I'm new here: Has anyone ever tried making an Amazon category in Ynab, for ex: assign 300$ target to Amazon purchases. Big purchases would be manually assigned to their category, but common Amazon purchases will just be assigned to the Amazon category. Is this a good idea?

Yes, creating an Amazon category in YNAB can be a good idea, especially if you frequently make purchases from Amazon and want to track them separately. However, whether this approach works for you depends on your goals and how you want to organize your budget. Here are some things to consider: Why It Could Be a Good Idea: 1. Simplifies Tracking: If most of your Amazon purchases are small, everyday items (like household goods or personal care products), having a single Amazon category can make tracking easier. 2. Behavior Insights: It helps you see how much you're spending on Amazon overall, which can be useful if you're trying to curb impulse purchases. 3. Flexibility: You can still manually assign big purchases (like electronics or furniture) to their respective categories, keeping your budget accurate. Why It Might Not Be Ideal: 1. Lack of Detail: If you want to know exactly how much you're spending on specific types of items (e.g., groceries, gifts, or entertainment), lumping everything into an Amazon category might make it harder to see those details. 2. Behavior Change: YNAB encourages you to create categories that reflect your spending priorities. If having an Amazon category doesn’t help you change your spending habits or align with your goals, it might not be the best fit. Alternative Approach: • Use Tags or Notes: Instead of creating a single Amazon category, you could assign purchases to their appropriate categories (e.g., groceries, gifts) and use tags or notes to indicate that the purchase was made on Amazon. This way, you still get detailed spending insights while tracking Amazon purchases. Takeaway: If your goal is to simplify tracking and you don’t need detailed breakdowns of Amazon spending, creating an Amazon category with a $300 target could work well. Just make sure it aligns with your overall budgeting goals and helps you stay intentional with your spending. If you find it’s not working for you later, you can always adjust your categories!

I think if you did this it would not help you gain clarity… amazon is exactly where you want to track the details so you can figure out where you are and aren’t overspending

I check each Amazon order and categorize it accordingly. It’s helped me make major changes when it comes to Amazon ordering.

categorize it and add in notes what the item was. an easy way to figure out which order the charge is from is to go to your amazon app>paymnets>transactions.