If you’ve had some unanticipated money woes, like a big repair or a shopping spree you’re second guessing, it can be really easy to avoid YNAB. I totally get it; I’ve been there. It’s hard to face hard financial truths sometimes.
But I’ll argue that when money’s tight it’s extra important to spend time with your YNAB. When you categorize all your transactions and assign all your money, you know exactly where you stand and what you need to do when money comes in. Even if you’re not currently able to cover overspending, staying in touch with your financial reality will allow you to formulate a plan for paying off any credit card debt that might occur.
If you ignore YNAB because it feels scary or unpleasant to look at it, transactions needing categorization or approval will pile up and the backlog will become overwhelming. That will make it even harder to get back into the swing of things. The more time that elapses between when you make a transaction and when you categorize it, the harder it is to remember what the charge is for. (I’m looking at you, Amazon purchases!)
So if you’ve been avoiding your YNAB, I urge you to jump back in. Even ten minutes of work categorizing the easy stuff will help you get back into the flow. Then try to get in there every day.
Once you’re caught up in YNAB, you’ll have the information you need to figure out how to get back to where you want to be, whatever that looks like for you. Avoiding YNAB in these situations is the opposite of helpful.
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