Ok, I have been workinn with YNAB now for 8 months.
yes, you can probably use Excel, yes it's really really hard to get round to the methodology.
BUT
It works
It works dam well
Ive gone from having a very negative net worth, to working towards a month's salary in hand.
I plan and save, which is something new to me.
I have buffers in place, i dont live in my overdraft.
Yes it works, yes you really need to throw away how you think about your money and your banking habits, just follow the guides and videos and start from now, not before, dont work with anything you have done before using YNAB. take oyur current financial situation, and start with that.
It's paid for itself already, i actually look forward to not spending money now to try and achieve my goals.