YNAB For Beginners - Quick Start Guide (2018)

A step-by-step guide with EVERYTHING you need to get started with YNAB. This YNAB tutorial will walk you through every single detail of setting up your budget and getting ahead with the app.

**I made the YNAB credit card video I mentioned!**

YNAB Setup In The Middle Of The Month

While I love YNAB, unfortunately, it can be pretty confusing. A lot of people will sign up only to get quickly frustrated and then give up never to return. I admit, YNAB definitely has a bit of a learning curve at first. But that's what this video is for.

I'm going to walk you through everything you need to know about 'You Need A Budget'.

In this video I'll cover:
0:45 - Things you must understand before starting
1:42 - Start your new budget
1:48 - Setup your accounts
4:06 - Setup your budget categories
14:34 - Setting goals for your budget
17:21 - Actually budgeting your money
20:53 - How credit cards work in YNAB
24:00 - How to record transactions
27:22 - How to deal with overspending
27:52 - Explaining YNAB budget colors
30:58 - Using YNAB to stop living paycheck to paycheck
33:06 - Aging your money in YNAB

This tutorial truly is everything you need to know. I hope you learn something and be sure to leave a comment with any questions you have.
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PS: If you have an Amazon Alexa, I just launched a brand new daily flash briefing called 30 Second Money. It would mean the world to me if you checked it out in your Alexa app.

[tonyedwards]

Favorite tip: Adding amounts and dates to each budget, then putting them in chronological order. Thank you!

[RyanHipp]

I have been a YNAB customer for two years. My Age of Money is 90 Days. Everyone, no matter how destitute you feel, if you only budget the money you have available, I promise you will get there.

[freespirit]

You tube is amazing. I’m learning from a guy who lives in a van on the other side of the world...

[bryceboy]

Wow. I’ve never understood the concept of budgeting or knowing how to plan for the future and allowing my money to grow older. Thank you so much. I’m literally about to cry. I feel like I can break the pay check to pay check cycle. No one’s ever shown me. Wow.

[janependell]

I'm a 57 year old widow learning to budget and set goals with my money. New to YNAB and new to Nick! You are such a help!!

[jmbourey]

I am one of those people who have tried and failed to fully understand YNAB for years. This video was life changing! I think I can get it now.

[sillyhatsclub]

honestly, this was more helpful than any of YNABs own learning materials on how to use their program.

[thisdreamlife]

Thank you so much!! I am that person who has tried YNAB twice and felt discouraged by how confusing this was. I just spent half the afternoon watching this video, pausing to fill in my accounts, budget & transactions as you went along, and I now feel thoroughly excited to use this platform! I can't thank you enough!

[sm-kqzs]

I was seriously wondering why people loved this app so much that they were willing to pay for... completely backwards to anything I ever knew about budgeting... right up until I found this video... you should get a kickback from YNAB... absolutely convinced me to purchase it!!

[hn]

You’re the reason I started using YNAB

[ktsterlin]

I wish I saw this before signing up, I am all about that affiliate link life. You deserve to get it free for life for this video. It was very helpful and now I’m ready to age my money and budget

[trishamacleod]

100% watched front-to-back and reviewed again. I agree with other comments, this was more useful than ones posted by YNAB. Thank you!

[whateveryoulike]

I wish every youtuber was like you. Straight to the point, great info, well constructed tute. Thanks man.

[u.b.]

It not only helps me with budgeting, it really makes me think twice and therefore helps me break destructive habits: "Do I really need this candy for 8€ or do I want to age my money?"
It helps me overcoming my sugary habits.
Thanks so much for this beginner guide! I had YNAB for 5 months for free from the student program and simply didnt understand it as the YNAB tutorials are pretty confusing and really slow.
You cramming everything important to get started into 35mins made me sit through it, pause it when I needed to set stuff up and continue without thinking I'm wasting my time.
Thanks alot, Nick and now I will watch more of your videos, cheers!

[kendallshortt]

What a great video! I abandoned YNAB in two weeks even after watching their tutorials and live classes. Their categories were strange and I kept forgetting what exactly they mean so when setting up my budget, it was a disaster. 2 months later I stumble upon this gem and it made setting up my budget so much easier. Definitely watch this if you're struggling with YNAB.

[eggysando]

I have given up on YNAB for YEARS. Tried again today doing this side by side with you and it's finally starting to click. Thanks for making this!

[kellynfitzgerald]

I "set up" YNAB at the beginning of the year with the free trial, but, like you said, some parts weren't super intuitive to me and it fizzled out and I let the trial lapse (at least I remembered to cancel the subscription). But after watching your videos, it's making so much more sense. I've got it set up in a way that's intuitive to me. THANK YOU. As my budget is now titled... Budget or Bust.

[MateaS]

2 days into YNAB. Yesterday I signed up and basically wasted 3 hours, today I found your video and had to undo what I had did. You move fast but worth pausing and applying as I learned. Thank you! Now I’m stoked to use this program. 🙏🏼

[CodyT]

Having an aversion to budgeting due to feeling overwhelmed, this quick-start guide helped me actually do something rather than being immobilized by overanalysis of where money should go and the most ideal budget setup. Thank you for making this so user friendly and getting me truly jump started on my budget! I was a Mint user for about a decade, but your system is easy to follow and quick to set up. Thanks!

[orrwho]

This!!! Around 14:30

"Budgeting shouldn't be restrictive, it shouldn't be a thing that you dread and avoid. It should be you making a plan with your money, to live the life that you want to live"

Thank you for the video!