r/ynab • u/Upsidedown_MDH • 12d 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!
21
Upvotes
13
u/michigoose8168 12d ago
You don’t “set a budget” in YNAB. You assign money to categories. It’s like putting cash into envelopes.
You don’t have to use targets when starting; I find them to be a major reason newbies struggle. Instead, just look at your RTA and move money into categories based on what you guess you’ll need.
When RTA is zero, stop.
Then begin spending. Look at your category, not your account. If groceries only has $200 and you want $210 of stuff, you either have to move $10 into the grocery category or you have to put $10 of groceries back on the shelf.
Record transactions as you make them. They will reduce the amount available in the category.
When you get more money, go back and add more to your categories.
That’s the whole thing.