50/20/30 Rule to Budgeting
Try to budget with the 50/20/30 rule. What this means is that 50% of your income after tax goes towards non–discretionary things such as: rent, utilities, food, car payments, etc. Next, 20% of your income should go towards some kind of emergency fund. Experts recommend saving a minimum of 6 months’ worth of expenses. Finally comes the fun. 30% of your income can go towards discretionary items like going out to eat, vacations, clothes, and anything else that you want to buy.
1. Peace of Mind
You won’t have to stress about running out of money halfway through the month. Budgeting properly will lay out your weekly/monthly expenses and tell you how much you can spend. You just need to make sure to follow your budget precisely.
2. Helps you prepare for emergencies
Having an emergency fund set up is crucial. You never know when something bad will happen and the last thing you want to do is take a loan or put it on a credit card. It could take years to pay off the loan or credit card, so budgeting for an emergency fund will allow you to handle whatever life throws at you.
3. Shows bad spending habits
Bad spending habits can be seen through budgeting. You might not realize that you spend $100 on Starbucks every month unless you establish a budget. Once you see a pattern, you can change your habits to save more money.
4. Motivation
When your financially stable and have a clear goal, you’re automatically more motivated. Having a budget motivates you to make more, save more, and spend less. Without this, you might notice yourself slacking in your professional life.
5. Indulge in your wants
With a budget, you can slowly save for things that you don’t necessarily need. It’s better than charging it to your credit card and then having to pay interest over several months. Budget accordingly and maybe cut out certain unneeded things out so you can reach your goal.
6. It can be as simple as you want!
Budgeting doesn’t have to be a super complex task. You don’t need a finance degree to make a simple spreadsheet or plan. There are many online budgeting tools that you simply input your expenses and income. Start your kids out on a budget when they are young so they grow up learning how to use it. The sooner you start, the better.
7. Helps you determine how much debt you can afford
Oddly enough, budgeting helps you figure out how much debt you can actually afford. For example, if you’re buying a new car it can help you determine how much you can spend on a car loan each month. This is important to figure out because imagine how bad it would be to buy a car that is too expensive for you to afford. This happens to a lot of people so budgeting properly will make sure that you can afford whatever you end up buying.
8. It’s fun!
Budgeting doesn’t have to be boring! You can set mini goals for how much you want to save and then reward yourself when you reach that goal. It isn’t always easy, but creating a flexible budget will help you enjoy a financially stress free life.