#Personal budget sample percentages free

If you’re overspending on something that’s more of a want, like clothes or entertainment, figure out ways to curb your spending.

#Personal budget sample percentages free

On the other hand, if you’ve stopped driving as much, feel free to allocate your gas funds somewhere else, like toward savings. For example, if you’re consistently overspending on something necessary like gas, adjust your budget to fit that need better. If you find that your budget isn’t working for you, know that you can change it to fit your needs. A simple modification to a big habit may just free up a sizable chunk of change in your budget. By tracking your habits, you can figure out if you can make some realistic lifestyle swaps to save more.įor example, if you find yourself splurging on iced coffee multiple times a week, try out a more budget-friendly alternative like making it at home and putting it in a to-go cup. Use this printable habit tracker to monitor and reflect on your weekly spending.

Track Your HabitsĪnother helpful budgeting tip is to start tracking your spending habits. Whatever your goals are, if you maintain your budget and keep up good saving and spending habits, you’ll achieve them in no time. Maybe you’re saving up for your very own car or a trip with friends. Having goals for your money is a great way to motivate yourself to stick to your budget. By prioritizing the act of saving, you practice discipline with your money and make it easier to stick to the budget you planned in the first place. If you start spending before you save, there’s a chance that you might blow your budget one month and not have anything left over to save. Now that you’ve decided on a way to budget, it’s smart to always contribute to savings before you start spending. These percentages can be altered to fit your needs, and if you don’t have many expenses, you may want to contribute the larger percentage toward savings. 50/30/20 rule: This rule budgets your money based on the following percentages: 50 percent for necessary expenses, 30 percent for other expenses, and 20 percent for savings.Estimate the cost of each budget category and divvy up your income until you hit zero, using those estimates as a guide. Zero-based budgeting: Want to account for every dollar in your budget? This method operates off of the idea that when you subtract your expenses from your income, the result is zero.Whatever money is left over can be spent however you choose. “Pay Yourself First” method: Paying yourself first means that you immediately put a certain amount or percentage of your income into savings.Learn more about a few different strategies below and choose the one that works best for you. You can do this using a variety of budgeting methods. Once you have a list of all your categories, it’s time to figure out how much money to allot for each one. If you do contribute to those, though, feel free to include them as necessary spending expenses. Most teens don’t have to worry about paying for housing or utilities, so don’t include those if someone takes care of them for you.

Other food/treats (coffee, fast food, frozen yogurt, etc.).Short- and long-term purchases (e.g., a car or laptop).You can see an example of budget categories below. Under these two categories, list out the different expenses that you’ll be putting your money toward. When creating categories, keep in mind two main ones: saving and spending. The next tip is to create your budget categories. If that total varies from month to month, air on the safe side and stick to the smaller amount. Whatever that number is, use it as a guide for your spending and saving. Whether you have an income from a part-time job or just have a monthly allowance for helping around the house, you should total up the amount of money you make each month. The first step to budgeting is knowing how much money you make. Check out these 14 tips on budgeting for teens to start growing your money young.įeel free to jump ahead to the infographic for inspiration from money-minded teens and ideas for budget-friendly lifestyle swaps.

Budgeting is a real-life skill that you can practice every day to set yourself up for financial success. While you may need to learn geography and geometry to get your high school diploma, some important life skills aren’t always taught in school.