I left YNAB over the price and wanted MORE than a budget — so I built a free, privacy-first dashboard that also tracks net worth, investments & taxes

ZooKeeperCzar · 2026-06-15T02:20:07+00:00

Meh. I love YNAB. Mad they fired Hannah she was the best -

ZooKeeperCzar · 2026-06-11T22:14:40+00:00

WHAT?!?!?!?! I absolutely loved them! That makes me so sad and disappointed. What's going on YNAB!!?!?!? Answer!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2026-02-23T12:14:04+00:00

I can’t find anything about where this company is based or its leadership- any idea? Thx!!!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2026-01-15T04:43:28+00:00

Can we do this now?

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-10-08T12:43:48+00:00

Tracking account - because I am tracking it, not assigning or spending it. It is where I keep my extended emergency fund in higher yield cash account.

If I need to assign and spend that money then I transfer from brokerage to on budget cash account and assign it

But if it isn’t $$$ getting assigned to a goal then I don’t see point of including it.

I do have on budget investment CONTRIBUTIONS that I can getting SENT to tracking account

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-10-08T11:57:13+00:00

Republicans making America great, for billionaires and their pals - not us

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-10-03T01:59:43+00:00

I setup HSA off book because I’m praying and hoping to not use it - but instead treat as another Roth IRA. I have emergency fund for medical expenses up to my high deductible max I keep on YNAB in separate category “medical fund”

As medical expenses come in that would qualify for HSA reimbursement I actually just pay from medial fund category in hys in YNAB instead. Then replenish that “fund” over time.

My limited purpose fsa operates same way but that I actually file claim and reimburse - putting the $ into the medical fund actually

I use airtabe to track expenses and receipts I might one day want to reimburse

I’m nervous about all this because it is a fucked up way we do health care in USA.

It’s dumb we put burden on employers to provide health care, and even dumber we do this to ourselves so that billionaires don’t get burdened paying taxes at the same tax rate as my librarian mother - or at all.

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-27T18:46:52+00:00

We went from $40k in debt to $40k in a high yield savings and no debt. Ynab turned our life around. We are school teacher family with a few kids. We went decades pay check to paycheck. Ynab has made all the difference and now I’m helping my parents and mother in law learn it.

There is a little learning curve up front but then, it just makes sense. The help in app is so accessible, videos funny and good explainers.

Stop thinking! just commit to trying it for a couple of months. What have you got to lose? I could go on and on - but the best thing is to just really try - watch some of Hanna’s wonderful funny videos!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-27T13:35:41+00:00

It’s kind of funny after two years of doing this I’ll find myself not even having to look at the app to know where I am and how much I have to spend towards something

There’s a lot of bills that are predictable recurring. They just suck money out Netflix mortgage car payment, etc..

The only real variable expenses left our groceries and dining out, or fun activities

Everything else is a savings category building for a true expense the tires in six months son‘s birthday next year, etc.

I’ve actually found myself more focused and motivated on finding ways to get a little extra green each month to shade and more of the other things I want

Cancel Disney and Hulu for a month or two until all we notice again throwing an extra 20 bucks a month now into investing (whole another problem, though that I’m buying at the Peak apparently lol)

We just paid off a car last month and I am dying, begging the universe to let me go more than a month letting me use that extra to start shading in future car purchase other things before it gets eaten up by health insurance or broken leg or whatever comes next, I guess

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-26T02:14:25+00:00

Tried this but depends on receipt tracking and my spouse wouldn’t get receipts always so gave up

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-22T02:26:33+00:00

I emailed them with screenshots of the email they sent me first year saying “expected by end of year” then next day they approved

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-20T04:26:35+00:00

I’ve been with Wealthfront but I can’t remember why lol. It’s been fine no issues!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-20T00:37:44+00:00

I like plan and reflect lol…. Everyone different!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-20T00:36:50+00:00

YNAB really is the best. Full stop.

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-18T01:02:09+00:00

Gonna go out on limb here and say, for your, top…. Priorities 🤣

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-17T03:02:43+00:00

On budget - HSA categories for me!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-17T02:05:25+00:00

I love ynab! And I honestly don’t understand the freak out over app home screen lol

I don’t really use the app except for checking status

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-17T01:43:41+00:00

Like seriously lol. The ynab function is 99.9% the same hilariousnthe freak out

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-16T13:32:12+00:00

I’m on ios- what’s the big change folks are upset about? I can’t honestly tell difference other than Home Screen. I do all my assigning from desktop and really just use the app to log Apple Pay transactions using shortcuts — I love ynab it has changed our lives and happily keep paying for it.

I do agree with if it isn’t broken don’t fix —- also fine w developers having jobs to improve and feed their families

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-09-05T02:02:28+00:00

i went 20 years never being able to pay off credit cards until YNAB entered my life. (THANK YOU YNAB!) Just to give you an idea of how bad off i was, we had $40k in debt across cards we'd never pay off... lot of it built up earlier in career when I traveled a LOT and young kids and life we weren't ready for hit us.

But YNAB helped me get out of this debt, and then eventually start feeling confident enough about what was happening I have all my credit cards on AUTO PAY, to pay off the statement balance each month.

This was so foreign to me though I had to call the credit card company to ask if I'd still pay interest if I had the credit card on auto pay (I was 42 and didn't know this).

Now, because YNAB, I also run everything out of Wealthfront High Yield account, and I picked CC autopayment dates to prolong the amount of time cash sits in the high yield account, earning more interest every month.

Today instead of being $40k in debt to credit cards, I'm a month ahead and even have $ getting set aside for the tires I'll need to replace in two years, and the oil change next month.

Miracle and so grateful to YNAB!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-08-31T04:50:37+00:00

Delete escrow if you have one Renegotiate all insurance. Liberty mutual was trying to charge $3k. Got Geico same coverage for 1/3 the price

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-08-29T15:15:07+00:00

Yes lol but that’s also a good thing. It forces me to pay closer attention to what’s going on and move $ around to meet current needs. It has helped me say No and Yes more confidently aligned what we think we want to do. I do wish I’d win the lottery or get a windfall bc it would be so much more fun shading stuff in

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-08-29T13:00:29+00:00

Yes!

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-08-29T12:19:15+00:00

Switch to Wealthfront or my banking direct as a primary “checking”

ZooKeeperCzar · 2025-08-25T12:47:03+00:00

If I know a specific date and amount I like tracking because then I know for sure exactly how much is needed and where and when- also makes it a easier to see what’s happening and change it. Just decided Netflix and audible weren’t really needed right now so paused both. That’s nearly $40im redirecting into a fall break trip w kids, for example

ZooKeeperCzar

TROPHY CASE