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| From: You Need A Budget
Buy New: $49.95
Rating:  67 reviews
Sales Rank: 380
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows 2000, Windows Xp
Media: CD-ROM
Operating System: Windows 98 or Later
Model: 1.2.6
UPC: 793573437488
ASIN: B000QO76HU
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 67
 Going back to Quicken for now February 9, 2008
Annie R (Gordon, NE)
19 out of 24 found this review helpful
I bought this based on the reviews of the product and the whole concept of sticking to a budget. Unfortunately, because I am a very old school Quicken user, I am used to the features and setup of Quicken. I found this to be VERY frustrating to get up and running, and then found there is no place in the register for transaction type, i.e., check number, electronic transfer, VISA purchase, etc. This is a vital reference function to me. It is taking so much time and energy to try to learn this system that I am giving up for now and heading back to Quicken. And by the way, there is no "index" feature under the help tab. You just have to go to a forum or FAQs. Maddening to try to get answers.
 YNAB? The better question is YNOT? May 29, 2007
K. Niemi (Boston, MA)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
Ok, so cheesy title jokes aside, the reality is you DO need a budget and YNAB should be your choice. Most people think knowing their expenses is the same as having a budget, but it's not. I know, because I used to think that way. Knowing what your day to day expenses are is not the same as actively planning for your future and having control over your money. In just 5 months I have completely rid myself of all credit card debt, have paid off some expensive orthodontic work from last year, and have just one payment left on my student loans (a total of nearly $6,000 worth of debt). With that last payment I will be completely debt free for the first time since getting my first credit card at age 18. That would not have been possible without YNAB. Since I stopped living paycheck to paycheck and started budgeting one month behind my money, I have made a complete financial turn around in the way I spend and think about money. I am more focused, more disciplined, and payday is often a surprise to me, because I simply don't have to worry about money anymore...it's working for me now, not the other way around. The success of YNAB is in its approach (the 4 rules, which are key to its success) and the customer service (which is pretty much unrivaled in my experience). And there's a pretty fabulous forum community as well (shout out to all my fellow YNABers!). I have recommended it to friends, family and co-workers and only wish I could give it more than 5 stars. Give it a try, you will not be disappointed.
 Waste of money November 2, 2007
J D
16 out of 46 found this review helpful
This is nothing but a spreadsheet. Downloading transactions from your bank is a nightmare. Error messages are common. I can only assume people who wrote good reviews for this thing are friends and family of the programmer or the easily impressed. No real support to speak of. If you write them repeatedly you finally get a reply. However, even then they don't know how to help you. You can do your own budget on paper a lot quicker and easier than with this piece of garbage. I feel so ripped off. BIG P.S. I finally got a refund so I have to give them credit for finally addressing my disappointment.
Finally, software that helps me stick to my budget May 16, 2007
James B. Ladan (Vancouver, British Columbia Canada)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
I've been a long-time Quicken user, and have experimented with other options. This is the first program I've tried that actually is geared around sticking to a budget. (In Quicken, I just see what I've spent after the fact, and it doesn't carry month-to-month very easily.)
YNAB has a great approach and is straight-forward and very useable. You only budget the money you actually have, instead of (as with Quicken) guessing how much you're going to spend and then comparing those totals with what you think your income will be. I used to try to budget out a whole year in Quicken, but with YNAB, I just budget out each month as I go (being sure to include things like $100/month for that $300 payment that only comes due once a quarter).
I especially like that when I over-spend, that category isn't penalized for the next month -- it just comes out of the "available" pool, making it easy to decide which categories will have a little less available that month.
This is a very cut-down version of what I like about the software, which is pretty much everything. The developers are extremely responsive to users in the support forums, as are other uses -- great help to those just starting out.
The only draw-back is that the software currently does not track account balances (the ideal state being that you live off last month's income rather than paycheck-to-paycheck), but from what's been said in the forums, it sounds like this will be added in the near future.
Stop letting your money control you... May 16, 2007
Alyssa Pierce (Tennessee)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Searching for a way to finally get a grip and get rid of debt without having to spend tons of time (which I don't have anyhow), I came across this software about a month ago. As a longtime user of MS Money, I had no trouble getting the software up and running even though the premise is different from most money "management" software.
The biggest difference here is that while Quicken/Money type programs really only provide a way to TRACK your money, YNAB actually provides you with a systematic way to CONTROL your money. Money and Quicken are just glorified check registers compared to this!
AND, when updates and enhancements are released, you get them automatically, not the next year, and it isn't asking you to go out and buy the whole program again every year!!
Bottom line, way more value in YNAB than in anything else I have ever tried! Worth every penny!
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