identify areas for improvement next year. Ben and Ernie want to hear about your YNAB wins! Send them an email:...
11.30.2022
#54 - Budgeting Together: A First Look at the New Feature "YNAB Together"
Ben and Ernie introduce the brand new YNAB feature "YNAB Together," which allows partners and families to share a budget via group login, with varying levels of permissions. During the extensive beta testing process, the YNAB team hammered out the...
11.16.2022
#53 - Tradeoffs
Budgeting is all about tradeoffs. Tradeoffs are built right into the Four Rules (in particular Rule One and Rule Three)! Ben and Ernie revisit the idea of tradeoffs in budgeting, and discuss the kinds of tradeoffs they had to make...
11.02.2022
#52 - The Other Little Habits of Successful YNABers
Last year, Ben and Ernie shared the 6 Habits of Successful YNABers, but there's a lot little things they do which have made them effective budgeters over the long run. Today they share those little habits, and Ben finally spends...
10.19.2022
#51 - Ernie Changes His Budget, Again
Ernie shares some big changes he's made to his budget recently, including revised categories, more hands-on input, LESS automation, and fresh goals. Ben and Ernie want to hear about your YNAB wins! Send them an email: [email protected] Follow...
10.05.2022
#50 - A Brief History of the YNAB Rules
Before there were four rules, there were... no rules at all! Ben and Ernie take a trip in the Wayback Machine to collect every iteration of the YNAB Rules they could find, going all the way back to 2004 when...
09.21.2022
#49 - A Look Behind the API Curtain: Ben and Ernie Tour the YNAB API
Is this the nerdiest Budget Nerds episdoe to date? Ben and Ernie take a tour of the YNAB API, the programming interface behind the YNAB software which allows app developers to interact with the software and build cool tools. They...
09.07.2022
#48 - When the Budget Gets Boring: Budgeting in Between Priorities
Ben and Ernie discuss a listener question... what does your budgeting process look like when you're not chasing a goal? After you've paid off the debt, paid off the house, or achieved some other big financial goal, how do you...
08.24.2022
#47 - Budget Nerds Celebrates Two Years!
Ben and Ernie celebrate the two year anniversary of hosting Budget Nerds, and share some of the important things they've learned doing the show. They also discuss some of the ways their budgeting habits have evolved since starting the show....
08.10.2022
#46 - Ben and Ernie Start a Wishfarm
Ben and Ernie discuss what things made their "wish farm" list, that is, the purchases they have specifcally outlined in their budget, but haven't (necessarily) funded yet. The goal with the wish farm is to put pen to paper on...
07.27.2022
#45 - Credit Cards with Kat
Support specialist Kat joins the podcast to talk about managing credits in YNAB. Tracking and managing credit cards can be confusing in YNAB if you are new to the app, but Kat breaks down how credit cards work in zero-based...
07.13.2022
#44 - Think You Know YNAB? Tips & Tricks from YNAB Masters
Ben and Ernie compiled a big list of YNAB tips, tricks, hacks, and expert-level moves from YNAB users across the world. Even if you think you know YNAB like the back of your hand... you are sure to learn at...
06.29.2022
#43 - What's It Like to Work With a Bunch of Budget Nerds?
What if you got to work with a bunch of other budget nerds? Wouldn't it be great to talk budgets and categories around the water cooler without feeling self-conscious? Money is a sensitive topic for many people, especially in the...
06.15.2022
#42 - Dining Out: Taming the Budget Blower!
While the folks at YNAB have no opinion on how you should spend your money (that's a highly personal decision and up to you to decide), there's one thing that just keeps coming up: restaurants! Over and over again, new...

What's Budget Nerds about?

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Budget Nerds episodes:

#89 - Find the Money First

#88 - Swim Fins and Why You Shouldn't Compare Yourself to Others

#87 - Stop Making Boring Financial Goals

#86 - Cash Categories vs Cash Accounts

#85 - Do I Have to Give EVERY Dollar A Job?

#84 - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Unexpected Expenses

#83 - Kath Eats: An Interview with Nutrition Blogger Kath Younger, RD

#82 - YNAB's Four... Habits?

#81 - YNAB Wins Mega Episode

#80 - There's No Such Thing As Saving Money

BONUS - Live Q&A on YouTube (11/29/2023)

#79 - ANNOUNCEMENT! Live Q&A Today at 3:00pm EST (Nov 29th, 2023)

#78 - Are Impulse Purchases Wrecking Your Finances? A YNAB Study Finds Out

#77 - Are You On the Credit Card Float? Credit Card Alerts Can Help

#76 - The Most Elegant Budget We've Ever Seen? An Interview with Budget Nerd Lee Bond

#75 - The Ultimate Guide to Targets in YNAB

#74 - The Unexpected Benefits of Budgeting

#73 - Saving Dollars? Sure, But How About Saving Time!

#72 - Paying Off the Mortgage: Erin Walks Through How She Did It

#71 - Inside the Categories with Budget Nerd Gabi Bradley

#70 - Focused Views: A Powerful New YNAB Feature!

#69 - Budgeting a Month Ahead

#68 - Applying YNAB Principles Outside the Budget

#67 - 9 Ways to Master the Memo

#66 - Emergency Fund vs Month Ahead

#65 - Gamifying YNAB

#64 - Real Life Debt Pay Down (Without the Guilt)

BONUS: Budget With Ernie Livestream!

#63 - Ben Shares His Categories

#62 - Ernie Shares His Categories

#61 - The Wide, Wonderful YNAB Community

#60 - Can I Afford This?

#59 - LIVE Q&A on YouTube (Feb 22, 2023)

#58 - All About Pets with Hannah (Heard It From Hannah)

#57 - Ben and Ernie Review Their 2022 Purchases

#56 - Simplify

#55 - 2022 Year In Review

#54 - Budgeting Together: A First Look at the New Feature "YNAB Together"

#53 - Tradeoffs

#52 - The Other Little Habits of Successful YNABers

#51 - Ernie Changes His Budget, Again

#50 - A Brief History of the YNAB Rules

#49 - A Look Behind the API Curtain: Ben and Ernie Tour the YNAB API

#48 - When the Budget Gets Boring: Budgeting in Between Priorities

#47 - Budget Nerds Celebrates Two Years!

#46 - Ben and Ernie Start a Wishfarm

#45 - Credit Cards with Kat

#44 - Think You Know YNAB? Tips & Tricks from YNAB Masters

#43 - What's It Like to Work With a Bunch of Budget Nerds?

#42 - Dining Out: Taming the Budget Blower!

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