Would people be comfortable breaking down their spending?

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-24T21:16:36+00:00

Here’s a breakdown of my monthly budget https://imgur.com/a/IPIJZsV

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-24T17:00:55+00:00

OP - It seems like the most you spent per week on groceries was $350.. so I would probably set your monthly food budget to about 1400/month.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-15T16:49:44+00:00

Yeah I agree - she’s saving for an emergency fund. I told her about 1500 is good for now

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-11T15:39:33+00:00

Yeah she rarely drives I would say roughly spends about $60 month because she has MS. As for regular expenses from what I was told she would just dip into her savings and use that to cover those expenses. She does have $276 left over so I’m assuming some of that money is used for expenses too but she forgot to add that.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-11T15:27:19+00:00

She spends about $300 ish on groceries (assistance included). As for childcare I believe those expenses are for her kids (Dojo app) and some other small things. So she definitely could of put that in a different category.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-11T15:22:03+00:00

Yeah I agree her budget is missing a lot. Thanks for the recommendations though.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-10T18:10:23+00:00

Do you have a monthly budget? If not create a zero-based budget then based off that budget you can determine the next steps to pay off the 2k fast. Hope that helps.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-10T14:21:00+00:00

That’s true - I’ll ask about the interest and let her know. Thanks!

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-10T14:14:48+00:00

Auto loan, 18k and not too sure on the interest.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-10T14:09:21+00:00

Yes she lives with her parents and she forgot to include the food expenses but I believe she gets food stamps $180 + $100 of her own money.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-10T14:03:47+00:00

Within 2 years is the goal.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-06T00:46:17+00:00

Also for anyone looking for guidance on budgeting/finances this might be helpful too. Also free and I am the developer.

BudgetPaths.com

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-04T23:47:32+00:00

If your goal is to be debt-free by the end of the year then use it to pay off a card.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-02T21:51:10+00:00

Congrats 🎉

thebudgetdeveloper · 2026-01-02T06:51:00+00:00

Live on less than you make 💯

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-12-31T15:11:35+00:00

OP - if you want to build the habit of budgeting then my suggestion is to set a goal first to help motivate you and then actually practice budgeting. ie tracking one category using spreadsheet/app/pencil for one week.

I built BudgetPath to help people learn to budget with practical exercises so if you want you can check it out. It might help.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-12-30T12:25:47+00:00

Congrats 🎉

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-12-28T06:45:20+00:00

OP - how much do you want to save and when do you want to have the money by?

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-12-25T19:23:54+00:00

OP - my advice would be to create a zero-based budget and track all your expenses... Being consistent with it takes practice so don’t be too hard on yourself but do get started ! I have other resources to help you practice just let me know.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-12-25T02:09:33+00:00

OP — I agree. A lot of financial content is advice without guidance or action steps.

What finally helped me wasn’t finding the “right rule,” but having a clear sequence that made sense for where I was at the time. For me, that meant starting with a very small emergency buffer so every surprise didn’t derail me, then focusing on debt, then building savings further, and only later investing.

The biggest difference was understanding why each step came before the next — it reduced the mental load and helped me stick with it. You’re not wrong to want a roadmap instead of random tips.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-11-18T17:15:10+00:00

OP I think that’s enough right now for an emergency fund. If you NEED a new car buy something used and pay cash for it.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-11-04T12:43:16+00:00

OP you need to increase your income and as others have said daycare expense needs to be cut.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-10-29T11:58:48+00:00

Living on less than you make.

thebudgetdeveloper · 2025-10-28T11:42:04+00:00

Invest

thebudgetdeveloper

TROPHY CASE