The 50/30/20 Split
Divide your take-home pay into three buckets: 50% for needs, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings and debt repayment. The most widely recommen...
Pay Yourself First (80/20)
Automatically save 20% the moment you're paid. Live on the remaining 80%. No tracking. No categories. Savings happen before you can spend th...
Zero-Sum Budgeting
Every dollar gets assigned a job at the start of the month. Income minus all assigned expenses equals zero. Nothing is left unaccounted for....
Cash Envelope System
Withdraw cash for each spending category at the start of the month. Put it in labeled envelopes. When the envelope is empty, spending in tha...
Sinking Funds System
Create separate savings pots for known future expenses. Save a small fixed amount monthly so the money is there when the expense arrives. El...
The Anti-Budget
Automate all savings and bills on payday. Spend whatever is left freely. No categories. No tracking. One non-negotiable rule: savings and bi...
Reverse Budgeting
Start with your financial goals and fund them first. Build the rest of your budget around what remains. Your goals are the first line item, ...
Percentage-Based Paycheck Budget
Assign every spending category a percentage of income rather than a fixed dollar amount. Automatically scales up or down as income changes....