The YNAB Podcast

Recently someone asked Jesse about his thoughts on preventing lifestyle creep, a major supposed gremlin of budgeting. Jesse doesn't even like the question, and discusses why worrying about lifestyle creep is looking at budgeting in the wrong light.

 

Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Direct download: 447_Lifestyle_Creep.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm MDT

Recently Jesse received an email from a woman who claimed YNAB was really a program about mindfulness... just using money and budgeting as the entry point. So Jesse invited this woman onto the podcast to talk about the connection between mindfulness, meditation, and money. Welcome to Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, a mindfulness expert, yoga instructor, and filmmaker currently residing in Madison, WI where she runs The Studio.

 

The Studio: https://www.thestudiomadison.com/about-us-2/

 

Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Direct download: 446_Mindfulness_and_Money.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm MDT

Let's face it, it feels good to buy things. That's not necessarily a bad thing, either. Spending on hobbies or other things that bring you value -- maybe a date with your partner -- makes you feel good for a good reason.

 

However, from time to time we need to check the rationale behind our purchases. Maybe you intend to start a new exercise regime, so you buy new shoes and clothes and perhaps a new journal as well to document your progress. But have you actually started the program yet?

 

Often simply purchasing something related to your goals can make you feel like you've made progress.... when, unfortunately, that's not really the case! Jesse calls these "progress purchases," and warns you to watch out for them!

 

Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Direct download: 445_Progress_Purchases.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm MDT

We're all familiar with the situation. A person reads a book, learns a new skill, or discovers a method, and gets REALLY INTO IT. Brimming with enthusiasm, they share it with their partner and try to get them involved, only to be met by reluctance and intransigence. The reluctant partner is a common trope, even when it comes budgeting!

 

The idea that your partner is dragging their feet because they don't share your goals about budgeting and personal finance, however, is a false one. In Jesse's and the YNAB team's experience, the reluctant partner is often simply overwhelmed. They usually want to share the goals and aspirations of their partner, and share in the process of attaining them, but the speed and intensity of the habit changes may be too much.

 

So if you're just getting into YNAB, break it gently to your partner. Talk about your goals, get on the same page about your finances, then start talking about the process of getting there. Small steps are the key to change!

 

Sign up for a free 34-day trial of YNAB at www.youneedabudget.com

Direct download: 444_The_Reluctant_Partner_Misread.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm MDT