Intro

Do you use YNAB with mutliple people? use ynab-sms.py to send text messages to other users of your budget to keep everyone in the loop! The script uses flag colors to identify who's transaction it is. For instance, I mark my transactions with a blue flag, and my wife marks hers with a purple flag. The script will also alert all users if a category's budgeted amount gets changed.

Getting started

Install Requirements

The script requires python 3. Install the required python packages with pip install -r requirements.txt

Configure

Copy settings.json.example to settings.json and then modify with your settings. You'll need a Personal Access Token from your YNAB Developer Settings, and a Twilio Programmable SMS account.

Sample Config

The configuration is broken up into three sections.

In the ynab section you'll need to fill in your budget ID, which can be found in the url bar when you're editing your budget: https://app.youneedabudget.com/THIS IS YOUR BUDGET ID/budget, as well as a Personal Access Token from your YNAB Developer Settings.

(The information below is all random)

    "ynab": {
        "budget": "h1347489-2b23-6dcf-feb9-6204ba34a4fe",
        "token": "44b913a04a2f3c898d498a22b34a236205664ba97d68585446dcff6c04feb6"
    },

In the twilio section you'll need your Account SID, auth token, and your programmable sms number.

    "twilio": {
        "sid": "ee5a1a322e6415d68cAC4fef0bf61899ed",
        "token": "5eb13d609b7edf2fd7b4c48ceef81923",
        "number": "+12135552560"
    },

Finally, in the users section add each person you want to get SMS alerts, and the flag color for the transactions they enter.

    "users": [
        {            
            "name": "Alice",
            "number": "+16615557189",
            "flag": "purple"
        },
        {            
            "name": "Bob",
            "number": "+13235557167",
            "flag": "blue"
        }
    ]
}

Run

Once configured, run python3 ynab-sms.py using cron or some other task scheduler as often as you want. Keep in mind the YNAB API call limits, which are currently 200 calls per hour, and the script makes three calls per run.

The script writes a couple json files to the local directory to keep track of past data, so make sure it has write permissions.

Improvements

Currently this script grabs all possible transactions. A future version should use the delta api instead. The payee list should be cached as well.