After unsuccessfully trying different budget managers over the years, I payed a considerable (at the time) amount for one that uses the envelope system (YNAB) and that is exactly the kind that works for me. Before that I always lived paycheck to paycheck, never had any money left and constantly ran into trouble. Now I have peace of mind with everything planned out and thinking a year or more ahead instead of in the moment.
I realized recently I do envelope budgeting except by flinging money between different bank accounts instead of any normal and sane method of doing so. On the upside, I have enough money earmarked for computer upgrades to upgrade every computer in my house, but none of them really need it and I don’t want to pay AI bubble prices so I’m just letting that cash stack grow for now
It sounds like you’re having a few accounts for savings, hobbies, groceries and so on. That’s very good already!
Envelope budgeting can actually can go so deep to have categories for each subscription, insurance, savings and so on. This makes you stop looking at the accounts total available money and instead only see what is actually available after everything else is distributed.
I have two accounts: one is a checking for everything that I need the current month and a savings for the rest, so I earn a (tiny) interest from it.
Same. Went from panicking at the end of every month to being able to tell my (then) wife: “We will be able to afford a house in XX months”. It took so much stress away. Takes a little time to go from full freestyle to having a proper budget, but once it’s cruising, life suddenly is much easier.
After unsuccessfully trying different budget managers over the years, I payed a considerable (at the time) amount for one that uses the envelope system (YNAB) and that is exactly the kind that works for me. Before that I always lived paycheck to paycheck, never had any money left and constantly ran into trouble. Now I have peace of mind with everything planned out and thinking a year or more ahead instead of in the moment.
I realized recently I do envelope budgeting except by flinging money between different bank accounts instead of any normal and sane method of doing so. On the upside, I have enough money earmarked for computer upgrades to upgrade every computer in my house, but none of them really need it and I don’t want to pay AI bubble prices so I’m just letting that cash stack grow for now
It sounds like you’re having a few accounts for savings, hobbies, groceries and so on. That’s very good already!
Envelope budgeting can actually can go so deep to have categories for each subscription, insurance, savings and so on. This makes you stop looking at the accounts total available money and instead only see what is actually available after everything else is distributed.
I have two accounts: one is a checking for everything that I need the current month and a savings for the rest, so I earn a (tiny) interest from it.
Same. Went from panicking at the end of every month to being able to tell my (then) wife: “We will be able to afford a house in XX months”. It took so much stress away. Takes a little time to go from full freestyle to having a proper budget, but once it’s cruising, life suddenly is much easier.