As a follow-up to Post #17, this week I’m indulging my nerdy side and sharing the tool that allows me to afford prison on my home health aide income—my budget.

If you’re struggling with money, then I strongly recommend you check out You Need A Budget. It is quite literally life-changing. (And I’m not getting a kickback for sharing this—but I wouldn’t be opposed to it if you’re reading, YNAB.)

I’ve never been “good with money.” Despite my best intentions, I was always running short by the end of the month. And the stress from large, unexpected expenses was real. (I vividly remember an $800 medical bill that I should have been prepared for, but wasn’t.)

After trying multiple budget programs including a popular, candy-named one, I finally decided to try YNAB (pronounced why-nab). It was more expensive than the others, which is why I had put it off.

If only I had started using it sooner . . .

4 Rules for Affording Prison

YNAB is more than just a budget program. It’s a way of life and a community. You are not alone!

The entire company is based on The Four Rules. These rules undermine everything and are truly life-changing (yes, I’m intentionally using that phrase again). I won’t go into all the rule details here, as you can easily read for yourself on their website, but here’s a quick sum—

• RULE #1: Give every dollar a job. (You must have a specific plan for every dollar you have.)
• RULE #2: Embrace your true expenses. (These are all the periodic things you know will happen, like Christmas, car repairs, bi-yearly car insurance, etc. And don’t forget all your annual subscriptions!)
• RULE #3: Roll with the punches. (If you overspend, it’s okay! But you need to take the money from somewhere else.)
• RULE #4: Age your money. (The goal is to live off last month’s income. Game changer, right?)

And . . . you can use emojis in your budget! 💓🤓💲For my neurodivergent brain, it’s one of my favorite things.

You Need a Budget!

Here is my budget for MFT’s needs. Below is a screenshot of the categories I use specifically for MFT’s prison-related expenses.

At first glance, this probably looks confusing, so let me translate what you’re seeing.

01/04/07/10 Packages | Refill to $500

Those numbers are the four months in the year when MFT can order a package (Jan, Apr, July, Oct), so it tells me when I need the money. The note about refilling is the ultimate goal—his packages usually cost less, but in the event something amazing shows up in the catalog, the money is there.

Canteen, etc. | $75 | monthly

Monthly is a reminder to myself when to send him the money.

Family Visits | $424 + $1000 + $200

This is the single biggest category in my prison budget. Those amounts are my income for the week + travel expenses + our food for 46 hours.[1]

08 Misfit-Toy.com | $11.08 | VX (Porkbun)

The annual subscription is due in August (08), and it will be $11.08. It’s an automatic subscription linked to my Venture X credit card (VX). And, with my ADHD, I might forget which company.

GTL Getting Out | $40 | VX

This isn’t an automatic subscription, but VX helps me remember which card I have linked in the account. It’s one less thing to track.

Homecoming! | $2500

Notice I haven’t even started yet, because survival comes before dreaming.

Loving on YNAB

Now, you might be wondering what the second line in each category means. One of the great things about YNAB is that you can set targets and it tracks how much you’ve saved toward your target and tells you how much to add each month. It does all the math for you!

For instance, my GTL target is monthly. I need that $40 each and every month. My Canteen target is also monthly. So I set up monthly targets, and YNAB will prompt me at the beginning of each month to add those amounts.

Since MFT can only receive a package every 3 months, this target works a little differently. After I order a package, YNAB will calculate how much I need to add each month to refill it to my goal of keeping $500 in the category with a due date the next time I need the money.

I set my due date for the Family Visit target to be a couple weeks before the actual trip (we have to order our fresh food two weeks before). YNAB will calculate how much I need to contribute each month so that I have the full amount by my due date. I never have to worry about not having enough!

The homecoming category has no due date, so it’s just a friendly reminder that I’d like to have this much eventually. As I contribute to this envelope, the amount needed will change accordingly.

I have my entire budget set up this way, and the sum total of my targets approximately equals my income. This means that as long as I stick to my budget, I know I will have enough money for everything.

The End

And that, dear readers, is how I afford the cost of prison.

I am one very happy customer. Truly, this budget program changed my life (there it is again). It’s more than just an app—it’s a lifestyle and a community.[2]

Prison takes enough from those of us who love inmates.[3] YNAB is how I make sure financial peace isn’t one of the things it takes from me.

[1] Highway robbery, I tell you.

[2] My favorite aspect of the community is the Budget Nerds podcast/YouTube show with Ben & Ernie.

[3] The saying is that we’re doing time too.