Popular Budgeting Strategies (2024)

You might be wondering how much you should spend within each of your budget categories. Unfortunately, there is norightamount to spend in any category for every individual. It's up to you to decide what works for you. There are a variety of philosophies about the best way to budget.

Below are only a few possible strategies. These are some popular ones, but that does not mean they will work best for you. We encourage you to try them out if you like them, but remember that budgeting is an individualized process, so you should be prepared to identify when a change needs to be made.

The 50/20/30 Budget

In the 50/20/30 budget, 50% of your net income should go to your needs, 20% should go to savings, and 30% should go to your wants.

If you've read the Essentials of Budgeting, you're already familiar with the idea of wants and needs. This budget recommends a specific balance for your spending on wants and needs. It alsoemphasizes the importance of setting money aside for later.

Pay Yourself First

In the “Pay Yourself First” method, the first “bill” you pay every month is to your savings account. Transfer a pre-determined amount into savings at the beginning of the month. After you pay yourself, you should pay your bills, then use the rest however you please.

This method could easily be used in combination with some others listed on this page. However, this method can also be used to keep track of a very simple budget, where you pay forthe things you have to, and don't worry about the rest.

Zero-Based Budget

In a zero-based budget, every single dollar of your income is assigned to a specific expense, leaving you with a balance of $0. This method requires you to anticipate all of your upcoming expenses so that you can allot your income to the appropriate expenses.

Be sure to include saving into your plan as well; if you don't plan to "spend" all of your income, you can assign what's left to a "savings expense." This method ensures that you have a plan for each dollarand won't make impulse purchases.

Envelope Budget

In the envelope budget, you put specific amounts of your money into envelopes (physically with cash, or electronically with an app or spreadsheet) representing different budget categories. Once you have exhausted the funds in an envelope, you can no longer spend within that budget category until the next month. If you have remaining funds at the end of the month, you have a few options:

  • Roll over the remaining funds into the same envelopethe next month

  • Transfer the remaining funds for a different envelope

  • Put the remaining funds into savings for a later date

Popular Budgeting Strategies (2024)

FAQs

What is the most popular budget method? ›

In the 50/20/30 budget, 50% of your net income should go to your needs, 20% should go to savings, and 30% should go to your wants. If you've read the Essentials of Budgeting, you're already familiar with the idea of wants and needs. This budget recommends a specific balance for your spending on wants and needs.

What are the 7 types of budgeting? ›

The 7 different types of budgeting used by companies are strategic plan budget, cash budget, master budget, labor budget, capital budget, financial budget, operating budget.

What is the 50 30 20 rule for Citizens Bank? ›

The idea is to divide your income into three categories, spending 50% on needs, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings.

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings.

What is the #1 rule of budgeting? ›

Key Takeaways

The 50/30/20 budget rule states that you should spend up to 50% of your after-tax income on needs and obligations that you must have or must do. The remaining half should be split between savings and debt repayment (20%) and everything else that you might want (30%).

Which budgeting approach is best? ›

Top-down budgeting

It's time-efficient because decisions are made by a limited number of senior managers. Junior managers might not have the skills to fully participate in the budgeting decision-making process. Senior managers have a better view of strategic objectives and the resources available.

What are the modern budgeting techniques? ›

There are four common types of budgets that companies use: (1) incremental, (2) activity-based, (3) value proposition, and (4) zero-based. These four budgeting methods each have their own advantages and disadvantages, which will be discussed in more detail in this guide. Source: CFI's Budgeting & Forecasting Course.

What are 4 budgeting tips? ›

Get Started
  • Overestimate your expenses. It's better to overestimate your expenses and then underspend and end up with a surplus.
  • Underestimate your income. ...
  • Involve your family in the budget planning process. ...
  • Prepare for the unexpected by setting saving goals to build your emergency fund.

What are the 3 main activities of budgeting? ›

Answer and Explanation: Planning, controlling, and evaluating performance are the three primary goals of budgeting. Planning: Budgeting is a planning tool that enables businesses to establish quantifiable financial targets for the future. They are able to prioritize tasks and allocate resources more wisely as a result.

Can you live on $1000 a month after bills? ›

Getting by on $1,000 a month may not be easy, especially when inflation seems to make everything more expensive. But it is possible to live well even on a small amount of money. Surviving on $1,000 a month requires careful budgeting, prioritizing essential expenses, and finding ways to save money.

How to budget $4000 a month? ›

How To Budget Using the 50/30/20 Rule
  1. 50% for mandatory expenses = $2,000 (0.50 X 4,000 = $2,000)
  2. 30% for wants and discretionary spending = $1,200 (0.30 X 4,000 = $1,200)
  3. 20% for savings and debt repayment = $800 (0.20 X 4,000 = $800)
Oct 26, 2023

What is the 25 75 money rule? ›

The 25% rule states that you shouldn't be spending more than 75% in total on necessities (your phone bill rent utilities travel and dining out) and nice-to-haves (flashy clothes new kicks that new guitar you really want but don't need) combined.

What is the zero-based budgeting method? ›

What Is Zero-Based Budgeting? Zero-based budgeting is when your income minus your expenses equals zero. Perfect name, right? So, if you make $5,000 a month, everything you give, save or spend should add up to $5,000. Every dollar that comes in has a purpose, a job, a goal.

How to budget properly? ›

Try the 50/30/20 rule as a simple budgeting framework. Allow up to 50% of your income for needs, including debt minimums. Leave 30% of your income for wants. Commit 20% of your income to savings and debt repayment beyond minimums.

What is the 40 40 20 budget? ›

The 40/40/20 rule comes in during the saving phase of his wealth creation formula. Cardone says that from your gross income, 40% should be set aside for taxes, 40% should be saved, and you should live off of the remaining 20%.

What is the most widely used budgeting approach? ›

1. Incremental budgeting. Incremental budgeting takes last year's actual figures and adds or subtracts a percentage to obtain the current year's budget. It is the most common type of budget because it is simple and easy to understand.

What is the most commonly used budget? ›

The 5 most common approaches to budgeting:
  • Incremental budgeting.
  • Zero-based Budgeting (ZBB)
  • Rolling (Continuous) Budgeting.
  • Activity-based Budgeting (ABB)
  • Performance-based Budgeting (PBB)
Nov 17, 2023

What is the most popular budget? ›

We recommend the popular 50/30/20 budget to maximize your money. In it, you spend roughly 50% of your after-tax dollars on necessities, including debt minimum payments. No more than 30% goes to wants, and at least 20% goes to savings and additional debt payments beyond minimums.

What is the alternative to 50 30 20? ›

Alternatives to the 50/30/20 budget method

For example, like the 50/30/20 rule, the 70/20/10 rule also divides your after-tax income into three categories but differently: 70% for monthly spending (including necessities), 20% for savings and for 10% donations and debt repayment above the minimums.

References

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