I came for the Sketchy Advice and stayed for the Ted Talk :-) Nicely done! (affirmation 🙂) I'm very glad you and your son escaped serious injury - and I hope your healing is swift! Keep bringing us the knowledge!

I’m glad your son was not harmed. I’m sorry you had to get injured to convince yourself that you are a worthy dad. Life throws a lot of little challenges our way to help us grow. 3 years ago YNAB helped me not have cc debt in January and February for the first time in 40 years.

I was tearing up just listening to this (the part about being brave). Thank you so much for sharing in such a vulnerable way! P. S. I know you are probably sick of hearing this, but please take care of yourself. I still have pretty intense pain from when I somehow used my big toe to slow down a fall down carpeted stairs as I was carrying my newborn in 2020. (The family calls it “Mama’s 2020 toe”). I wish I took care of it at the time. Actually, I’ve been meaning to make an appointment to get to the bottom of it; I’ll do that now. Thank you!!

I remember the first time I had a car repair bill - couple of hundred dollars - and for the first time ever, I didn't have to finance it. I'd saved money (true expenses!) and I had it available and I just put it on my debit card. That was amazing. YNAB helped, but I did that.

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

"YNAB helped, but I did that." 👏YES.👏 Sometimes I feel like people give us too much credit. Like, yes, YNAB is an incredible tool and I think we have phenomenal advice and a super supportive community, but YOU did that! 🥳 Congrats! - Ben M 🤓

I've actually been thinking about this a lot lately. I've been using YNAB for about 2 months now and like a lot of us I dove in head first. I budgeted like a mad woman and tried to "get a month ahead" and just about immediately and fell flat on my face.. I was really beating myself up thinking maybe I can't do this, it's just too hard. But little by little over the last few weeks I've realized, hey, I have money in the bank, like all the time now.. and I have money to pay for the guy to fix the dishwasher and still to go out to dinner on the weekends. I pulled back from getting a month ahead and I'm just trying to save for the things that put me into debt in the first place (kids, pets, house, car). I think if I just keep up at this pace, getting a month ahead will come naturally. Also, I fell down the stairs a few weeks ago too (moping the stairs).. my arm still hurts.

My small win was being able to put our utilities on auto-pay without dreading an overdraft followed by being able to put our auto insurance on the Bi-Annual payment plan! Those 2 things are small but HUGE to me!

My money win: having next month’s expenses already taken care of, plus now saving monthly for the every-six months or yearly expenses instead of “wing-and-a-prayering” it and hoping my next check was enough to cover those payments plus whatever other expenses before my next payday. That’s huge for someone like me we has never, before YNAB, been able to do that.

This may be my favorite YNAB video I've watched! ❤️ I love sketchy (and tentatively solicited) advice!

Oh my goodness! I was so surprised and pleased when my little YNAB win was mentioned that I burst into tears. I ❤ YNAB! (And very glad that both you and your son are fine!)

@VikingKittens

2 ай бұрын

And you deserve it. Enjoy every win, and they will keep growing. Bravo, and congrats!!!

I am so sorry ! As a grandma I can’t even imagine ! You took one for the team ! Glenda

I love this!! I very clearly remember when I first started YNAB and had $60 left over between paychecks. $60 between checks! That was such a HUGE win for me at the time because I was used to getting down to pennies. I'm so glad you and Knox are okay, parenting (or Aunt-ing in my case) definitely shows us what we are capable of, it's amazing what these tiny humans will bring out in us that we had no idea we could do 💙

Thanks, Ben. This was GREAT!! I have gotten off track the last two months. I'll get back on track today. My husband died 5 years ago and he had always done the finances. My daughter, an accountant, helped me for awhile. Then I discovered YNAB. I've been independently managing my money ever since.

Ben, I can’t imagine how scary the fall must have been. I’m sorry for your injury, but thankful for your son’s escape from injury. I hope you quickly heal emotionally and physically. My small YNAB win was having our budget laid out and letting the numbers in the budget show my husband how much money was actually spent every month. He always said, “We make plenty of money.” YNAB helped him see why I was so stressed out abt money all of the time.

When my son was 1 month old I also fell down carpeted stairs with socks while holding him. Luckily I had a similar instinct - clutched him to my chest and instead hit my head/back on the carpeted stairs. I am so grateful for how you frame this though - I honestly beat myself up about the whole thing becauase I was going through new-parent-sleep-deprivation syndrome and felt bad for falling down the stairs at all because he was really frightened. Maybe I can finally look back on that moment without horror! Thank you for sharing.

I absolutely loved the video. It's straight in my Favourites folder. thanks for sharing and hope you recover quickly! I recently had a realisation like the "I can be brave" one: I've been a bit sad thinking my net worth hasn't changed that much in the past couple of years until I realised that I have taken 3 major domestic trips and 2 international ones (not weekend getaways but +2 weeks each, truly slow travel; one of the international ones included covering a family member's expenses on top of mine!) All paid cash (no debt at all) and my net worth did NOT plummet - in reality, staying the same with these big expenses means a lot of success to me. Growth can also look like surprising stability - maybe my net worth doesn't suck!!!

YES!! (to the message of affirmation!) I spent years telling myself, "I could never do x". When I heard someone tell me they could never do something I was doing, it changed my outlook. I started a business ("I could never be an entrepreneur") teaching students improv ("I'm not experienced enough") because I want to teach people they can do things they don't think they can do. I just kept taking the next steps...filing my LLC. Creating a website. Talking to prospective students. I still have more steps to go, but I'm focused on the next one.

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

So, apparently, if you want to become a Navy SEAL, you have to pass this test that simulates drowning. You go into a swimming pool with breathing gear, and then someone comes along and jacks up your gear, and you have to repair it without surfacing. Drowning is considered one of our most primal fears, so it's nearly impossible to stop your lizard brain from taking over and just panicking (not great for a Navy SEAL). If I remember right, most SEALs have to do it at least three times before they can actually succeed at the task. The way SEALs train themselves to overcome the "OMG I'M DYING I'M DYING I'M DYING" feeling is to focus on each individual step. By zeroing in on that next attainable thing, it helps keep the panic at bay. So it sounds like you're using a solid method! 😉 (Also, omg, I love improv. Jealous of your students!) - Ben M 🤓

Glad you and Knox are OK. Just letting you know you were lucky. My mother fell down the stairs carrying me, and she broke her pelvis. She was bed ridden for ages and had to learn to walk again from scratch.

Ben, I literally worry about this exact same thing and becoming a mother. But today I had surgery to improve my chances of getting pregnant, so I too feel brave. Brave buddies! And thanks for the book recommendation, it’s going on the tbr list right now.

@mamasquid1401

2 ай бұрын

Way to be brave! Speaking as the mother of a four year old who was also afraid: Whatever you're imagining about the joys of parenthood, it's going to be even better than that.

Ben, your sketchy advice (or tentatively solicited advice) has fast become my favorite YNAB video series. My small win was paying for vet bills (a few hundred dollars, shots & such) with my debit card rather than a credit card and so not needing to pay the additional credit card premium - because I had saved for that bill. Wow, I felt like a millionaire that day. Loved this video, felt a little teary at one point too because I remember when I too felt like I wasn't a brave person and didn't stick my neck out for things - but life has a way of finding ways to have you step up. Since I'm into my 60's now and tend to give unsolicited advice - remember this act. The next time you think you don't have what it takes - remember you did this. Then when the next one comes, remember that one too. Doing that has helped me weather many storms and helped me be brave when I really didn't feel it. I do hope you heal quickly.

@brianhigginbotham6308

2 ай бұрын

Oh, this triggered me! I used to just dread paying for flea/tick and heartworm medicine. I still think it is ridiculously expensive, but now I just pay it, because it is sitting there in my budget waiting to be used. Big relief. So many big reliefs with YNAB! Linda here

As an x-ray tech I see a lot of parents who fell down the stairs holding their child. The kid is usually fine but the poor parent has bruises all down their backs,

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

Well, that just makes me teary. 😭 - Ben M 🤓

I cried when you were talking about your own bravery and then when you were talking about YNAB wins. This is so good. It is so true that the most important step a person can take is the next step. Beautiful and so true.

@erinkerbs6789

2 ай бұрын

My small win was getting a part time job after being a SAHM for almost 20 years. The money is not big, but it is giving us a jump to pay off some cards and to fill our sinking funds. $1000 or so a month is a good bit to help my family. Also, a bigger win is that it is such a physical job I have lost over 25 lbs since September without any other changes.

I'm so sorry that happened to you and your child!! 😯😯 I wish you a speedy recovery!! 💛💛 My small win is finally figuring out how to make my money work for me in 2022, and it hasn't let me down ever since!! 😁😁

Thank you! So helpful to hear right now. I’ve also fell down stairs holding an infant so I could relate to your experience. My small win after using YNAB for at least two years, maybe longer… is tracking expenses for 4 months without doing a fresh start. At least I finally have reports to look at. Small small win but you’re right, it has taken courage to not click the fresh start button!!

I enjoy all your epiphanies and connections you make with your videos. I'll be adding ypur books to the reading list :)

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

Thank you! I might need to start putting together a reading list for easy reference 🤔 - Ben M 🤓

Glad to hear you and your son are okay! I love the sketchy advice videos. They are always so intriguing! Something that gave me financial confidence was paying off a very small debt after my husband and I got married. I was using Every Dollar at the time, but managing to pay that off (this was our only debt at the time) gave me confidence that I could remain debt free if I continued to be intentional with my spending.

I love that you are celebrating all the small ones and the big ones. The big one of saving your kiddo and inviting us to share our small ones.😊 right now, my small win is that I am making choices and continuing with using YNAB. In the past, when finances got tight, I avoided budgeting. I am so grateful for YNAB helping me make more supportive choices!🎉

That was a great video! Way good! Just yesterday I had to pay $1600 for a vehicle transmission repair. I had $300 of that in my YNAB car maintenance fund and pulled the rest from an overflow account where I was saving for 2 teeth implants. The win was I could pay the bill outright without going into debt and by rearranging money. I have in the past accepted money from my mother and for such things and though she is generous about it, I end up feeling indebted to her. By handling it myself, I feel sooooo much better. I feel like I have what it takes.

Well now that just made me cry. Like … ugly cry. I really needed to hear this. Thank you!!! 😭😭😭💜💜💜

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

❤️❤️❤️ - Ben M 🤓

One of my favorite budgeting wins was the 1st time I made it from one paycheck to the next without an overdraft! Kudos to you for your Dad win! It’s so funny how instinctively we act when our kids may come to harm. You are BRAVE.

This was such a good video. Thanks for sharing it. I’m happy that neither of you suffered serious injury. My small win… for the first time ever, I ran out of month before I ran out of money! That felt so good. I was able to assign money to my true expenses for the first time.

I have been struggling for the past 5 years but I finally payed off a personal loan, 4 months early, I still have 2 credit cards that are nearly maxed out but I am now able to actually start progress on those

That was an excellent video. I'm certainly glad your boy is OK and I hope you are back to 100% soon. Commendation refreshes us. If we look for opportunities to offer sincere commendation instead of harping on the weaknesses and shortcomings of others it can refresh us and the other person.

@mamasquid1401

2 ай бұрын

That's a really good observation! This is such a positive community.

Thanks for sharing my story, heal well! ❤‍🩹💜🖤💞

randomly decided to watch this. very worth it. what a good video.

Ben, good video!! True transparency and Vulnerability it’s a strength and takes courage to share and raises “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure” (Berne Brown). We are all here at minimum peeking in on our vulnerability around money and life.

Ben, this absolutely brought me to tears, as I think it resonated with me more than I realized. Thank you for sharing your story! YNAB win: This was the first time I was funded one month ahead. The relief of knowing that no matter what, for the next 30 days, I was okay and could breathe a sigh of relief was amazing.

My simple win was after years of trying and sorta getting YNAB, but ultimately really using it just as a category log, was the first time I actually checked YNAB to see if I could say yes to meeting a friend for dinner and realizing that it wasn’t in my budget and learning to say no. I didn’t do this alone, it took hiring a financial coach and being a couple months into being out of work with no income to realize that “budgeting” was actually making choices in each moment based on whether your budget says you can or you can’t. I have since come up with better ways to be creative with no’s, but that first time saying no was revelatory and such an important lesson. Love this video. I’ll be sharing it with many folks, and as a coach myself now, it’s a great way to see how we can come up with better stories we tell about ourselves. We are changeable. Thank you for making this one and hope you heal up quick (and so glad your kiddo is fine).

A HUGE win for me was seeing the first $0.01 of interest accrue on my savings account balance. It was so silly. A penny. Something I can find thrown away on the street. But it was a foretelling of all the good that was to come walking this new path forged by the 4 rules. I've since started to find many, many pennies and am in a much, much better place than I was with that first $0.01 earned. BUT... that was the first step and I've never been more proud of a single penny earned.

For me a huge win was having enough “saved” for the next month’s basic needs on top of a “random unforseen circumstances” cushion. It has eased my money anxiety & honestly makes me feel so proud of myself!

Ive been on ynab for a while, but ive always kind of used it as a shuffle to get to a 0 based budget (not counting sinking funds). This year I've finally realized how it feels to be ynab broke, even with money in the bank!

This was so honest - I LOVE it. Thank you for sharing

Firstly, I can relate completely on the bravery that surfaces when it comes to protecting your kiddos from physical harm. It's real! My husband and I just entered "true" retirement where we expect no more salary or contract income. So we got what we got. YNAB is what is helping me feel confident about our financial situation. We are embracing the true expenses and rolling with the punches like nobody's business. Nothing flashy but so satisfying. I am gifting YNAB to my adult children. I wish I had been more serious about the YNAB way when I was their age. Hoping they go for it.

This video really hit me in a place I wasnt expecting. I have felt about myself a lot of the same things that you talk about feeling about yourself. It was nice to hear you talk about it. And speaking of unexpected, didn't think I'd run into a fellow Stormlight fan here! The way my eyes lit up when you dropped that quote, Ben. I've gravitated toward the Immortal Words personally, but much of what Dalinar says could qualify as words to live by. So in that spirit, although you fell, congratulations on rising as a better you!

Holy cow. Watched this and immediately watched it again.

I wish I could like this video more than once! My small step that mattered was adding categories for two for fun subscriptions after only dreaming of having enough to afford it!

Ben, your story about overcoming adversity and finding newfound courage is truly inspiring. It's amazing how challenges can lead to profound self-discovery. Your message about celebrating small wins and fostering a positive environment resonates deeply.

This was great--thank you. I'm glad you and your son are okay.

Thanks for sharing this vulnerability. It was a great video. Looking forward to more Sketchy Advice after you recover!

Absolutely love this video! Let’s celebrate the small wins. Thank you for such an inspiring video.

Wow! That was really good! And inspirational. Well done, hope your injuries heal soon!

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

Thank you! Thanks to the magic of shooting schedules, I can confirm that everything healed just fine! 😁 - Ben M 🤓

I relate to this so much! I also have trouble with worry and not having confidence. I also fell down the stairs with my baby in my arms and fully took the brunt to protect my kid. Thanks for being vulnerable and sharing this story:)

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

Parents in (injured) arms! 🖖 - Ben M 🤓

I'm so sorry this happened to you. It's good news that your son is safe. I hope you heal quickly. If I had to celebrate something that felt small in the moment but feels much bigger now it would be this: Last month my dog was attacked by another dog. He got out of our fence and the other dog bit him. We rushed him to the emergency vet and I paid cash for the emergency. That was the first time in my adult life that I didn't have to put an emergency on a credit card and it felt so good. I do still have credit cards to pay off and the incident may have slowed down my funding of my larger goals but in that moment I didn't have to panic about how I was going to pay for the emergency. I only had to worry about my dog getting the care he needed in the moment and for that I am thankful to YNAB. Keep going you guys. We can improve our lives one step at a time.

@mamasquid1401

2 ай бұрын

I'm glad your doggie is okay!

Great video! Thanks for your honesty and vulnerability! Brave!

This was just what I needed tonight. Great job!

Ben the Barbarian! Fatherhood brought the best out of you, well done!!!

Your desk looks clean from what I can see, can you do a video on how your wires are routed, lol? I need to watch videos about how to make my wires look better.

@YNABofficial

Ай бұрын

Oh friend, I use this desk almost exclusively for filming. My actual workspace is a mess of wires. 😭 If you do find any good videos, let me know! 😂 - Ben M 🤓

Budgeting and YNAB allowed me to say yes to a friends 4 day hen do in a foreign country. I managed to pay for it in 3 months without putting it on a credit card or going into my overdraft.

Great video, did not expect it to go in this direction. 😊 Also one time I fell down a wooden staircase in socks and it was like something out of Looney Tunes

When you mentioned the book, I heard "The Catastrophic Warrior". I was like "thats such a cool phrase!"

@YNABofficial

2 ай бұрын

Sounds like every D&D character I've ever played. 😅 - Ben M 🤓

Amazing video! Thanks for sharing!

You did good. 👍

You just look really hungover. Glad you're ok!

This was such a heartwarming video! I clicked as soon as I saw it on my recommendation page but didn’t expect myself to feel emotionally filled by just watching you speak about you falling down (glad you and baby are okay). My small win is consistently using YNAB for the past 2 months after having known about it for 3 years and not being able to stick leading me to have $60k in debt, but now my age of money is 10 days and I feel more confident than ever.