Find the baseline
Begin with take-home income and expenses that recur. Use recent statements, not an ideal month.
01 — The monthly frame
Spend with a point of view.
A budget is not a verdict on your habits. It is a working draft for the month ahead—specific enough to guide you, flexible enough to survive real life.
Make room for irregulars
Convert annual and quarterly costs into monthly set-asides so they arrive as expected, not as surprises.
Leave breathing room
A plan with no margin is fragile. Keep a small unassigned cushion for ordinary variability.
The practice
A simpler sequence.
Take these in order, then revisit when the facts change.
- 01
List the fixed
Housing, utilities, minimum debt payments, transport and care.
- 02
Price the variable
Use a realistic range for groceries, travel and daily spending.
- 03
Choose the forward move
Select one priority for savings or extra repayment.