Budget Nerds #132 - Ernie's 2026 Categories
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Jan 14, 2026 Ernie unveils his spending plan for 2026, cleverly rolling over strategies from 2025. He breaks down his 72 categories, including playful emoji labels to keep budgeting fun. Discover his credit card love-hate saga and how he cleverly navigates monthly essentials like groceries and insurance. Learn about Ernie's shared budgeting for massages and in-depth pet costs for Ridge the Dog. Plus, he shares tips on forecasting property taxes and balancing personal allowances to prioritize experiences over mere expenses.
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Keep One Plan For Historical Clarity
- Ernie stopped doing annual fresh starts to keep all historical data in one plan for easier searching and continuity.
- He values the ability to search multi-year transactions over the ritual of a fresh start.
Prioritize Credit Card Payment Tracking
- Put credit card payment categories prominently so you can monitor cash available to cover card balances and avoid float risk.
- Check card balances vs. available funds regularly to prevent accidental reliance on future paychecks.
From Float To Cash-Back With YNAB
- Ernie describes being on the credit-card float pre-YNAB and never paying interest but relying on future paychecks to cover cards.
- Switching to YNAB flipped spending to only use money you already have and removed that dependency.