Budget Buckets Calculator
Find out how much you can spend each month. Split your pay into buckets: housing, other needs, wants, and savings.
What lands in your bank account each month after taxes and anything taken out of your paycheck. Include other regular income, like a side job.
Housing 25%, other needs 25%, wants 25%, savings 25%.
Adds up to 100%.
Track this month's spending (optional)
Enter what you've spent so far this month in each bucket and we'll show what's left.
Of your $4,000 a month, you can spend about
$3,000
a month, and set aside $1,000. That's about $692 a week to spend.
- Housing25.0% · $231 a week · $33 a day$1,000a month
- Other needs25.0% · $231 a week · $33 a day$1,000a month
- Wants25.0% · $231 a week · $33 a day$1,000a month
- Savings25.0% · $231 a week · $33 a day$1,000a month
Housing and other needs together are $2,000 (50.0% of your pay).
One way to split each bucket
Just examples to get you started. Your life won't match exactly, and that's fine.
Other needs$1,000
- Groceries$350
- Transportation (car payment, gas, transit)$250
- Utilities and phone$150
- Insurance and health care$150
- Minimum debt payments$100
Wants$1,000
- Eating out$300
- Fun and entertainment$250
- Shopping$200
- Travel and hobbies$150
- Subscriptions$100
Savings$1,000
- Retirement$400
- Emergency fund$300
- Other goals and investing$200
- Extra debt payoff$100
If housing costs more than its bucket
In expensive areas, rent or a mortgage can eat well over 25%. When it does, take the extra from wants first, then from savings, and try not to touch the essentials in other needs. Then look for ways to bring housing down over time, like a roommate or a cheaper place.
If your savings bucket feels too big
Saving 25% is an ambitious target. Any of it counts, and things like a 401(k) match, emergency fund, and paying down high-interest debt all belong in this bucket. Start where you can and raise it when your pay does.
A planning guide, not financial advice. Percentages are applied to your take-home pay. The 50/30/20 rule comes from Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi's book All Your Worth; the 25/25/25/25 split simply gives housing its own bucket. Your situation may call for different numbers.