50/25/25 savings rule: A simple budgeting strategy for financial success

Written By Raunak Jain | Updated: Mar 22, 2023, 02:52 PM IST

Know how the 50/25/25 rule can help you manage finances and allocate income efficiently.

The 50/25/25 saving rule is an incredibly useful guideline to help manage your finances and ensure that you're putting away enough money each month. This rule suggests that you allocate half of your income to essential expenses, a quarter to discretionary spending, and another quarter to savings. We'll delve deeper into this concept, using an example.

Imagine that you earn a monthly salary of Rs. 80,000. According to the 50/25/25 rule, you should allocate Rs. 40,000 (50 per cent) towards essential expenses, such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, transportation costs, and other unavoidable expenses.

Next, you should allocate Rs. 20,000 (25 per cent) towards discretionary spending. This can include leisure activities, dining out, shopping, and any other non-essential expenses.

Finally, the remaining Rs. 20,000 (25 per cent) should be allocated towards savings. This money can be used for various long-term financial goals, such as saving for retirement, education, or buying a home. You can also keep it aside as an emergency fund to cover unexpected expenses like medical bills or car repairs.

Remember that the 50/25/25 rule is merely a guideline, and you may need to tweak the percentages based on your individual circumstances. For example, if you have high essential expenses due to student loans or medical bills, you may need to allocate more than half of your income to these expenses. Conversely, if you have a high income or low essential expenses, you can allocate more towards discretionary spending or savings.

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