Product introduction | An account balance does not cover every commitment

A bank balance can look reassuring while part of it is already needed for rent. YNAB is a personal money-planning tool: enter the money you have, allocate it to different purposes and adjust the plan as spending changes. Accounts and purpose categories are separate, so each purpose does not require its own bank account. Why accounts and purposes are separate

This article follows a daily task: you had set aside money for a weekend outing, but now expect to need an extra 100 for food. How can you change the allocation without mistaking “editing a plan” for “making a bank transfer”?

Reallocation changes intended uses; a bank transfer changes location. Check both before paying.

Core workflow | Start with existing money, then adjust its purpose

The example uses the website and a plan containing only cash-type accounts. Suppose an everyday account holds 1000 and a savings account 500, both included in the plan. These figures are illustrative.

  1. Confirm the starting point. Assume you are signed in, have created those accounts and have allocated the 1500 as rent 900, food 400 and outing 200. Confirm that these are existing balances and that your next paycheck has not been counted early. This walkthrough starts from an existing plan; new users can prepare it with the official getting-started guide.
  2. Open the adjustment control. Click Plan in the website’s left sidebar and find the outing category. Its Available amount is 200, the source for this adjustment. Click that number. In the pop-up, enter 100 under Move, select food under To, and click OK. Moving category money on the web
  3. Check what you gain and give up. Food rises from 400 to 500, outing falls from 200 to 100 and rent stays at 900. The total is still 1500. In the account view, everyday and savings remain 1000 and 500. You have reserved 100 more for food and 100 less for the outing; no bank transfer happened. Two views of the same money
  4. Check the other constraint before paying. When buying food, check both the food category’s remaining amount and the balance of the account you will pay from. Conversely, actually transferring 200 between the two on-plan cash accounts changes their balances to 800 and 700 without automatically changing category allocations. Location and purpose change separately and need separate checks. Enough in a category does not mean every account can cover the payment. Account transfers and allocations

Design lessons | Give the same resource two useful descriptions

Separate physical location from intended use. “In savings” and “reserved for rent” can both be true. Two dimensions are more flexible than forcing each account to serve one purpose. New users must learn the distinction, so feedback after an action should identify which side changed.

Show the cost of a plan in its categories. An extra 100 for food can come from the outing’s 100. Total funds have not grown; priorities have changed. When planning work hours, supplies or capacity with a fixed total, additional commitments should reveal which use they displace.

Start with resources actually available. Future income may shape ambitions without becoming money available for allocation now. Separating wishes from existing resources helps explain why a target is not yet filled. The product should reveal that gap and let users choose what to adjust instead of hiding it with an optimistic total.