How the 50/30/20 budget works
The 50/30/20 rule splits your take-home pay into three buckets. Needs are the things you must pay, like housing, utilities, insurance, groceries and minimum debt payments. Wants are the nice extras. Savings covers your emergency fund, sinking funds and extra payments that clear debt faster. It's a guide, not a strict rule, so use it as a starting point.
Safe to spend: the number that matters most
A budget is easier to follow when it gives you one clear number. Take your pay, subtract your bills and what you want to save, then divide what's left by the days until your next payday. That's how much you can spend today without falling behind.
Tips that make a budget stick
Pay your savings first, right on payday. Give every bill a due date. Try one no-spend day a week. And log your spends as you go, it only takes a few seconds and it keeps the number honest.
Track it without a spreadsheet
Our Budget Tracker is a web app: it opens in your phone's browser and lives on your Home Screen like any app, with no bank login, account or subscription. It works out your safe-to-spend number every day, reminds you of bills and fills your savings jars as you save.