Does your spending plan tell your story?

In my YNAB coaching training (or perhaps it was at the YNAB Fan Fest) I heard someone suggest that an individual YNAB user’s spending plan ought to reveal something about the user. I love the idea that I can tell what my priorities are (or what a coaching client’s priorities are) by glancing at a YNAB spending plan.

I took a look at my spending plan to see if reflects me and it does! I reorganized my spending plan in January and I love my new groups, which reflect my values. (You can see my new groups in this post.) The categories in my category group Joy are telling:

If you’re feeling constrained by your categories and/or your category groups, change them up! And feel free to revise them whenever you want, because life changes and so do our priorities.

Your spending plan is your plan and no one else’s. Its category groups and categories reflect you, your priorities, preferences, and life (and perhaps that of your family). I encourage you to take a look at your spending plan and customize it so that it tells your story. When you do that, YNAB becomes even more enjoyable!