Money Stories

Talking about money is taboo? Not here. Read real stories from real people. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and most of all—you’ll feel understood.

Read real life money stories

She WAMed Her Way to the Grammys: A Swiftie’s Financial Fairytale With YNAB

Discover how a die-hard Swiftie won GRAMMY tickets and financed her dream trip with YNAB. Spoiler: she gets seated just one table away from Taylor Swift herself!

How Brian and Leann Got Maui’d: A Second Chance at YNAB

Brian and Leann used YNAB to save for an amazing wedding and honeymoon, but the real win was the way the experience brought them closer together.

Financial Freedom, Generosity, and the Power of YNAB: Eric’s Story

This is the story of how Eric A. used YNAB to donate a staggering 60% of their income in the first half of 2023 and found lasting peace and contentment along the way.

Debt Stories

Youtube Playlist

Listen

How this Family Paid off $266k

Video

Watch

No items found.

Designing Dreams: Janna’s Journey from City to Safari

Emily Hudson

March 18, 2024

Where will your wildest aspirations take you? See how Janna used YNAB to move from Amsterdam to Africa.

Stuck in a Financial Fog? Try this!

Sarah Schweisthal

February 27, 2024

Stuck in a financial fog? Learn how to rewire your brain for money joy.

She WAMed Her Way to the Grammys: A Swiftie’s Financial Fairytale With YNAB

Emily Hudson

February 15, 2024

Discover how a die-hard Swiftie won GRAMMY tickets and financed her dream trip with YNAB. Spoiler: she gets seated just one table away from Taylor Swift herself!

Two Hearts, Four Habits: YNAB Couples Share Their Success Stories

Emily Hudson

December 26, 2023

Less arguing. More adventures. Fund your future together with four simple habits that will change your relationship with money.

Why A Faithful Mint User Switched to YNAB

Guest Author

November 9, 2023

YNAB showed us how important awareness still is for our spending, even though we are well beyond paycheck-to-paycheck living.

No items found.

True Confessions: Budgeting for Retirement

Rachel Wong

November 15, 2022

Budgeting for retirement can feel extra tricky. See how Susan uses YNAB in retirement to gain total control of her money.

7 Lessons from 10 Years of YNAB

Brad

September 5, 2022

With YNAB, I've been able to pay off my mortgage in 9 years and give 15% of my income. Here's what I've learned along the way.

No items found.

“We Make Too Much to Be Going Broke.”

A YNABer Somewhere

February 1, 2022

Feel like you make too much money to be going broke? Learn how one family went from almost broke to nearly debt-free & stress-free with YNAB!

No items found.

How to Handle a Pay Cut: Bulletproof Your Budget

Rachel Wong

November 17, 2021

A 75% pay cut is stressful on any day, let alone when you're two weeks away from closing on a new house. Learn what Arron did.

No items found.

How We Increased Our Net Worth by 303% in 18 Months

Rachel Wong

May 19, 2021

Just 18 months ago, Krys was nearly $20K in debt and felt out of control with her finances. Today, she's at peace. Here's how she did it.

Learn How We Paid For Our Wedding in Cash

Rachel Wong

May 6, 2021

Katie and Matt wanted to get out of debt, but it felt next to impossible. Then suddenly, everything changed.

The Most Honest Account of $80K in Student Loan Debt You'll Hear

Tristan Henry-Wilson

March 5, 2021

Well after 20 years, I paid off all my student loans. It wasn’t easy, but I made every payment on time. I couldn't have done it without YNAB.

8 Ways YNAB Helped Us Survive a Year of Unemployment

Rebecca Schier-Akamelu

February 22, 2021

My husband was laid off at the end of 2019. Despite our best efforts, neither of us secured a full-time job in 2020. Here's how we survived.

How I Got a Handle on My Finances

Rachel Wong

February 5, 2021

Andrew Abela has an MBA, a PhD, and managed a multi-million dollar budget at work, but his personal finances were stressful.

No items found.

9 Inspiring Financial Stories

Rachel Wong

January 14, 2021

Looking for some inspiring financial stories? We've rounded up nine of our favorite money stories to encourage, inspire, and motivate.

No items found.

For the First Time My Finances Don't Feel Hopeless

Erin Gobler

December 18, 2020

Liz had tried budgeting before, but an illness pushed her to finally take control of her finances. Now she’s saving for her big goals.

No items found.

True Confessions: We Lost Our Home

Erin Gobler

December 7, 2020

Natalie and Larry went from living paycheck to paycheck to saving enough money to reach their dream of adopting a child.

I’ve Paid Off Half of My Debt in a Year

Krys

December 4, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt. It's been a year since she started budgeting and she's cut her debt balance in half.

I’ve Saved $18,000 Cash in Less Than a Year

Krys

November 27, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt. In September of 2020, she realizes her net worth has grown drastically even during the craziness.

No items found.

I’m Pausing My Debt Payoff

Krys

November 20, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt. After months of progress, in June 2020 she craves financial security above all else.

How I Built a Financial Safety Net

Krys

November 13, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt and then the global pandemic hit. She paused debt payoff and focused on her financial safety net.

No items found.

I’m Stockpiling Money and Mildly Anxious Right Now

Krys

November 6, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt. She's six months into budgeting and a global pandemic has rapidly shifted her priorities.

No items found.

Five Months into Budgeting, COVID Hit

Krys

October 30, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt. When she was five months into budgeting, the COVID global pandemic hit. See what happened...

One Credit Card Down, Three to Go!

Krys

October 23, 2020

Krys is working to pay off $20,000 of debt. She's four months into budgeting and celebrates paying off one of her credit cards this month.

No articles found

Adjust the filters or reset to view all articles

Money Stories

Talking about money is taboo? Not here. Read real stories from real people. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and most of all—you’ll feel understood.

Talking about money is taboo? Not here. Read real stories from real people. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and most of all—you’ll feel understood.

Read real life money stories

She WAMed Her Way to the Grammys: A Swiftie’s Financial Fairytale With YNAB

How Brian and Leann Got Maui’d: A Second Chance at YNAB

Financial Freedom, Generosity, and the Power of YNAB: Eric’s Story

Other resources…

Debt Stories

Debt Stories

How this Family Paid off $266k

How this Family Paid off $266k

All

Money Stories

Articles

Designing Dreams: Janna’s Journey from City to Safari

Stuck in a Financial Fog? Try this!

She WAMed Her Way to the Grammys: A Swiftie’s Financial Fairytale With YNAB

Two Hearts, Four Habits: YNAB Couples Share Their Success Stories

Why A Faithful Mint User Switched to YNAB

True Confessions: Budgeting for Retirement

7 Lessons from 10 Years of YNAB

“We Make Too Much to Be Going Broke.”

How to Handle a Pay Cut: Bulletproof Your Budget

How We Increased Our Net Worth by 303% in 18 Months

Learn How We Paid For Our Wedding in Cash

The Most Honest Account of $80K in Student Loan Debt You'll Hear

8 Ways YNAB Helped Us Survive a Year of Unemployment

How I Got a Handle on My Finances

9 Inspiring Financial Stories

For the First Time My Finances Don't Feel Hopeless

True Confessions: We Lost Our Home

I’ve Paid Off Half of My Debt in a Year

I’ve Saved $18,000 Cash in Less Than a Year

I’m Pausing My Debt Payoff

How I Built a Financial Safety Net

I’m Stockpiling Money and Mildly Anxious Right Now

Five Months into Budgeting, COVID Hit

One Credit Card Down, Three to Go!

No articles found