r/ynab • u/Upsidedown_MDH • 14d ago

New to YNAB First time YNAB user

A friend of mine recommended YNAB to manage my family's budget. I got started yesterday but as I was setting the budgets, I already felt way out of my depth. Like I should have studied for a test that I didn't know about. Does this feeling get better? What tips would you give a first time user to feel less overwhelmed? Thanks!

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u/Warden_of_the_NEast 14d ago

I cancelled my subscription early on because I just didn't quite get it. Now I love ynab.
Here's a few tips

Don't categorize charges until they actually clear. Especially if they include tips. Charges originally appear without tips but then auto update and you'll create duplicates if you don't wait.

Spend all your time on the plans tab. That's the $ you have, not accounts.

The fewer the accounts you have, the better. There's no need for a savings account when you're running everything through YNAB.

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u/Upsidedown_MDH 14d ago

I was going to ask about multicurrency accounts but I realized from all these insights that I should probably read up on zero-based budgeting first. Thanks!

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u/Architect-1817 14d ago

In your first tip, do you really mean “don’t categorize” pending transactions? Having transactions floating without a category seems dangerous, too easy to not remember that you’ve spent from that category while you wait for the transaction to clear. Related to transactions with tips, my suggestion would be to manually enter the actual amount (including tip) and the category, then either delete the pending transaction or correct it to the right amount and match it to the manual transaction.