Erin Lowell
Lead Educator at YNAB

Erin is a former choir teacher turned budgeting teacher, who manages the small but mighty team of educators at YNAB. She is always looking for ways to get people excited about budgeting, because budgeting actually is really exciting.
Erin started working at YNAB after using it to pay off the credit card debt she racked up during a long and unnerving period of home renovations on her old farmhouse. Over the course of her time at YNAB she’s taught over 100,000 people how to budget (which is roughly the size of the entire population of Green Bay, Wisconsin). She lives in Maine with a small collection of cats and a dog named Charlie. When the weather cooperates, she hikes the Appalachian Trail, and hopes to complete the entire trail someday. In the winter when the weather isn't so nice for hiking, she quilts for charity.
Erin’s favorite rule is Rule Three: Roll With the Punches, because she loves changing her mind.
Featured Articles
.avif)
Minimizing the Stress of a Big Move
Life changes and, with it, priorities. Right now my priority is getting over this move. Here's how I reduced the financial stress of moving.

Can I Afford a Car? What the Calculators Won’t Tell You
Wondering how much car you can afford? Sure, you can use a calculator based on averages, but it doesn't tell you the whole story.

The No-Regrets Way to Spend Your Tax Refund
We asked YNABers—the pros at giving every dollar a job—how they plan to spend their tax refund money this year. Here's what they said ...
All articles by
Erin
Do I Need an Emergency Fund?
Wondering whether or not to add an ‘Emergency Fund’ category to your budget? Here are a few questions to help you figure it out.
Two Totally Legit Ways to Handle Cash
Let’s look at two completely viable options for handling cash in YNAB. Which is better? Well, that’s up to you!
Hello, Then Goodbye, Then Hello Fresh Experience
Even though meal delivery services are more expensive than cooking with locally-bought groceries, I found myself craving more variety.
How Do I Stop Being So Bad With Money?
Feel like you're impossibly bad with money and you always will be? It doesn't have to stay like this. Let's kick that shame out the door.
How I Slashed My Food Spending Once & For All
Why is it so hard not to blow money on food? If the struggle is familiar, some of my hard-earned lessons can benefit your bottom line.
How I Restart My Budget in YNAB
All in all, the most time-consuming part of this exercise was the part I enjoyed most: rethinking my goals. Consider how a Fresh Start could help you re-focus.
10 Tips to Make and Stick to a Budget
It isn’t that budgeting is so hard really, but making it stick can be another matter entirely. See our top tips that have proved successful!
Is Food Eating Your Budget?
In fact, be eating your budget. For some of you it’s eating out. But either way, food, food, food—so much money on food.
7 Tips to Spend Less on Food
Want to spend less on food and groceries? I have seven practical tips to keep that grocery budget slim and trim.
How to Keep Track of Grocery Spending
If you are anything like us, and every other person we know, you are always kind of shocked/frustrated/surprised/humbled/annoyed by how much you spend on food. The struggle is real.
How I Lost (And Found) $1,025
Ever find $5 in your pants pocket and feel like you won the lottery? Well, yesterday, I had a similar experience except way better.
How YNAB changed me.
I went from borrower to a saver after learning how to align my money with my priorities. It changed everything.