YNAB 4 vs nYNAB vs Excel: Why I Came Back to YNAB (2026 Update)
I quit YNAB in 2021 because it barely talked to Belgian banks. In 2026 I'm back, with two kids, a freelance income and a homemade tool for my credit cards.
The Cost of Raising a child in Belgium: Numbers That Will Surprise You
In Belgium, the saying goes that a child costs you a house. AG Insurance and the Gezinsbond put a number on it: €264,310 over 25 years, or €917 per month when childcare and study costs are included. The Belgian median house price in Q3 2024 was €275,000. Headlines wrote themselves. VRT's Money Time podcast ran with it, and the Gezinsbond has been publishing versions of this research for years.
Two Kids, One Freelancer, and a FIRE Goal That Refuses to Die
Hey everyone! So...a second post in a week's time! What's going on?! If you've been following along, you know I have a habit of disappearing for months at a time and then showing up with a massive life update. But this time I hope it's different. I hope I can keep a consistent post record.
Is prinicpal payment a saving or expense?
One major item is never present in every monthly savings rate report: my mortgage principal payment. Omitting this one item makes the difference between having 50% or 30%. So, am I cheating by leaving it out? Today I want to go over the details of my mortgage payment and give a clear answer to this question.
Cheapest Supermarket in Belgium (2026): Colruyt vs Lidl vs Aldi
A question that comes back frequently with my readers and people, in general, is how they can save money on groceries. Food and water are essential to survive, so it's hard to imagine saving money on this. But it's possible! I will go over two big grocery stores (at the moment), Colruyt and Lidl, and compare a selection of their products.