

So, if you’re already bad at budgeting, simply seeing all your assets and liabilities summed up won’t actually help you make any changes. Even when you have all your credit cards and student loans linked to your Mint account, all Mint does is show you the amounts. The problem with Mint is the problem with simply looking at the numbers in your bank account: it’s not the whole picture. YNAB paints a more accurate picture of your finances than Mint. To me, Mint is the ineffective budgeting-spreadsheet version of budgeting apps, whereas YNAB is your very own personal financial advisor, calling you to tell you you’re completely over-budget for the month, and need to cover your overspending so you don’t go into debt.īecause YNAB forces you to participate, you get better results! 2. And I think it has a lot to do with the fact that YNAB utilizes an “envelope” approach to budgeting, whereas Mint’s approach is more standard. Now, I can’t sing Mint’s praises for their budgeting tools, though Mint certainly has them. So if you budget say, on May 31 for the month of June, and know you will get another paycheck on June 15…YNAB won’t let you budget that money. Because YNAB forces your active participation, it requires you to get real with yourself about your financial health.įor example, YNAB does not allow you to budget ahead with anticipated paychecks. I believe intentionality is the key to taking control of your finances, and your life. This is the number one, most important reason why I prefer YNAB over Mint: it is active and intentional. YNAB requires your active, intentional participation.
#Mint com vs you need a budget free#
While YNAB isn’t free (it currently costs $84 per year), I vastly prefer YNAB over Mint. Over time, however, YNAB became the only budgeting app that actually worked-and the only money-saving tool I couldn’t live without. It was straightforward, free, and required minimal input from me. I just didn’t understand it! Click Here to Get Your FREE No Buy Workbook!įor years, Mint was the exclusive money app in my arsenal. It’s a classic dilemma for budgeting newbies: How is Mint any different from You Need a Budget ( YNAB)? And why would I pay to budget on YNAB, when I can use Mint for free?
