What was your biggest takeaway from our YNAB work together?

My favorite thing about Allegra, and there are many, is that she's very adaptable and accommodating to busy professionals. She truly went above and beyond for me on multiple ocassions. Allegra knows how busy my schedule is, and even took the initiative to contact the Support team of my own Financial Institution, to clarify how pending/posted transactions work. She then was able to provide me with a tailored recommendation on the best way to manage my budget. This is just one example of many.

How do you feel about managing your budget now compared to before our partnership?

After just a few short months, I now have a clear understanding on where I'm at with my budget. For years, I had attempted to figure out the easiest way to budget, and failed every time, from creating spreadsheets, to downloading and deleting various budgeting apps, hoping one would be easier than the other, nothing worked. I had even attempted to use YNAB on many occasions but could never get the hang of it. With Allegra's help, every dollar is now being accounted for. I had absolutely no idea how anything related to my finances worked. I had subscriptions that I didn't realize I had. Now, I understand exactly how much money is in my bank, and I understand exactly how much each bill is, when its due, and what bills need to be prioritized. I'm spending less, saving more, and I don't feel like my life has changed at all.

Can you describe a specific aspect of the journey that you found particularly helpful or enlightening? What changed as a result?

For me, I just found myself really surprised at some of the things that were occuring related to my finances that I didn't even know about. There were a lot of "Wow, seriously?" moments as we built the budget out. What changed is I now have a 100% and complete understanding on where my money is going, what things I have money for, what things I don't have money for, etc.

Would you recommend YNAB with Allegra to others who are considering better budget management? Why?

Every single person needs to be on a budget, regardless of your net worth, financial situation, etc. This tool has given me incredible oversight into everything that's going on with my finances. I'm just surprised (and a little regretful) that I didn't do it sooner. Allegra was the best consultant in every way. She is exactly the type of person that you'd want for a project like this.

100% would recommend Allegra for all things coaching! Budgeting is always a bit anxiety inducing for me, Allegra was able to hold space for that while also being an excellent guide, teaching me the ways of YNAB. I tried to use YNAB in the past but I did not like it or want to take time to learn all the nuances. Allegra broke it down in bite-sized, easy to digest sessions that allowed me to learn, look at money, and create a budget in a safe container.

Budgeting seemed pointless before working with Allegra. Every month I would hand write my budget! With her help, I have a better understanding of YNAB and my budget allows me a lot more freedom and flexibility.

YNAB changed how I think about budgeting. Allegra and YNAB helped me plan for what I wanted to purchase, creating choice around spending instead of reacting.

The light bulb moment for me was when I recognized YNAB is all about planning and making choices for how I spend and save money. Now, if there's something I know I need or want, I add it to the budget before purchasing. If there's an unexpected purchase (a category in YNAB), I move money from that category to where it needs to be.

I tried YNAB three times before working with Allegra and just couldn't grasp the concept of how it works. After just a few weeks of working with her, I now understand it and am beginning to enjoy it and see how it can help me improve my relationship with money.

I love efficiency and sometimes really want to apply a "set it and forget" approach to things, including my budget, but only after mulling over the right approach for a while.

Our work together has encouraged me to be open to making adjustments and revisiting my budget often so I can learn what's working and what's not when it comes to managing my family's finances.

I'm managing my budget, my budget isn't managing me. That means it's okay to change categories and category groups. It's okay to have a "not sure yet" category for things I need to think about.

I feel much better about my budget compared to before this partnership! I still have some general money management/spending habits to work on, but at least I now have a better sense of how much money I have to manage and where it's going. I don't feel nearly as anxious looking at my bank account, and I look forward to regularly checking in on my budget and reconciling my accounts.

What's changed as a result is the idea that I'm managing my budget from month to month (my new mindset) rather than creating a new budget each month (my old mindset) was key for me. The shift in mindset is really helping me feel less overwhelmed by my budget.

Yes, I would recommend YNAB with Allegra to others who are considering better budget management! She is patient and understanding. She meets people where they are and without any judgment. I love that she doesn't pretend to know everything there is to know about YNAB, and she doesn't impose her own way of budgeting as she's teaching about how to use the platform. I also love that she's encouraging and shines a light on the progress and "aha!" moments during the journey.

Allegra is a wonderful teacher and so well-suited to this work. Money can be a touchy subject, but she is incredibly non-judgemental and open. She makes talking about money very comfortable and dare I say, even fun.

The concept of budgeting has always felt overwhelming. My partner and I have wanted to save for several long-term financial goals and always felt we had to "spend less." But that felt very intangible and unsustainable, especially since we aren't big spenders to begin with. I didn't know where or how to start. Working with Allegra to get setup on YNAB has given me a solid structure and strategy to track our family's spending and plan for future goals. Whereas before I logged into my accounts infrequently, I open YNAB everyday to check in (and I actually look forward to it). In just the first few weeks, using YNAB has significantly reduced the low-grade anxiety I had around our family's budget.

The practice of "giving every dollar a job" has been a game changer. Before, our cash felt kind of nebulous and subject to random spending. Now, we are much better at tracking where our money is going, and where we want it to go in the future. That is a huge mental weight that's been lifted.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants to be more financially responsible, confident and aware. Even if you feel like you're in a "good spot" financially, YNAB gives you visibility across all of the moving parts of your cash flow, which for us has been the fundamental first step in being able to better plan for the future and feel less stress about monthly fluctuations.

My biggest takeaway in starting to use YNAB is the value and power in the organization with the categories and flow of money.

Compared to how I felt before working with Allegra on this, I now feel more empowered to keep trying to make it work! Money is tricky - there are so many layers, but Allegra makes it fun and engaging and rewarding!

I would definitely recommend that people get help. YNAB is so much easier when you have someone at your side to answer questions, especially Allegra. Every time I would get frustrated and want to give up her enthusiasm and kind attention and deep belief in this system kept me at it - and now I am actively seeing savings!

I am getting OUT of the cc "float" (you'll learn about this if you work with her) and finally able to stay on budget, spending within my means and even finding ways to save up for fun stuff too! This normally would have been stressful credit card spending worry time that took away from the fun of vacations and self care. I highly recommend YNAB and I highly recommend Allegra. Don't YNAB alone :)

As a result of the money coaching I've been doing with Allegra, for the first time I actually know what I really “want”. YNAB helped crystallize that.

Before I wanted lots of things. But now I know what really matters to me. And what does has actually surprised me at times. I’ve always been one who thinks “everything is important” and it’s so hard for me to decide with all the competing priorities.

Then YNAB happened and now I am really figuring out what I really want. It’s a good feeling. Like clarity.