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  • You Need a Budget

  • The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle, Getting out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want
  • Written by: Jesse Mecham
  • Narrated by: Jesse Mecham
  • Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (79 ratings)

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You Need a Budget

Written by: Jesse Mecham
Narrated by: Jesse Mecham
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Publisher's Summary

For most people, budgeting conjures up the same feelings as, say, prison and dieting. But your initial instinct couldn't be further from the truth. You just haven't budgeted the right way.

You Need a Budget will teach you four simple rules to completely revolutionize the way you think about managing your money. With a budget, you'll break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, get out of debt, and save more money. A liberating, enabling, empowering budget will actually make you feel more free, not more restricted. The YNAB philosophy is centered around these four rules:

  • Give every dollar a job. Take your cash, checking, and saving accounts and assign jobs to that money. Begin now with what you have on hand. Then follow your plan. Pick your priorities, and make sure your dollars are helping you move closer to the things you care about most.
  • Embrace your true expenses. Look ahead and identify the larger, less frequent expenses that tend to sneak up on you. Break those expenses into manageable monthly amounts. Consider insurance premiums, birthdays, holidays, charitable giving, car repairs, etc. This practice evens out your cash outflows, decreases your stress, and helps you make better decisions.
  • Roll with the punches. Accept the fact that life always changes and you'll likely always go over budget somewhere. If an unexpected expense comes up and you need to change your budget, just change it. The YNAB philosophy not only tolerates changing your budget but encourages it.
  • Age your money. The goal of this rule is to increase the time between the moment you earn money and the moment you spend that money. In other words, if you're going to break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, you need to learn to live on money you earned a month or two months or even three months ago.

YNAB's four rules are the pillars of a tried-and-true system that gets you to engage with your money every day. It helps you change your behavior so that you're proactive and in control of your finances. It's not about stressing over last month's statement; instead, you're looking ahead and actively deciding how you want and need to build a life of meaning, not stress.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 YNAB Licensing LLC (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

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  • 2018-01-04

just stories and the 4 rules

after the intro chapter, only 3 chapters are original. others are just the four rules.

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5 people found this helpful

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Bad

I want my money back , struggle to finish it. don't buy this book. waste of time

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1 person found this helpful

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Amazing!

I started using the budgeting software and it really is way better then anything else I have used in the past. working towards financial freedom! Thank you.

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Give every dollar a purpose - zero based budgeting.

I started the book because I have no debt but constantly wonder where did my money go. My bills are always paid, overall I’m handling my finances well, but I struggle with the spending. Throughout the book I was wondering when is he going to talk about envelopes or the practical how-to of implementing the concept. Turns out it’s all done in your chequing account and with a spreadsheet. I was a little worried at first because I feel like money in the bank IS the problem. With a couple examples I realized, understanding the concept and changing your behaviour accordingly is key. I don’t want envelopes of money all over, I want a lot of money in the bank that has a purpose. If it has a purpose I won’t spend it so willy-nilly. So overall excellent book and concept for getting people started for the first time or back on track for the 100th time.

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More like a therapy on budgeting & consumer spending

At first, I questioned why this book isn’t free, as it would be an awesome advertising for the app. Then, as I listened to the author, I realized that this was precisely what I was looking for — an informative piece on how to have a healthier perspective on spending $ budgeting.

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