{"id":2662,"date":"2022-06-21T12:59:47","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T10:59:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.thndr.app\/?p=2662"},"modified":"2024-09-03T13:37:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T10:37:49","slug":"how-to-start-budgeting-saving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/how-to-start-budgeting-saving\/","title":{"rendered":"How to start budgeting &amp; saving"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2662\" class=\"elementor elementor-2662\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-378eb84e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default rt-parallax-bg-no\" data-id=\"378eb84e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-33c5873d\" data-id=\"33c5873d\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-34b732d1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"34b732d1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you ever find yourself thinking &#8211; where does all my hard earned money go? Budgeting and saving money doesn\u2019t come naturally to most of us. As humans, we\u2019re hardwired to want things &#8211; now. It&#8217;s called instant gratification, and it\u2019s a powerful force. But although the word &#8220;budget&#8221; is often associated with restricted spending, a budget doesn\u2019t have to be restrictive to be successful.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is a Budget?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A budget is a plan for your spending during a set period &#8211; usually a month. It should be designed based on your income, ensuring that you\u2019re spending less than you\u2019re earning.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Needs vs Wants<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before creating a budget, it\u2019s essential to understand the difference between your wants and your needs &#8211; which varies between person to person. Once you\u2019ve categorized them, it will be easier for you to spot which areas you can cut down on (usually your wants), and which areas are non-negotiable (usually your needs).<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wants<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are things that are not essential for your survival or wellbeing, which you choose to buy. Wants are definitely not bad &#8211; in moderation, they nourish important parts of your life, such as connecting with loved ones, having fun, and pampering yourself. Some examples of wants are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ordering take-out<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shopping for new clothes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Music &amp; streaming subscriptions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Travel<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f38aedd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default rt-parallax-bg-no\" data-id=\"f38aedd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b61cb0f\" data-id=\"b61cb0f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cd4bcd3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cd4bcd3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 style=\"letter-spacing: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 22px; font-weight: 400;\">Needs<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.625em; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\">These are your living expenses, which are essential for the wellbeing of your health, family, and job. Some examples of needs are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-family: 'DM Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;\">\n<li style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\">Groceries<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\">Rent<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\">Medication<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\">Transportation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;\">Utility bills<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9420afa\" data-id=\"9420afa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2bd3642 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"2bd3642\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/06\/Thndr_Learn_InArticle_Budgeting.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-3362\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9d4c47e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default rt-parallax-bg-no\" data-id=\"9d4c47e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-93e2155\" data-id=\"93e2155\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c48d8f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c48d8f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where is your money going?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A budget can help you spot areas where you&#8217;re spending more than you realize, so you can put it to better use elsewhere. It can also be designed to allow you to splurge in certain areas and achieve your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.thndr.app\/how-to-set-financial-goals\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">financial goals.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Before you design your budget, it\u2019s important to have an idea of where your money is currently going.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>1: Calculate your total monthly income:\u00a0<\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This would be your salary post-tax, as well as any other income streams you may have, such as interest income, rental income, dividends, government aid, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>2: Compile your spending for the last month<\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collect your bank statements, receipts, and subscriptions, and any other proof of payments within the last month, and write them all down in a list. Next to each purchase, write down whether this is a \u2018want\u2019 or a \u2018need\u2019, and calculate the total for both.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>3: Look at the total:<\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subtract your total expenses from your total income &#8211; what is this number telling you about your financial health? If your income is higher than your spending, you\u2019re already on the right track! And if your spending is currently exceeding your income, it\u2019s nothing a budget can\u2019t fix.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5>4: Your current split between wants and needs<\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Divide your total spending on \u2018needs\u2019 by your total income, and repeat this for your total spending on \u2018wants\u2019. This will give you an idea of your current split between them, and help you design a realistic budget moving forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pro tip:<\/strong> You can also use\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/budgeting-EN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">our budgeting tool<\/a>. It will help you set your monthly budget and track your spending with ease.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55282bc elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"55282bc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/budgeting-EN\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Download now<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2db6bc1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default rt-parallax-bg-no\" data-id=\"2db6bc1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fb24323\" data-id=\"fb24323\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5ce63a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5ce63a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-size: 27px; font-weight: 400; color: #161616; letter-spacing: 0px;\">The 50\/30\/20 Rule<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 50\/30\/20 rule is a guide to help you split your budget using three categories: needs, wants, and financial goals. The rule suggests that you split your budget in the following way:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>50% on needs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; eg: food, utilities, rent<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>30% on wants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; eg: cinema tickets, Netflix, dining out<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>20% on financial goals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; eg: saving &amp; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/learn.thndr.app\/what-is-an-investment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">investing<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re earning just enough to get by, you might struggle to save 20% of your income regardless of your spending habits, especially if you\u2019re supporting a family. However if you\u2019re making a decent salary and don&#8217;t have to pay rent, your split might look like this: 40\/20\/40. There is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 approach when it comes to budgeting &#8211; you can adjust the percentages based on your personal circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wherever you are today, it\u2019s a good idea to start measuring and planning your money. This can help build strong spending, saving, and investing habits, putting you on the path to financial freedom.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5ec2e0fe elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default rt-parallax-bg-no\" data-id=\"5ec2e0fe\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4765ba2f\" data-id=\"4765ba2f\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a3a31fb elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"5a3a31fb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/learn.thndr.app\/how-to-set-financial-goals\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-alt-circle-left\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Previous Post<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-174f0c3a\" data-id=\"174f0c3a\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60083dc8 elementor-align-right elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"60083dc8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/learn.thndr.app\/inflation-the-time-value-of-money\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-arrow-alt-circle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Next Post<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you ever find yourself thinking &#8211; where does all my hard earned money go? Budgeting and saving money doesn\u2019t come naturally to most of us. As humans, we\u2019re hardwired to want things &#8211; now. It&#8217;s called instant gratification, and it\u2019s a powerful force. But although the word &#8220;budget&#8221; is often associated with restricted spending, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[80,86,96],"class_list":["post-2662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-im-money-minded-en","tag-investment","tag-lifestyle","tag-personal-finance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2662"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20570,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2662\/revisions\/20570"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thndr.horizondm.com\/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}