Budget Nerds

Today it's Ben's turn to share the categories in his plan -- all 93 of them! Ernie opens with a challenge: did Ben actually change his plan after examining Ernie's categories in episode #132? You'll have to listen to find out, but Ben does break down his categories cleanly into ten category groups, divided between timely categories (bills, both regular and irregular) and purpose-driven categories such as giving, personal spending, and allowances for the kids. His former librarian shines through as well, the categories are organized in alphabetical order of course!
 
Ben is always good for a story, and as he explains how each category fits into his plan, he also shares stories of how those categories came to be. In many ways, his current plan is the result of years of resolving compications, frustrations, and clarifying what purpose his money was serving in each area of his life.
 
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The emergency fund is sacrosanct in the personal finance world. Nearly everyone considers an emergency fund to be a prudent thing to establish -- a necessity, even -- whether it's three to six months of living expenses or Dave Ramsey's thousand dollar baby step. At YNAB, however, the emergency fund is... complicated. While YNAB doesn't discourage emergency funds, if you are truly YNAB'ing and in particular assigning dollars to your non-monthly expenses, then an emergency fund starts to feel a lot less necessary.
 
To that end, Ben and Ernie step through the common stages they have observed thousands of YNAB'ers go through with emergency funds. For them, it's not that having cash set aside for unpredictable expenses is a problem, it's the lack of clarity that a big pile of cash simply titled "emergency fund" brings. To Ernie, for a seasoned YNAB'er who has thoroughly explored his or her non-monthly, less frequent expenses, the emergency fund ultimately boils down to a job loss fund.
 
So, whether you're just starting to build an emergency fund or you've had one for a while and are wondering what to do next, tune in for a discussion that really cuts to the core of what YNAB is all about.
 
 
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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!
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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.
 
Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube
Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
 
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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.
 
Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube
Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams
Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g
 
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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.
 
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]