You Need a Budget

Think of a budget as a lifestyle-design blueprint. It’s a working plan for taking your life from where you are now to where you really want to be: Zero debt. Home ownership. Retirement plans. Travel. More money for eating out. Much less frustration and anxiety. Pick a goal that speaks to you and budget your way to success!

In this indispensable guide—the first book based on the successful tenets of the award-winning financial platform—you’ll be given the tools to learn how to track your expenses, stick to a spending plan, and make your money work for you.

By learning to budget, you can finally break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, become debt-free, and save more. As Jesse Mecham shows, a budget won’t make you feel more restricted—it will make you feel free. You Need a Budget outlines his four simple rules to completely revolutionize the way you think about managing your money:

1. 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. Pick your priorities and make sure your dollars are helping you move closer to the things you really care about.

2. Embrace your true expenses. Identify your larger, less-frequent expenses—such as insurance premiums, birthdays, holidays, car repairs—and break them into manageable monthly amounts. This will help you even out your spending, decrease your stress, and make better decisions.

3. Roll with the punches. Life always changes and unexpected expenses happen. If you need to change your budget, just do it. The YNAB philosophy not only tolerates changing your budget; it encourages it.

4. Age your money. Increase the time between earning and spending, and finally break the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle.

These four rules are the pillars of a tried-and-true system that keeps you engaged with your money. Following the rules, you’ll learn to adjust your habits, become proactive, and ultimately control your finances. Say goodbye to stressing over last month’s statement and say hello to taking charge and finally building the life you want.

Budgeting means that, soon enough, you’ll have money sitting around (just in case your car or home needs a repair), and finally be able to do the things you’ve been dreaming about—like take a Hawaiian vacation with your honey—knowing that the rest of your life is covered.