YNAB HELPPPPP!!!

May 1, 2011 4:02 PM

I'm trying for the 100th time to figure out YNAB... any help is greatly appreciated! I've been lazy and neglected the program, meanwhile started new accounts to try to manage my money better and keep things separate (1 account for upcoming car repairs, 2 savings accounts for vacation/emergencies). Basically, I screwed up the budget and category balances completely. I went back 3 months and all transactions check out with my bank and YNAB. Although I adjusted the balances to reflect what the bank says, Patzer's formula still does not work. YNAB thinks I have more money than I actually do in the bank. Can't figure this out.
posted by luciddream928 to Work & Money (3 answers total)

Response by poster: I should add that my checking account was only $3.51 off... not too bad. YNAB however, is almost $500 off. Sigh. I should have followed the 4 rules : (
posted by luciddream928 at 4:05 PM on May 1, 2011

Have you tried asking on the YNAB forums? They're almost certainly a better resource than here. It's really hard to tell what's going wrong with your accounts without getting a look at your file.

First question, though: Have you turned on Error Checking?
posted by that girl at 3:07 AM on May 2, 2011

Since it's been a while, I'd use the "fresh start" option to clear out your past transactions and budget. Then manually adjust your balances so all the accounts are correct. It's not worth the effort to find the needle in the haystack that's messing you up.

I'll add that YNAB is challenging so don't feel bad about having trouble. The forums are awesome and everybody gets how difficult it can be to grok.
posted by rouftop at 5:32 AM on May 2, 2011