#117 - Ben and Ernie Fight!
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
I'm Ben. And I'm Ernie. And you're listening to Budget Nerds.
You are not alone.
No, you are not. Friends, today... Ben and I are going to fight. Stick them up. We're setting up the octagon. No, no, nothing like that.
Oh, man. We could do a charity MMA situation. We're going to do the boxing match where we just punch each other. We make a ton of money and we go off into the sunset, right?
For another day. Today, we're going to verbally spar. We're going to debate some of the most classic YNAB arguments.
I've been in the communities for, well, ever since I started using YNAB for, I don't know, 15 years or whatever. So, yeah, I know all of these arguments deep down in my core. And, yeah, we're just going to argue.
What is the format of the 'Ben and Ernie Fight' YNAB debate and how does the coin flip work?
But we're not just going to argue what we think, okay? We're going to pick a topic. We have 12 topics, right? We're going to pick 12 topics and we're going to set a timer and we're going to flip a coin to see who's on what side of the argument. Okay. That way, you know, you guys know we're not actually mad. I might even make some arguments that I don't think are good arguments. And we're going to see where we get. It's going to be really fun.
And I think it's worth pointing out that this is for entertainment purposes only, right? We're not, because you said, we're going to be arguing for sides that we necessarily don't believe in. Yeah, yeah. We just thought it'd be really fun to throw this stuff in the ring and just see what comes of it. Exactly. Because I think at the end of the day, we would both say, like, just do what you want.
Okay, that works. That's honestly, yeah, do what you want. As long as you're giving every dollar a job, I don't care. Right, right. Okay, so what's our first topic? Should we just jump right into it?
Let's just jump right in. Emojis on categories.
Yes or no. Okay, okay. So this is just whether or not you should have some color. And your opinion has changed over the years a little bit.
A little bit. So I'm ready to go whatever side of it I get.
Right.
Why don't you flip that coin? Okay, so we got this YNAB 20-year anniversary coin. Very special. Only YNAB employees get this. Sorry, guys. Not for sale. Maybe. I mean, maybe. I don't know. Anyways, flipping it. Oh, wait. You got to call it. Heads. It's tails. So what does that mean? Do we do this right? Wait, wait, wait. Okay, we have to be like, I guess you get to pick. Is that how it works?
Okay, that's what it is. I called heads. I win. I get to pick which side.
Well, it is tails. So, I guess, I guess.
Oh. It was tails.
Wow, we really screwed this up right off the bat.
Okay. You're going to pick. And also, we need to call this out. That was an incredible flip, Ben. Oh, thank you. I mean, I hope Ben M. Sketchy advice.
Yeah.
I hope he's watching this. Sketchy advice, that's how you do it.
Okay, okay. I'm going to pick... I actually... Because you're actually less of an emoji person than I am, I'm going to pick no. No emojis, okay? I'm going to argue against emojis, and you can argue for.
Okay, and we don't want this to get out of hand, so we're going to try to limit it to three minutes. Timer starts now.
You go. So... If you're doing money stuff, it's super serious, right? Like, you don't need a bunch of silly colors in your money app. You want it to be all stark and intense and serious. So you don't want to add some emojis to your categories because that's just going to get too silly, Ernie.
Ben, that is old money advice. Categories need to reflect your life, your priorities, right? You need to open up YNAB and be like, oh my goodness, I see myself on this screen. Put those emojis on. And you can have categories filled with emojis. You can have just one emoji. Doesn't matter.
Put the emojis on. You know what allows you to express yourself? Words. What happened to good old words? Letters. The Phoenician alphabet or what other alphabet you're using. I like words myself. Colors and pictures. I'm not a toddler. I'm not a child. I don't need to see pictures to understand what people are trying to say. I use words like an adult, Ernie.
But here's the thing.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:06–1:14
2
What is the format of the 'Ben and Ernie Fight' YNAB debate and how does the coin flip work?
1:14–5:53
3
Should you use emojis in YNAB category titles and why would that matter?
5:53–20:38
4
Is it better to link your bank accounts to YNAB or enter transactions manually?
20:38–39:35
5
Should I track physical cash with a cash account or a cash category?
39:35–59:54
6
Do I assign paychecks to a holding category or assign directly to next month?
59:54–1:07:47
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Budget Nerds
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Ben & Ernie LIVE Today on YouTube 3:30pm ET
#139 - Sixteen YNAB Features Hidden in Plain Sight