Another manual entry user! I never actually used YNAB 4, so that Google sheet actually looks more foreign to me. I have been on Budget Friendly Budget for a week now and I am so happy. The transition had a couple of hiccups but once I got them ironed out it has been great.

There are alternatives, but none of them are quite as polished. If you rely on the third party bank imports I have no suggestions for a third party. They all suck on third party.

We have used YNAB for 10+ years and agree we likely don’t need to take this approach anymore. However, I do A LOT of checking and credit card sign up bonuses. Being able to refer back to historical transactions to quickly see what worked in the past to count for the direct deposit requirement, etc., makes this worth it alone for me. I also prefer to manually enter transactions and check my accounts daily/several times a week and reconcile them, so for me, this is just so much easier. I have tried using a spreadsheet in the past, and I just couldn’t get it set up the way I want it, though I’m not an Excel expert by any means! This is a great recommendation though!

I actually came to the same conclusion. This was an amazing tool when I got a job, started budgeting, and was paying off debt. However now, it feels redundant because I have optimized my savings and investments. I will take a tracking approach like you suggested as I move forward.