Ok I have moved about a dozen times in my life. Trust me I'm a pro at this. This will be long so I'm gonna divide into sections.

Furniture

• Don't buy most furniture until after you move. Why pay to move it when you can just have it shipped to your door, probably for free, or if you buy it locally have it delivered?
  
• Don't buy more than the bare necessities at first. It is tempting to make your whole house pretty, but money won't go as far as you think, and its easy to buy things in the beginning that don't work as well as you think or end up being wrong for the space. Better to have what you really need and take time to consider what you actually want to make your life better in that particular space. For me the necessities are:
  
  
  • A mattress
    
  • An inexpensive bed frame that replaces a box spring. You can always buy a headboard/footboard later. This one is great, has room for storage underneath, and it easy to put together/break down/move. We still use it for our guest bed: https://www.amazon.com/Zinus-SmartBase-Foundation-Replacement-Noise-Free/dp/B006MIUM20/ref=sr_1_5?s=furniture&ie=UTF8&qid=1539803465&sr=1-5&keywords=bed%2Bframe&dpID=41hb1VrV1NL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch&th=1
    
  • A nightstand
    
  • A dining room table (eating at a table will make you feel like a real adult)
    
  • A couch
    
  • A TV and something to put it on
    
    
• Craigslist, Amazon, Ikea are your friends. Online, read reviews critically. If people are saying it fell apart, don't buy it.
  
  
  • I have to give a particular shout out to Ikea stuff, I have some furniture I bought 10 years ago from them still in my home
    
    
• Shop Homegoods for discounted decorations, housewares, kitchen stuff, etc when you are ready aka after the move.
  
• If you need bedding Target often has cute bedding on sale.
  
  

  Moving itself
  

  
  

• Don't hire a moving company. Hire a U-haul, then through the U-haul website hiring people to load/unload the truck. You can have them load/unload only heavy stuff and take the rest yourself to save cash.
  
  
  • I did this on my last move and they moved all furniture from our 3 br house as well as most of our boxes for like $200. I think we spent less than $500 total on truck and movers (including gas).
    
  • I actually highly recommended this over moving furniture yourself in a borrowed pickup, or even yourself with a U-haul. The cost is well worth the convenience. Moving is hard.
    
    
• Don't pay for boxes. Boxes are easy to find for free. Typically I take 2 or 3 evenings late at night (around 10 pm) and just drive around behind strip malls until I find enough. (They don't put gross stuff in the dumpster, if there is I skip that one). Sometimes it only takes 1 night. Don't bother with grocery stores or large department stores, they crush their boxes. Check out liquor stores and the dumpsters behind strip malls.
  
  
  • Places I have found boxes in plenty:
    
    • Behind a Barnes and Noble
      
    • Behind a party store
      
    • Behind an Ulta
      
    • Behind clothing stores in strip malls (these are usually pretty larger, great for bigger and lighter items)
      
    • Liquor stores (they get so many they are usually happy to tell you what day they get their deliveries if you call. These are smaller boxes great for heavier items like books)
      
      
• Don't box clothes. Take plastic trash bags, cut a hold in the bottom, put clothes hangers through the hole, close the tie part, now your clothes are still hanging up but contained and ready to move. When you get to the new house, hang up in the bag, then just rip the bag off. Way easier than unpacking.
  
• Don't buy bubble wrap, find a place that stocks free local papers (every city usually has these around) and use paper to wrap your dishes and breakables. Save junk mail and store flyers as well for this.
  
• The one thing you should buy is moving plastic wrap, the kind on a 14" roll. Use it to secure blankets around wooden furniture to protect from scratches. Use it wrap any fabric furniture to protect from tears. Use it to group some awkward small boxes into one entity. I only discovered this the last time I moved and will never move without doing this again. This is the only time I have ever moved nothing got damaged, and there is also this very satisfied and "mission accomplished" feeling when your couch is wrapped and ready to go.
  
• Label everything with not only the contents but the room it goes in. Even in a small apartment this helps a ton when you unload. When you go to unpack everything will already be in the correct room. I recommend these inexpensive, color coded labels to make it even faster/more convenient: https://www.amazon.com/Immuson-Removable-Packing-Different-Stickers/dp/B07DQDSX9H/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1539805227&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=moving+stickers&psc=1
  
• Pack a box in each room of the things you will need your first night/week so you can easily find it in the unpacking chaos. So in your bathroom pack your shower stuff separate, in the bedroom your sheets, and in the kitchen keep your pots/pans and dishes clearly marked. This may not seem like a money tip but if you don't do this you will find yourself running to the store for paper plates or toothpaste you don't really need.
  
  

  Once you are in
  

  
  Don't forget you are going to have to buy things you forgot about or that just come up those first few weeks. Somehow you will move in and realize you don't have a mop, or a kitchen trashcan, or about 50 other things that just happened to be your roommates, or where the hell is the dish detergent and oh fuck I forgot that I need toilet paper and I ran out two days ago.
  
  I try to set aside about $100-$200 for these weird incidentals. If you are worried about running low buy stuff at the dollar store, you can get a better version next paycheck. Also if you are low on dishes this a great place to get some that are honestly perfectly fine. Big lots is also good for cheap dishes. Also not a bad idea to plan for the money to eat out a few days during the move when you normally wouldn't. For me its the one time I let myself have fast food.
  
  Once you are moved in, be careful about your grocery bill if previously you were splitting groceries and not just buying your own. Buying for one is very different than buying for two, easier for things to go bad in your fridge.
  
  

  Utilities/Bills
  

  
  There will be deposits and unexpected service fees. When you set up your accounts ask specifically what will be on the first bill other than normal recurring charges. Do not think the bills will somehow be half of what you used before. Use A/C or heat sparingly until you see a couple bills. Replace all your lightbulbs with LEDs. Shop around to make sure you buy the cheaper ones they work just as well and they will save you a fortune on electric.
  
  Buy a programmable thermostat if your unit doesn't already have one. They are easy to install yourself, will save you a lot of money buy avoiding running the heat/air while you aren't home, and are only about $40 on Amazon.
  
  You need internet, you do not need cable. You do not need the fancy internet plan the company wants to sell you. Start with the lowest tier internet plan and buy Hulu or Netflix or maybe both. If you have streaming issues upgrade the internet later. When you set up cable request that you not be on a contract (cancelation fees when you move and don't want it are a bitch).

Sorry for taking a bit to get back to you, had to wait out a temp suspension because apparently I'm a jerk. Never be afraid or sorry to ask a question. The worse that can happen is someone won't answer or will get upset. Neither of these are bad.

It was actually more in total to pay off but that's the high point of the debt. What changed for me was over the course of a few years I went from making ~30K/yr to making over 100K/yr and not inflating my lifestyle. Which begs the question, how did that happen right?

It's completely reproducible, believe me I am not super special, but it did require a lot of planning and working towards a goal and quite a bit of luck. Some suggestions on how to make more money.

• Move if you can to somewhere with better prospects for higher pay. The absolute best way to do this is to have a crappy commute from a low paying area to a higher paying area. It's a kind of arbitrage. Just make sure you consider your commuting time as part of your overall pay. If it doesn't make sense dollar wise, don't do it. I've got a mostly telecommuting job now.
  
  
• Make yourself invaluable to your employer or customer. If you're working for an employer and doing more than is asked, document that and bring your achievements up when it's time for a raise. If you're self employed, do not undersell your worth. Make sure you take into account the Pareto principle and focus on the customers that make you the most money for the least amount of effort. You're working to live, not living to work.
  
• Get better at finances. Since you're here, I'm going to assume you've got a handle on the software part. YNAB is great, but it's not meant to be a complete tool. You need to know how to work with spreadsheets, and learn the basic math behind compound interest, interest rates, etc so that you can make them work for you.
  
  Listen I could, and probably should, write a book on going from dirt poor to comfortable. There are a ton of excellent resources out there. I'll list them here for you. I'm pretty sure I'm done with Reddit after this suspension deal (I only came back because I wanted to answer you :)) but I'll PM you some contact details if you're really interested. You can ping me any time you've got a question or even just for moral support. :)
  
  List of (what I think are) excellent resources:
  
  ^Note: ^I ^have ^used ^all ^of ^these
  
  

  Finance
  

  Radical Personal Finance - Excellent financial information. If you're Christian you will probably really love this guy. If you're not, it comes up a lot, but the information really is just amazing.
  
  The Millionaire Fastlane - This guy comes off as such a mook or a wiseguy, especially in the audiobook, but I've never heard someone explain why passive income is so important better. This is a self made guy who lays out how he made his money.
  
  Early Retirement Extreme - It's basically just his blog in book format, but it goes into how the numbers work. Maybe you aren't as extreme, but if you want to go extreme, this is an excellent guidepost.
  
  

  Personal Improvement
  

  
  Saylor Academy - Free education with an opportunity to get an inexpensive degree, or certificates. If you're an autodidact this place goes through some great courses.
  
  Ramit Sethi - This course is more than just finance it's how to save money, negotiate better wages, get better rates, and basically how to restructure your thinking to understand your own worth.

YNAB flow chart.

First off - either in YNAB, Google Sheets, or with pen & paper - write out EVERYTHING you spend money on. Check your bank statement to help you. This
is what mine looks like.

Now, dig deeper if you haven't already . Don't just estimate how much you will spend on gifts - set a budget for those people you enjoy gifting to. What does that look like - how much are you spending? write it out! Set a budget for anyone you gift to! Here is mine.

Have Credit Card debt? Make sure to stop using those RIGHT NOW! Begin paying those off ASAP.

TIP: not sure how much your bills will cost you? OVER budget! My Electric bill is $22 a month in non summer months. but my bill come summer and the AC is on comes out to be $50-60 per month. So i budget $40 year round. This evens out. Be conservative on all your numbers.

Great! Forgetting anything? Add it when you think of it.

"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship."

Once you have your expenses laid out - make sure you are spending less than you are making. YNAB won't help you if you don't help your self realize what your financial priority is. Is it makeup and shoes or is it Saving 6 month worth of an emergency fund & eventually a house. Be wise. Only you can help you.

Now that you know how much 1 month of living costs you and your debit is paid down or off - multiple the 1 month by 3months. Say the month costs you 3K x 3 = $9K Emergency Fund. Now you have a financial goal . /r/personalfinance can really help you determine what goal fits you best. This was just an example. I personally am trying to grow a 6 month E-fund.

Determine how quickly you can afford to meet that goal of a 3 month emergency fund. Will it take you 4 months or 12 months? How ambitious are you? Are you willing to not buy clothes for a few months? Again, this is where you have to determine YOUR goals and what track you want to be on. This has nothing to do with YNAB but read Rich Dad Poor Dad. Figure out what you want to do and want in life.

Once you have your expenses broken down into a monthly budget. Input that data into YNAB. Rent, Electric, Internet, - assign a monthly goal - why not? You know how much you need each month so assign the goal.

This is what my YNAB currently looks like. Organize yours how you see fit. I like to organize based on Priority and Due Date. It's just what works for me.

Notice "Gift Giving" This way doesn't work for everyone - some might say it's over kill but it's what works for me! It's what i need to realize my financial priority. I assign every gift a Goal by date - Generally 1 month before i plan to give the gift so i have 1 month to shop. Example i budget xmas for atleast November so i have 1 month to shop for gifts.

TIP: Don't buy anything makeup, shoes, etc impulsively. Add and Itemize everything to a Wish Farm Category . Hands down one of the best things I did. Makes you realize how many things you thought you wanted but for sure can live with out because there is other things you NEED.

If you have any questions let me know. YNAB has changed my life for the better - got me on the right track and I know you are on the right track just because you have posted on this sub but you have to commit to using YNAB DAILY!!!!! Every time you a financial transaction happens - log it! Every time you have inflow of cash (get paid) Assign every dollar to your true essentials not things that don't help you.


Don't neglect the YNAB blog - they have a bountiful amount of information on the proper way YNAB works.

late to the game, but i highly recommend "The First National Bank of Dad" by David Owen

Key Points

• Give an allowance for being a member of the family (not tied to chores)
  
• The child has full ownership and do whatever they like with the money
  
• Help the money grow via very high Bank-of-Dad interest rates (5% per month)
  
  There are a lot of great pieces of wisdom in this book. Based on it, i have set allowance at $1.75 per week for 5 yr old and $2.75 for my 9 year old, increasing by a quarter each year. So far, my daughter has saved up $200... which has made me put a cap on interest payments.

>Which makes my feel like I'm still paycheck to paycheck

The solution to living paycheck to paycheck is raising the age of your money (rule 4.) Once you have a buffer, you can budget a whole month ahead. You won't have to wonder about food halfway the month.

>Is that usual behavior for other YNAB users?

Overbudgetting for food is perfectly natural. You don't want to end up with an empty food category! Let the remainder roll over to the next month.

>Once I receive a direct deposit, I'll budget first into my immediate obligation, a fixed amount into my IRA (both those take the majority) and finally distribute the remainder into some future wants/long term goals.

Your first paragraph sounds like you're budgeting a bit on automatic pilot. But that's the part you should put most thought in! "Give Every Dollar a Job" is rule #1 for a reason. Look at last month and see how happy you were with that spending. Look at this month's categories, switch them around, see what feels better. Like Ramit Sethi says, “spend extravagantly on the things you love and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t."

Another useful perspective is to check the balance of your must-haves, wants and savings. All your worth recommends 50% for must-haves, 30% for wants, and 20% for saving. If your wants are below 30%, you are using up a lot of willpower, and that's neither enjoyable nor sustainable for more than a few months at a time.

> Dollar Shave Club

You can get the same razors from Amazon in bulk cheaper than DSC.
The executive blades are Dorco Pace. 10 pack + 1 handle $20.99 ($2.10 per blade) or 12 Pack Refill (No Handle) $22.99 ($1.92 per blade). I have been using them the last few months and have been happy with them. No plans to switch back to Gillette. http://amzn.com/B00MYC4PYY

As I understand it, with DCS its a pack of 4 blades every month for $9.00, so $2.25 per blade.

DSC is free shipping. Amazon has free shipping options when you meet dollar limits, $35 I think now. I have Amazon Prime already so free 2 day shipping with that.

Not a huge difference, after all DSC wants to make a profit, but there is some savings that will add up over time. Where it comes into play most for me is a cartridge will last me longer than a week so I wouldn't need a new pack every month.

You can also get Dorco for her type of blades as well. http://amzn.com/B008O87QC0

Another option to look into is Harry's Blades. https://www.harrys.com
I have been hearing their ads on several different pod casts that I listen to and have been looking into their products. They seems to have good reviews. Handle looks nicer, different options there. You can order the blades as needed, discounts for ordering high quantities. A 16 pack for $25.00 gets the per blade price down to $1.56 and comes with free shipping. They also offer shave plans as a subscription service at three different levels: everyday shaver, occasional shaver, and infrequent shaver. Try code "HELLOINTERNET" for 10% off or "hiHoliday" for $5 off the Winter Winston set. From Hello Internet pod cast, http://www.hellointernet.fm/.

That's what I meant, yes. The idea behind a commitment device is that you are actually two selves, the planner and the doer. The planner may have high hopes, but the doer's the one who has to execute the plan. The problem is that the planner has no good way to enforce the plans, s/he just hopes that the doer will execute because there is a plan. (Seinfeld actually had a great description of this!)

Enter the commitment device. It's the way that the planner ensures his plan is followed through on. The commitment device removes options from the doer so that the doer is much more likely to execute the plan. If you put the groceries budget on a prepaid card that can't be spent anywhere else, you ensure that it can't be flexed out. That is, the planner knows that the doer will be tempted to flex the grocery budget to use for lunches. So the planner sets up a situation where the doer can't flex it. One fun example is Clocky, the clock that runs away from you when it goes off. The planner sets the alarm, and when it goes off, the doer has 3 choices: let the alarm ring, get up, or hit the snooze button. Knowing that the doer will be tempted to hit the snooze button, the planner removes the snooze option by purchasing Clocky. Now the doer must choose between getting up or letting the alarm clock ring while driving around the bedroom. (In the past, I solved this a slightly different way. I had a thing of caffeinated water next to my bed, and I'd drink that, then hit the snooze button. I normally didn't get to hear the second alarm because either the caffeine woke me up or nature calling would.)

Bro if you like clean b-holes then get one of these. Changed my life.

Astor Bidet Fresh Water Spray Non-Electric Mechanical Bidet Toilet Seat Attachment CB-1000 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003TPGPUW/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_YOddvb0TQNFAT

I have just started reading the book Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You're Not). I am only a few chapters in so I can't completely recommend it yet, but so far it has some good tips and is easy to read.

When you're married there's no "her net worth" and "my net worth." Only "our net worth." That's especially true if you're finances are combined anyway. Honestly, if you're accounts are all combined, I'm not even sure how you'd calculate separate net worths.

Anyway, it sounds like you're bringing in relationship problems with your in-laws into your accounting in YNAB. You're not saying you owe $2,000 but you don't want to put it in YNAB. You're saying your in-laws say you owe $2,000 but you're not sure you really should.

At any rate, this does not sound like the kind of folks you want to owe money to. Depending on how significant $2,000 is to you, I'd just pay it as soon as you can and then move on. If you want to dispute it with them, that's fine, but deal with that and then decide what YNAB should reflect.

As an aside, I'd recommend you check out the book Boundaries by Henry Cloud to help you deal with your communication issues with your in-laws. It'll change your life, man.

lol yeah :D

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:SSHi2nCrGZ8J:https://www.youneedabudget.com/book-preorder/+&cd=1&hl=pl&ct=clnk&gl=de

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062567586/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=authorweb-20

Do not buy that phone, get yourself a Motorola G, amazon had the latest version up for sale for $150.


If ynab isn't on the amazon appstore, you'll have to side load it. I think it would be better for you to get another phone...

Edit: it looks like it's back to the original price ($179), Motorola Moto G (2nd generation) - Global GSM - Unlocked - 8GB Black by Motorola http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWI4HW0/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_q6eIub1JBM0ZT

I think either the global or US version should work here but double check that!

Magnetized notepads on my refrigerator to remember to pick up light bulbs, tooth paste, replacement power cord for my iPad, etc. next time I'm in or near a particular store when out doing errands.

In the note field for the category (bottom right hand corner of the budget screen when you have clicked on a category) if it's a bigger item I'm planning to buy in the future.

You might enjoy the new PACE e-book from YNAB. It's basically the YNAB methodology for small business.

http://www.amazon.com/PACE-Business-Owners-Complete-Clarity-ebook/dp/B00P1JV4CI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416602063&sr=8-1&keywords=pace+ynab

Let's try:

https://www.amazon.com/Invest-Like-Pro-10-Day-Investing-ebook/dp/B00O4G1BBI

and yes, it is about investing more than about using YNAB to track investments.

Jesse wrote an investing book: Invest Like a Pro: A 10-Day Investing Course https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O4G1BBI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-43-yb75AFCRM

Here is the cache err-one

And the book courtesy of creamtent.

He has a highly rated piece about budgeting already. There's a market for this. The hatred coming from this sub is absurd.

EDIT: Added links to Jesse's writings.

The Debt Consolidation Myth

Invest Like A Pro

https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:SSHi2nCrGZ8J:https://www.youneedabudget.com/book-preorder/+&cd=1&hl=pl&ct=clnk&gl=pl&client=firefox-b

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062567586/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=authorweb-20

Details:

http://www.amazon.com/First-National-Bank-Dad-Foolproof/dp/1416534253/

This has been up for quite some time, but he did just publish it as a book. I went through it all, but I was 17 at the time and not old enough to actually start investing, I learned a lot from the course.

I think I will have to repeat the course and then actually take a leap and start investing.

https://www.amazon.com/You-Need-Budget-Paycheck-Paycheck-ebook/dp/B071Y2XSFN/ref=nodl_

I think that was talking about the Invest Like a Pro book he self published on Amazon. The YNAB book was published by Harper Collins so unless he’s got some really crazy deal with them, he can’t just send it to people as a PDF. He’s the author, but it’s not his property anymore.

Certainly don't try to boil the ocean and attack all debt at this point. Step one is to get current and stay current.

If you can buy it or find it at a library, I would recommend a read of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. http://amzn.com/1595555277 It talks a lot about how to get started and the vision of where you want to get to. One of the main points is to imagine a life without payments. Imagine what you could do with your money if you were spending todays money instead of tomorrow's money, because right now your payments are a result of spending tomorrows money for a long time.

You'll get there, but it may take some hard choices and tough decisions about lifestyle and needs vs wants.