#138 - Our Biggest Wins Episode Yet: 22 Epic YNAB Wins
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What is this episode about and how are the 22 YNAB wins organized?
I'm Ben. And I'm Ernie. And you're listening to Budget Nerds. You are not alone. No, you are not. All right, today, Ernie, it's a fan favorite. We haven't done this in a little while. It is an all YNAB wins episode. So we're gonna be telling your stories and reacting to them and chit-chatting about it. So it's gonna be really fun.
Yeah, this is a me favorite too. I love hearing these transformation stories. I love hearing what life was like before YNAB. I like hearing about what changed. And then I like hearing about what life looked like after it. So... We've got 22 wins to go through, and I think, folks, you're going to find these really, really inspirational.
Yeah, and we have separated them into little buckets just for, I don't know, because you have to make things into lists on the internet. No, just to make it a little more clear what we're talking about. So, yeah, should we just jump right in?
Let's jump right in. The first bucket of wins that we're going to be sharing, feeling more clear-headed. So these are people who they had the financial fog, and now they've got the clarity. They know exactly where they stand with their money.
Yeah. All right. Well, I'll take the first one. This one must be a YouTube comment because it's a username, M-S-B-I-T-G.
MissBitG?
Oh, MissBitG. I don't know. This is my favorite part of Wayne and Wynn's episode, is figuring out how to say these usernames. All right. They wrote in and said, I just started YNAB about a month ago after having a finances revelation. In my first month, I was short less than $500 of all my financial savings goals. I was on track to be a little in the positive for September to put extra into getting a month ahead. But in the last single week, I've had... Here's a specific number, Ernie. $2,588.31 of unexpected expenses. Mostly vehicle repair. Isn't it always? The truck is still at the mechanic. My guinea pig. I love the way you're telling this story. It's just, just listen to it. You don't need to hear like the way, yeah, it's so random.
My guinea pig goes to the vet tomorrow. How much did the guinea pig cost? That's what I want to know. And I had to pull from my month ahead, but thanks to YNAB, I know exactly how much I'm down and a clear pathway to start rebuilding in my three paycheck month next month. Nice. I have so much clarity and even though I'm down, I somehow feel like I have some control because of this awareness. So it feels doable to get up off my feet with time. I trust this will help me create my true expenses plan so I have less emergencies in the future. Thanks, YNAB. Yeah, I love that because, you know, it's not fun to... I mean, okay, what happened? Your truck is at the mechanic, your guinea pig, something happened.
Probably a few other things went down. It's never fun when that happens, but you can see the way out. And I think that's huge. You have the awareness to know how to make it out of there. So good for you.
What a great win to start with because there is no normal month. Like this is just normal life. Weirdest thing, something with the vehicle, something with the pet. And it happens on the last week of the month when I thought I was doing really, really well. But you are doing well. You adjusted with these changes. So love it. Okay, my win comes from Lynn Olson 7607. I had to sell my house. I put some of the money into a CD and some into an HYSA. As I was recently reviewing my budget, I realized that I could pay off my two student loans. But when I compared the interest rates of the student loans to the interest rates I was earning, I realized I wouldn't be saving that much in interest. Right now, with the uncertainty of life, I decided that cash flow available is more important to me than saving the small amount I would save.
YNAD gave me that guarantee. clear view of my total financial situation and enabled me to make that choice. Oh man, I love that one. Because I think you would ask any personal finance guru, they'd be like, oh, pay off the debt, pay off the debt, pay off the debt. But whoa, hey, let's hold up.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is this episode about and how are the 22 YNAB wins organized?
0:06–4:49
2
Which early stories show YNAB bringing clarity after unexpected expenses?
4:49–14:24
3
How did users decide between paying debt vs keeping cash flow after a house sale?
14:24–35:03
4
What wins illustrate YNAB creating peace during medical and job‑loss crises?
35:03–50:05
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Budget Nerds
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