Budget Simulation

It is effective to split expenses into fixed costs and variable costs. Fixed costs (housing, insurance, telecom, subscriptions) are stable amounts each month, so start by tallying them up. Variable costs (food, transport, leisure, clothing) have more room to adjust based on spending habits. By subtracting fixed costs from your take-home pay first and allocating what remains between variable costs and savings, you get a clearer picture of your spending structure.

The built-in presets — Frugal, Normal, Comfort, and YOLO — auto-fill housing, food, savings, and other categories to reflect different lifestyles. Select a preset and fine-tune the sliders to match your own financial goals.

A negative monthly surplus means current spending exceeds take-home pay. First review fixed costs for items that can be adjusted — telecom plans, subscriptions, and insurance structure. Then set spending limits on variable costs such as dining out, leisure, and clothing. If housing takes a large share, exploring ways to reduce housing costs over the medium to long term is the most fundamental approach to recovering your savings rate.

Items that do not apply to you — such as education, medical, or subscription costs — can simply be left at 0 and they are excluded automatically. The donut chart only shows items with non-zero values, so entering only your actual expenses still produces accurate results. If many items feel overwhelming, set the relevant ones and leave the rest at 0, then watch how the chart responds.

Even if the result card shows a positive monthly surplus, an insufficient emergency fund means an unexpected expense could force you to liquidate savings. General financial planning guidance recommends setting aside at least three months of living expenses in a liquid, low-risk account — such as a high-yield savings or money market account — before directing funds toward longer-term savings or investments.

There is no single correct housing cost ratio — the right level depends on income, location, and household composition. General financial planning guidance suggests keeping housing costs as a low share of take-home pay to preserve room for savings and flexibility. In high-cost cities, housing naturally takes a larger share, making it even more important to offset that by trimming variable expenses elsewhere.

The most effective way to cut food expenses is to reduce dining out and cook at home more often. Planning weekly meals in advance helps prevent impulse purchases and minimizes ingredient waste. Buying in bulk, using discount apps, and taking advantage of store promotions also contribute to savings. Most importantly, tracking grocery and dining-out costs separately makes it easier to identify spending patterns and prioritize where to cut first.

Selecting a preset (Frugal, Average, Comfortable, or YOLO) resets all item sliders at once based on a percentage of your salary. After that, adjusting any individual slider changes that item to a custom value, and the donut chart, cumulative bar, and surplus figure all update in real time. Use a preset as a starting point, then fine-tune each item to match your actual spending patterns.