#137 - Patching vs (re)Building Your Money Habits

Ernie floated a sports reference to Ben in a recent discussion, the concept of an NFL team patching together the holes in their lineup with trades and free agents versus completely rebuilding it from the ground up. Patching of course is the quick fix -- it gets you results now, so you can field a team and compete this season. The results, however, may not be what you want, and often the patched-together team doesn't hold up over a long season. Rebuilding is the long road. It usually means suffering now so that you can have a strong, cohesive unit to play with next season (or sometimes several seasons in the future). A team built from the ground up also has depth. When things go wrong, and injuries happen, that team has seasoned players who can fill the gaps and still act as a cohesive unit.   Well, it turns out the same is true for our money habits. Ben and Ernie run through a list of common habits that are trying to patch the holes in your spending plan, and compare them to sustainable building habits, which lead to a strong, flexible plan that aligns with your life.     Follow Budget Nerds on YouTube Budget Nerds Livestreams: https://www.youtube.com/@YNABofficial/streams Budget Nerds Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuIUGmbCDklkDCDm-cQqv2g   Share your YNAB win with Ben and Ernie! [email protected]