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Elizabeth Starr Harden, LLC

personal money coach

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The Ultimate Guide to Handling Cash in YNAB

Cash.   Greenbacks.   Dolla dolla bills. There are two basic ways to handle cash in YNAB. Which method is best for you will depend on your 1) current cash habits and 2) desired changes and outcomes. In this tutorial, I'll explain both cash-handling methods, show you how to set them up, and provide detailed examples of cash transactions ranging from simple to complex. I'll also discuss the merits of each method and help you decide which cash method you should use. Handling Cash in YNAB Two cash-handling methods in YNAB Setting up cash accounts Using cash accounts Setting up cash as a category Using cash as a category Which cash method is best? What about loose change? Show me the money (transaction examples) 1. Two cash-handling methods in YNAB There are two core methods of dealing with your cash usage: accounts or categories. The main difference between these methods is the point to which you track your cash spending and, as a result, … [Read more...]

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How to Merge (combine) your YNAB categories in 3 Simple Steps

Doing a little redecorating or rearranging of your YNAB budget categories? A common YNAB rookie (or not-so-rookie) error is getting too granular with budget categories. I once experimented with separating my chocolate purchases out from our general grocery spending. Huge mistake! For one thing, it turned out to be information I did not want to know. And B, it was a huge PITA (pain in the tuchus). All those split transactions kept me from entering my transactions right there in the grocery store -- never a good idea. Anyway, whatever your reason for wanting to merge or combine existing categories, it's actually a simple task. But if you don't follow the right steps you can really muck up your budget. And untangling the mess can be a nearly impossible task (ask me how I know). 3-Step Process for combining YNAB categories Step 0: Establish terms and define project Step 1: Find & Move Transactions Step 2: Clean Up the Budget Step 3: Remove or Rename the … [Read more...]

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Toolkit for YNAB – Reports Screen settings

Welcome to this multi-part tutorial series on the Toolkit For YNAB open source companion browser plugin for YNAB [You Need a Budget] -- my preferred budgeting tool.      Part 1: Toolkit for YNAB -General Settings walkthrough      Part 2: Toolkit for YNAB - Account Screen Settings      Part 3: Toolkit for YNAB - Budget Screen Settings Part 4: Toolkit for YNAB - Report Screen Settings Also check out my other tutorials, articles, my YouTube Channel. Note: These settings affect the default YNAB reports. Do not confuse these Reports Screen Settings with the Toolkit Reports setting found in the General Settings of the Toolkit for YNAB plugin. Watch a full video tutorial here: Prefer a text-and-screenshots tutorial? Keep reading below.... Toolkit for YNAB - Reports Screen Settings Compact Income vs Expense Hightlight Income vs Expense Row on Hover View Zero as Empty Compact Income vs Expense YNAB's … [Read more...]

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Toolkit for YNAB – Budget Screen settings

Welcome to this multi-part tutorial series on the Toolkit For YNAB open source companion browser plugin for YNAB [You Need a Budget] -- my preferred budgeting tool.      Part 1: Toolkit for YNAB -General Settings walkthrough      Part 2: Toolkit for YNAB - Account Screen Settings Part 3: Toolkit for YNAB - Budget Screen Settings      Part 4: Toolkit for YNAB - Report Screen Settings Also check out my other tutorials, articles, my YouTube Channel. One of the few advantages to the new web-based YNAB (from my personal perspective, of course), is being able to customize your budget with little tweaks here and there. This is accomplished with the help of a handy browser plugin called Toolkit for YNAB. The plugin is available for both Google Chrome and Firefox. It is not available for Safari. Miss the Buffer? Hate the Age of Money display? Like the goals but want a little more functionality or transparency? Those features and … [Read more...]

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Toolkit for YNAB – Account Screen settings

Welcome to this multi-part tutorial series on the Toolkit For YNAB open source companion browser plugin for YNAB [You Need a Budget] -- my preferred budgeting tool.      Part 1: Toolkit for YNAB - General Settings walkthrough Part 2: Toolkit for YNAB - Account Screen Settings      Part 3: Toolkit for YNAB - Budget Screen Settings      Part 4: Toolkit for YNAB - Report Screen Settings Also check out my other tutorials, articles, my YouTube Channel. One of the few advantages to the new web-based YNAB (from my personal perspective, of course), is being able to customize many little tweaks here and there. This is accomplished with the help of a handy browser plugin called Toolkit for YNAB. The plugin is available for both Google Chrome and Firefox. It is not available for Safari. Still write paper checks and missing the Check Number column? That's a yes and yes from us! Or what about that handy Auto-Distribute button for split … [Read more...]