Most financial gurus agree that you should establish a budget, but it can be difficult to stick to one when you’re just getting started. When you get down to making your first budget, you may discover that you have no idea how far you can spend on anything. This is when the budget of 30-30-30-10 comes into play.
The 30-30-30-10 budgeting is a percentage budgeting that tells you how much money you should spend on each category. Because it establishes rules of thumb to assist you to figure out how much to spend, budgeting by percentages is a popular technique.
What is 30-30-30-10 budgeting and how does it work?
The 30-30-30-10 budget is a percentage-based budget that divides your spending into three categories:
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Accommodation takes up the first 30% of your budget, whether it’s rent or a mortgage.
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Additional basic expenses, such as utilities, groceries, gas, internet, and so on, account for up to 30% of your budgeting.
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30% of your budget is set aside for financial goals such as debt repayment or savings.
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Dining out, entertainment, travel, and other wants take up 10% of your money.
Who should use the 30-30-30-10 budget?
The 30-30-30-10 budget method is one of many. So how can you know if this strategy is suited for you or if you should look for something else? First and foremost, the 30-30-30-10 budget is an excellent choice for someone who needs some assistance with their spending.
The 30-30-30-10 budget is also good for those who want to focus on financial goals. Other budgeting systems allocate a lesser portion of your income to savings. If your financial goals are your top priority, though, this budget strategy is worth considering.
How to Create a Budget of 30-30-30-10
Are you prepared to create a 30-30-30-10 budget? Here’s how to begin:
· Add up your earnings
The 30-30-30-10 budget requires you must allocate a certain amount of your money to specific goals. As a result, you should begin by totaling your monthly earnings.
·        Compile your expenses
After that, sum up all of your costs. Going over your bank and credit card statements for the last 3-6 months and documenting everything you spent money on is a simple method to achieve this. You may run the numbers to find the average for each month when you’ve determined the total you spend within every budget area.
·        Organize your costs by category
Organize your monthly costs into spending categories after you determine where you spend your cash on. Your monthly rent or mortgage payment, for example, plainly falls into the housing category. Monthly payments, such as insurance and electricity, plainly fall within the category of needs.
·        Define your financial objectives
Devoting money to financial goals is a key aspect of such a 30-30-30-10 budget. Roughly, a third part of your budget goes toward financial goals like debt repayment and retirement investments if you’re using the budgeting strategy.
·        Adjust spending to match the percentages
Some of your expenditures may not fit into categories percentages once you’ve built up your goals. You may need to make some changes in that situation. For example, suppose you create a budget and discover that wants now account for more than 10% of your spending.
Conclusion
Before you even start budgeting, the sheer quantity of alternatives can be overwhelming. Budgets based on percentages, such as the 30-30-30-10 budget, provide a straightforward foundation for spending guidance.
And, like with any budgeting approach, getting started is preferable to getting it right. You can use the percentages 30-30-30-10 as a reference, but keep in mind that your actual figures will vary depending on your expenses and financial goals.