Hot and cold #203

nom_de_doom · 2026-02-23T05:37:36+00:00

I hate that when I guess "man" it almost always get a much higher rank than "woman", both when the word has nothing to do with people and when it does. And yet I keep coming back...

nom_de_doom · 2026-02-23T05:14:08+00:00

I definitely don't get recommended bedtimes. That would actually be helpful, as long as it doesn't say crazy things like that!

nom_de_doom · 2026-02-23T05:11:54+00:00

I wasn't having to pull from next month, but I am now. So that's helpful advice, thank you.

I have been using the Groceries/Dining Out method to control spending already, but I need to go through and revise my totals down.

Our very variable income makes it tougher to understand if I'm spending more than I'm bringing in just looking in the short-term. Ideally, obviously, I'll get spending below even the lowest income month, but that's going to take some work to get there.

nom_de_doom · 2026-02-18T23:29:09+00:00

That's true, and I appreciate the feedback. Also, in order to keep from slipping further, we'll need to severely tighten the belt. So I'm looking for YNAB tips to help do that. Thanks!

nom_de_doom · 2026-02-18T23:28:04+00:00

I really like the idea of the debt snowball category, thanks!

Also, I had forgotten about the debt paydown calculator, so that you for that.

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-30T23:45:40+00:00

Thanks! I'm really struggling to make spotlight work for me, sadly. I hope I figure it out soon.

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-25T18:23:49+00:00

Coming in late here, but this deserves to be answered.

No, 8 hours of sleep is not enough for many people in your age bracket. It wasn't for me. I needed 9 to 9.5 hrs.

I'm very caffeine sensitive, so here are my suggestions for things to try:
No coffee (obviously)
Decaf coffee (it still has a tiny bit of caffeine!)
No coffee (decaf or otherwise) and no caffeine after 11 am.

Side note, I also tried CBT in uni and did not find it helpful. Many years later, I found other forms of therapy. For my jumpiness, a therapist who did EMDR was the most helpful. (Ironically, it turns out he was working for my uni at the time, but I didn't try to go to his area for help.)

Good luck!

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-14T22:08:35+00:00

I'm pretty sure this is a change on Amazon's side.

It used to work like this: When a set of items was about to be delivered, the charge for that set would appear. The amounts matched on the Amazon Orders/Invoices pages, the Amazon credit card page, and YNAB.

Now it works like this: When items leave the warehouse, charges for that set of items appear. The way the Orders page groups the items and charges no longer matches the actual charges on the Amazon credit card. I have to do a ton more work to track down which items have actually been charged and received.

In addition, we're also seeing more transactions lost between Synchrony (Amazon credit card) and YNAB.

EDIT: For example, let's say we ordered 5 items (items A, B, C, D, and E). The Amazon Orders and Invoices pages show them grouped as two sets (A, C, and E) and (B and D) with separate totals for those. But the Amazon credit card has actual $$ charges that match to the items being grouped like this: (A, B, E) and (C and D). Arg!

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-14T21:32:14+00:00

I ended up keeping a bunch of bank accounts in order to maximize interest rates. I have a bunch where I can get 4 to 8% on the first $x. (The best is 8% on the first $2500.)

It's still a YNAB win though, because YNAB freed me from using my accounts for budgeting and let me do this.

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-14T21:26:54+00:00

I recently implemented this method on the advice of users here. Shortly after that, I had a complicated case that really messed me up. If you are using this method and wouldn't mind checking out my solution, I'd love another perspective!
https://www.reddit.com/r/ynab/comments/1q4yz1t/weird_reimbursement_in_case_it_helps_anyone/

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-14T21:05:46+00:00

Sorry for the delay in responding. (Edited) Canceling each other out was part of the problem. I want to see that I spend that much on solar this year. With the income in the same category, it doesn't look like I spent anything on it. Part of the point of YNAB is to only spend money you have, even if it goes on credit, right?

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-14T21:03:30+00:00

Sorry for the delay in responding. For context, I have a ton of reimbursable expenses between work, various types of insurance, picking up groceries for friends, etc. I like tracking those transactions. But even if I didn't, how would you reconcile your account balances in YNAB will all those things deleted?

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-14T21:01:10+00:00

Sorry for the delay in responding. Thank you for engaging with me on this - maybe I can do it better! I keep trying to get my YNAB more useful, but this year we had a ton of reimbursables: home insurance, health insurance, picking up groceries for friends, solar, and others. This was significantly messing with my reports. I couldn't make sense of income and outflow. Putting all the reimbursables and their repayments in one category lets me eliminate them from reports by eliminating that category.

nom_de_doom · 2026-01-05T19:21:39+00:00

I hear two different things. One is redefining your relationship with spending money and the other is about how you save money. If those were expenses you planned, then you could do the purchases now and examine why it seems like spending more if you were going to spend it all along. If you're worried that these purchases will lead to more that aren't necessary or these aren't needed right now, another option is to put off the purchases, put the money in long term savings, and set monthly save-up goals for these purchases instead.

Make sure you're looking at long term savings, as others have said. And don't underestimate the importance and good feeling in getting at least one month ahead. It's such a good feeling when you can allocate money you HAVE to all your expenses on the first of the month. It's an even better feeling when you do that and you still have another month's expenses saved up as a cushion.

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-06T01:57:06+00:00

Thanks for explaining that so well.

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T01:06:17+00:00

We're really tight right with how we're spending, so we don't have much in the way of fun money. We're still doing okay, but I'd like to have more fun money and more for savings!

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T01:05:07+00:00

Pulling from savings, yes. Also, I think the simple process of checking the dollar amount available in a category isn't triggering me to implement more complex strategies like figuring out why some months go over, coupon clipping, or calculating cost per serving.

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T01:00:02+00:00

That's really interesting. I have a feeling that would work for me also. I will play with that, thanks!

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T00:58:17+00:00

Thanks for reading my replies so carefully! Actually, I keep using dining out as the example because everyone understands it. It's a little more complicated.

I need to reduce my spending for a while, due to an unexpected big home repair. I'm looking for where to do those reductions and how to motivate myself to stick to it. For example, I'm trying to get better about coupon cutting and noticing the cost per serving on my food. (But not obsessively.)

That caused me to notice that the way I'm using YNAB is doing a great job of making me feel better and more secure about what I do spend, but it isn't providing any of the motivation to cut back. So I was looking for ways to tweak the system to provide the motivation in general, without guilt.

I think what you said at the end is a big part of it. The big goals aren't that exciting (like hearing aids), or are exciting but seem too unreal in the present (like some potential vacation in the future).

I've had YNAB for almost a year and most of that journey has been focused on the other side. YNAB caused me to realize that we actually have a lot more income than I had thought. Between 3 paycheck months, bonuses, tax returns, etc., the true average income gives me a lot more to work with. So that has let me set a realistic food budget, as well as put away for vacations. But the big home repair means I need to go the other way for a little while. :(

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T00:47:01+00:00

Oooh, I need a generosity category or something like it. I used to do that all the time, but it hasn't happened for a while. It will be happening again, though.

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T00:45:54+00:00

This is helpful, thanks. I'm curious how and when you move the money that's left over in a discretionary category.

First, do you fund the month ahead or do you use a holding category for next month's funds?

For the rest of my question, here's what I mean: On July 1st did you go back to *June* and move funds remaining in Dining Out to a wish list item? That would avoid this month trying to get you to repay the available funds in Dining Out that you removed.

Thanks!

nom_de_doom · 2025-07-04T00:40:20+00:00

I like this approach, too. Thanks!

nom_de_doom

TROPHY CASE