We all try to control our personal finances in such a way that at the end of the month we do not sit next to nothing. There is no limit to our surprise when, in the end, we still remain in the “no-win” zone. What is the main reason for the average person's financial failure? He does not pay enough attention to the fundamental principles of planning his income and expenses. As a result, he does not understand where exactly the money is going, how to reduce these expenses and where to direct free capital.

1 Personal finance and home budget – why save money?

When forming an effective spending plan that will bring some tangible results, it is necessary to clearly understand the goals and objectives of financial planning. First of all, you need to see the goal for which work is being done to structure income and expenses. If there is no defined “finish line,” then there will be no motivation. If you don’t have such a goal, then you should create one.

Having a clear and tangible reward for completing your plan is the key to success.

What does it mean to “create goals and objectives”? Let's assume that you already have everything and there is nothing more to desire. A utopian idea, but it also deserves the right to life. This does not mean at all that you can not worry about anything and spend the rest of your life at the best resorts. Your employer may go bankrupt, leaving you without a livelihood. The financial crisis will come out of nowhere. There can be a huge number of reasons for concern.

Therefore, you always need to think about your future. The budget will not be effective if it does not include emergency reserves of funds that can, at the very least, support your existence for 3-4 incomeless months. How to properly plan such a “stash”? To do this, you need to show analytical savvy and collect some information. Carefully record all your expenses for 1 month, even include chewing gum and a box of matches received as change.

The amount received at the end of the month must be divided into categories. Remove all unnecessary expenses:

• Entertainment, going to the movies, restaurants, nightclubs;
• Non-essential food items, specialty items, branded items;
• Clothing, perfumes, cosmetics;
• Pocket money for children, etc.

We multiply the remaining amount by 6. This is the amount that will be needed to pay rent, utility bills, loan debts and a decent living for six months, if suddenly there is no income at all. This is goal number 1. The priority task of any budget. After completing it, you can think about other options.

In our flowchart we marked it with a "!" and investments. This is also a very important budget item that many people completely forget about. Without money aimed at making a profit, the budget will be focused on “survival” rather than on creating a successful and interesting life.

There are also lower priority goals and objectives that you can set for yourself:

• Buying a car, expensive household appliances, real estate;
• Creation of a strong savings deposit;
• Formation of a stabilization fund (for unforeseen expenses such as repairs or going to the doctor).

It is best to have several tasks at the same time; among them, be sure to highlight the highest priority and small “destination points” - a new phone, buying a computer for a child, a trip to the sea. Each achievement will strengthen your confidence that the budget is working and will allow you to plan it much more effectively in the future.

2 Why don’t we make money?

There are several very important reasons that cause personal budget imbalance.

The most important mistake is the incorrect prioritization of expenditure items in relation to each other.

Simply put, we don't spend money in the order we should. This makes the financial plan look like a profanation and negates our efforts to create an ideal surplus budget. Correctly building a hierarchy of expenses turns ordinary income forecasting into strategic planning with a clearly defined goal. How to correctly build a pyramid of optional and mandatory expenses?

Here’s what a hierarchy of average statistical expenses that is close to optimal looks like, in descending order of importance:

1. Purchasing vital medications;
2. Mandatory expenses (rent, taxes, debts and loans);
3. Buying food;
4. Investments and creation of an emergency reserve;
5. Support for education, health well-being;
6. Purchase of clothing, perfumes, cosmetics;
7. Unnecessary expenses, entertainment.

Many people make the grave mistake of putting into a reserve and investment portfolio what remains after less significant expenses. This is a fundamentally wrong approach, which deprives us of the opportunity to earn money and create the necessary foundation for a comfortable existence in the future. It is the determination of life priorities that should concern you first. Decide for yourself what is more important to you: going to a good restaurant and eating delicious food today or visiting it every day in a few years?

The second most important mistake in planning can be called a careless attitude towards economically significant events in life with a relatively low probability of occurrence.

A broken faucet in the bathroom, a small fire in the kitchen, a broken plastic window - this does not happen very often, but it is precisely such incidents that unsettle us and nullify all efforts to accumulate funds. Why is this happening? At the initial planning stage, we miss a very important point - the creation of a stabilization fund.

This bank of money is not created as savings or funds for immediate investment, nor does it go into a “rainy day nest egg.” These are simply free funds that can be used as necessary to neutralize such unforeseen expenses without harming your strictly calculated plan. A bank can be formed from secondary residual funds. Even 1-2 thousand rubles a month will allow you to worry less about such minor troubles. Keep the moneybox at home, don’t spend money from it anywhere, only if you have really important expenses.

Not having a clear, categorized expense sign also hurts our plans. If you don’t have an idea of ​​where the money is going every month, then “trimming the excess” won’t work. However, this is another topic.

Mistakes include incorrect distribution of funds for investments and deposits. To invest money wisely and effectively, you also need to adhere to some kind of plan. Many people simply have no idea how much to invest, what goals to set for themselves, or how much they want to earn on their investments.

3 Create a home investment bank

In itself, proper planning of household finances is aimed at optimizing expenses and creating favorable conditions for generating profit from secondary sources. Basic income in the form of benefits, wages and rental housing does not essentially create any potential for creating new sources of money.

Some do handicrafts, others earn extra money as freelancers, and others put their money to work. Let's say you don't have any monetizable talent. You don't know how to sew, create programs on a computer, or give good legal advice. How can you create other sources of income for your family? You need to invest money correctly and make a profit so that at the end of each month you have additional funds and reinvest them to generate income.

Creating money out of thin air, as the craft of traders and brokers is often called, requires special knowledge, perseverance and good economic sense. Therefore, it is best to trust money to established specialists and give them the opportunity to work for you. To do this, you need to have initiative capital - a small starting amount of money that is sufficient to start investing.

The average person has several ways to invest:

1. Bank deposits with monthly capitalization;
2. Purchase of securities, currency and precious metals;
3. Trust management (mutual fund and PAMM accounts);
4. Venture investments (crowdinvesting platforms).

The first method is very reliable, but does not provide the desired income. Even at 11% compound interest per year, the income will be a meager amount. The second method can bring more income, but it will also require significant investments. To work with mutual funds and Forex brokers, you need to understand the associated risks. Investments in startups through crowdinvesting platforms sometimes require the active participation of investors.

• PAMM investments with PrivateFX

• Startups with ShareInStock
• Projects on StartupUM

You can track most transactions over the Internet from your home computer. This is very convenient and allows you to independently control losses and income. Set aside a certain amount of money every month. Decide how much you want to earn at the end of the year. Set an investment plan and stick to it.

Almost every married couple faces the problem of lack of money, sometimes there is not even enough money to survive until salary. Why is this happening? There is only one reason - there is no family budget planning. Many people do not take this into account, which is why they face a number of unpleasant problems. It is very important to be able to correctly calculate your income and expenses - this will help you save on unnecessary purchases and collect a certain amount of money, for example, for a vacation abroad or to purchase your own home or car.

Why do you need to plan a family budget and what does it give?

Every family can achieve financial freedom and independence if they learn to spend money wisely. Planning a family budget has a number of significant advantages.

• Control. The husband and wife will always know exactly when and what the money was spent on. There will be no more questions about where the entire salary disappeared a week after the payday.
• Conscious Actions. By planning a budget for several months, a clear picture of income and expenses emerges. In this way, it will be possible to identify unnecessary waste and reduce it to a minimum.
• No debt. Avoiding loans and other debt obligations is not difficult.
• Planning significant purchases. Planning a budget and saving on unnecessary expenses will help you save some money to go on holiday during your holiday. It is possible that taking into account income and expenses will lead to larger acquisitions - a car or your own home.
• "Black day". Nobody knows at what turn troubles will await. It is possible that you will have to quit your job, with money saved up, you will not have to worry about living until a new job.
• Discipline. Planning a family budget brings discipline. This applies not only to unnecessary costs, but also to life situations that a person faces every day.

Important! You shouldn’t turn family budget planning into saving on everything. You need to allocate funds for entertainment and pleasant little things, otherwise life will turn into a routine that is not at all pleasing.

Basic rules for planning a family budget

By following simple rules, you can very quickly learn to increase the difference between income and expenses, saving this money for more significant needs.

Step-by-step planning

1. It is necessary to record the total family income in a notebook every month. Everything needs to be included here - salary, additional income.
2. After the total amount of cash receipts has been calculated, it is necessary to record all obligatory expenses. This includes paying utility bills, kindergarten (school), buying food, car maintenance, and don’t forget to allocate a small amount for leisure time.
3. From the amount of income you now need to subtract the total amount of necessary expenses received.
4. Next you need to think about what to do with the remainder. You can't spend everything at once. It would be best to divide the remainder into two parts. It is advisable to put one aside for a “rainy day”, and put the other somewhere else for unexpected expenses.

Mistakes couples make when planning a budget

Many married couples make simple mistakes when planning their budget, which is why they face financial difficulties long before their next paycheck.

1. You cannot solve problems “as they arise.” If you are planning expenses, you need to save money little by little in advance.
2. Financial decisions cannot be left to just one person.
3. You can’t radically cut expenses or cut down on your leisure time.
4. You cannot remain silent about financial problems; you need to discuss them and look for a way out of the situation together with your spouse.

How to reduce your expenses

There is a simple way to help reduce family expenses.

If a couple has set a clear goal - to collect a certain amount of money for a major purchase, they need to follow the plan. Every month you can set aside 10% of the amount from your salary, the same percentage is set aside from any cash receipts, even if they are insignificant. It seems like a small thing, but over time it accumulates an impressive budget.

1. You need to keep records of expenses and income every month, taking into account all the little things, this is the only way to get a complete picture of the budget and identify unnecessary expenses.
2. Let go of “dreams.” You don’t need to promise yourself to raise a million; goals should be achievable.
3. It is important that both spouses contribute to budget planning, otherwise it will not be possible to reduce expenses.
4. You can open a savings account at a bank and put all the money you save there.

Planning a family budget is not saving, but a real chance to reduce the list of “empty” expenses, learn how to properly use the funds received and direct them in the right direction.

Types of family budget - planning

When planning a budget, you need to take into account the type of budget that is specific to your family. Decide what kind of it you will have: separate, common or mixed . Discuss the priorities of each spouse (education, investments, loans, creating your own business) and only after that start planning the family budget.

Separated

A separate family budget has gained particular popularity abroad, but in our country, many families practice a similar method of distributing financial resources. A separate budget is usually preferred by wealthy and successful people, when a certain amount is allocated for housekeeping, and each spouse spends the remaining money on personal needs.

Advantages:

• you can save a significant amount in your personal account;
• fewer reasons for quarrels in the family;
• absence of family litigation in case of divorce.

Flaws:

• if you have children, then a separate family budget will not work: it’s strange for your son to chip in for sneakers or a car;
• for people who imagine family life as a joint activity, such relationships are also not suitable - it will be difficult for them to understand how they can have something separate from the common interests of the family;
• It is impossible to turn family relationships into exclusively business ones.

Mixed

A mixed type of family budget involves allocating, for example, 80% of the wife and husband’s salary for housekeeping, and everyone spends the rest on themselves. If the spouses managed to save up for an expensive item or unforeseen circumstances arose, then the rules change. You can take money from the general cash register when you need it.

Advantages:

• an honest approach to those who have less income;
• Each spouse has personal funds, and there is no need to ask for money;
• such an approach to money indicates that the relationship between the spouses is well-established and mature.

Flaws:

• maintaining a mixed family budget is not suitable if only one of the spouses works;
• neither the husband nor the wife has the desire to take responsibility for the common money;
• one of the spouses is silent about part of the income.

General

The most common type is the general one, in which both spouses bring all the money they receive into the family, and then decide where to spend it.

Advantages:

• speaks of a trusting relationship between husband and wife;
• a spouse who does not work or receives a lower salary does not feel inferior;
• you can make large purchases, since two salaries are usually a significant amount.

Flaws:

• not suitable for families where one of the spouses may deny themselves everything in order to buy a TV, while the other may, without hesitation, buy something for themselves;
• the husband or wife does not tolerate the lack of personal money;
• This type of budget is not recommended for families where one of the spouses is pathologically greedy or leads an ascetic lifestyle and is of little interest in the needs and desires of the second spouse.

What to consider when planning a family budget

When starting to draw up a family budget for the month, analyze your income and expenses for the previous months. To do this, you need to start keeping track of funds in advance. Having such data on hand, planning your expenses will not cause any difficulties.

Basic components of the family budget:

• income of the husband and wife (salary, social benefits, pension, part-time work);
• expenses (mandatory, for children, family, personal);
• reserve fund (“financial safety net”);
• investments.

Income

Income for the total family budget includes the wages of the wife and husband. If earnings are unstable, then it is reasonable to set aside some of the money, forming a “safety cushion” in case of a small influx of money. In the month where a large amount comes into the family budget, set aside 20% or more, if possible.

Expenses

When calculating expenses, take into account income; they must correspond to each other. If you break this rule, debts will inevitably appear.

Tips on how to reduce consumables:

1. Buy less. This will save not only money, but also time. If you buy less food, the amount of expired food you throw away will be reduced, and sometimes there will be nothing left to throw away. A pre-compiled shopping list will help protect you from spontaneous purchases.

Ignore the advice of psychologists to go shopping to lift your mood, as well as advertising. The mood will always be good, if you have money in your wallet, unplanned shopping will only contribute to a momentary and short-term increase in mood. Changing habits will be difficult at first, but over time everything will return to normal.

1. Buy cheaper. Usually things and food purchased under the influence of advertising are expensive. For example, buying an expensive mobile phone just because it was well advertised and is considered a prestigious thing. Sometimes the own products produced by large supermarkets are in no way inferior to other more advertised brands. Control your desires, look for more financially profitable options, learn to bargain.
2. Analyze. By carefully recording your expenses and analyzing them, you can find out where most of your money is going. When making purchases, you will not notice many nuances; they will emerge only when analyzing the purchases made. This technique will allow you to control costs.
3. Avoid unnecessary expenses. For example, when cooking, take care of your clothes; you can change your everyday clothes to home ones or put on an apron. Caring for them will help extend the life of your shoes: use creams, sprays, varnishes, and promptly clean them from dirt.
4. Use cash. Psychologically, it is easier to part with non-cash money than to count out cash.

Own housing

If you don’t have your own house or apartment, then it’s worth including in the family budget the column “saving money for your own housing.” Living with parents creates conditions for additional conflicts and does not allow you to build a family life on your own, therefore it is not entirely convenient.

Reserve part or “financial safety cushion”

This part of the family budget includes finances that may be useful in case of unforeseen circumstances. There must be a reserve of funds that will allow the family to survive for several months if one of the spouses loses their job. The reserve fund is also used to purchase or repair broken household appliances (for example, a washing machine).

Investments

This is part of the family budget that will generate passive income. This is a bank deposit, real estate, shares.

The smartest thing is to get rid of debts and loans as quickly as possible, since they negatively affect the psychological state. Try to accumulate investments in order to receive passive income in the future; the family budget will greatly benefit from this.

Methods of maintaining a family budget

One of the simple but very effective methods of managing a family budget is to divide it into three main parts:

• 50% of income is spent on paying for utilities, housing, food;
• 30% is spent on entertainment and other unnecessary expenses;
• 20% goes to pay off loans and debts or is put aside as savings.

One of the variants of this technique involves spending 20% ​​of income on creating a financial “safety cushion” and paying off debts, and 80% on other needs. There are other methods for maintaining a family budget, the most popular are “Accurate Cost Management” and “Four Envelopes”.

Accurate cost management

Maintaining a family budget using this technique involves carefully recording every penny spent. It will require effort and time, which will more than pay off in significant financial savings (up to 20% of income). Few people are able to record every purchase, including food, but you will have to do this daily, for which it is better to use an Excel spreadsheet.

Create a table in Excel where you divide your expenses into 5 columns. First, write down utility bills (electricity, internet, rent). In the second - buying food, in the third - paying for personal needs, in the fourth - spending on entertainment, in the fifth - unforeseen expenses. In the evening, enter the amount spent in each of the columns (if there were any expenses) and at the end of the month you will see the real expenses. This will allow you to approach the distribution of money more thoughtfully.

You can add other columns by adapting the table for yourself, for example, household chemicals, caring for a pet, child, parents. The main thing is not to forget to record every little detail and you will understand how to distribute the family budget more wisely.

The most popular family budgeting spreadsheet.

The technique is suitable for those who are not able to record every penny spent. As soon as you receive your salary, immediately set aside 20% - this will be savings. Pay the utilities, and divide the remaining money into 4 equal parts and put them in envelopes. Each of these will make up your weekly budget. If the week is over and there is money left in the envelope, you can spend it on yourself or put it into savings.

This technique is good because it does not require painstaking cost accounting. As soon as you start spending money thoughtfully, the desire for spontaneous acquisitions will disappear.

A table of family budget expenses cannot be compiled at once. You will need to thoroughly find out where the money is being spent. This will take 1-2 months. The best option is to make a table in MSExcel; this will allow you to provide detailed explanations for each document, since the program includes several interconnected tables.

How to create a family budget in Excel

With a general family budget, the income and expenses of the family budget are scrupulously entered into the table every day, and first you need to fill out the “income” columns. Then mandatory expenses are planned:

• debt recovery;
• creation of reserves (savings);
• formation of family capital.

The next step is planning current expenses:

• general (for children, variable, permanent);
• personal expenses of husband and wife.

Here you can add a column for “unforeseen expenses”, which can be no more than 10% of the income.

Expenses in the family budget are very diverse and to complete the picture, it is advisable to describe them in as much detail as possible. First, write down your expenses and then divide them into subtypes. Usually they are repeated monthly, so you will only need to change the numbers; you will not have to re-enter the table header. Set the “Total” and “Deviations” columns to automatically calculate the amount.

Separate budget

In this case, divide the family budget table into two tables: the personal budget of each spouse, where you indicate the income of each spouse separately. The general part should include expenses for family needs, child support and personal expenses.

Mixed type of family budget

First, create personal expenses separately for each spouse. This can be a percentage of the total family income or the husband and wife's own income. Distribute the rest for your family's needs.

Services and programs for convenient planning and maintaining a family budget

• There are programs for home accounting, for example, AlzexPersonalFinance, which is based on the division into categories of income and expenses. This makes it possible to see where the money was spent without studying and analyzing reports. The program can be downloaded to a USB flash drive, installed on any external drive and always have the version for your tablet or mobile phone with you.

There are two versions of AlzexPersonalFinance:

1. Personal- intended for one user, additional options may not be available.
2. a commercial- designed for one user, with access to all program options (restricted access rights, user accounts, events, counterparties, tasks).

AlzexPersonalFinance has extensive capabilities and unlimited nesting of the category tree system; there are a large number of tags for each transaction. Credits and debts are kept track of, financial goals are tracked and expenses are controlled. Reports can be presented graphically and printed. It is possible to organize transactions by day in the calendar.

• AlzexPersonalFinance program

By using this program, you will not only understand how to manage a family budget, but you will also do it as intelligently as possible.

Another program for managing a family budget is called “Housekeeper”, developed by AmoSoft. The program will make your financial situation stable and control your spending. Distinctive features are a simple, intuitive interface; “Housekeeper” can be used even by people who are far from accounting and computers.

Spend a few minutes daily entering data and at the end of the month you will see the most complete picture of the state of your family’s finances. Reports are provided in graphical form, which allows you to clearly see the strengths and weaknesses of the family budget.

The program will tell you how to save your family budget, preventing thoughtless spending.

• "Home Finance"- the program combines flexibility and reliability in organizing the movement of family money.

The interface is well thought out and simple, intuitive even for not very experienced users. The program will allow you to detect weaknesses in the family or personal budget, as well as organize the optimal flow of financial resources.

• "Home accounting".

The program is easy to use, and you will find all the necessary functions in it:

1. profit and loss accounting;
2. payment planning;
3. debt accounting;
4. account control;
5. exchange rates.

The only disadvantage of “Home Accounting” is that you will have to pay 500 rubles to use it.

• MoneyTracker

MoneyTracker is designed for accounting, it is convenient to use, but you will need to tinker and figure out what's what, since the program has a lot of functions. A distinctive feature of the program is the ability to control price changes in stores, which allows you to create a budget forecast for months or a year. There is a utility that shows how much you spend (a green indicator means everything is fine, a red one indicates that the family budget is in danger).

• "DomFin"

The DomFin program can be used for free, the interface is primitive: the functions for accounting are clearly and specifically set out. It is intuitively clear where to record expenses and where income should be recorded.

• AceMoney

You will have to pay 500 rubles to use the program. In the free version you can only use one account, which is inconvenient. The negative point is that in AceMoney there is only one operation: transaction; you will not find “income” and “expenses” sections.

Advantages of AceMoney:

• You can keep records of securities and shares;
• There are templates by which you can distribute expenses (utilities, food), you don’t have to do them yourself;
• you can monitor the status of your bank accounts (for example, at what percentage is the money at).

To choose the optimal program specifically for your own needs, you need to clearly understand the goal you want to achieve. Also, the program should be selected taking into account the characteristics of a specific family budget. For some, certain features are completely useless and will never be needed.

1. Don't forget the reason why you decided to start planning your family budget. This is not because it is necessary or someone said so, but in order, for example, to reduce expenses.
2. Clearly define for yourself the ultimate goal of your actions. For example, by the end of the year, save up for a car.
3. Accounting for income and expenses must be very accurate and thorough.
4. Think about ways to form a “financial safety net” for your family.
5. Set aside money in bank deposit accounts without the possibility of withdrawal until the end of the period. There are deposits that can be replenished, but cannot be withdrawn until a certain date.
6. Look at your own actions realistically: you cannot become an ace in managing the family budget in one month, start small.
7. Don't be afraid to radically change something in the family budget. Things are always changing in life, including your salary and expenses.

Psychologist, 16 years of practical experience. Olga works in the following areas: Gestalt therapy, Psychodrama, Systemic family therapy, Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy.

If you don't budget, you're essentially inviting unnecessary debt and ruining your ability to save. These steps will help you learn how to create a budget and control your spending.

✔ Track your income and expenses

1. Determine your total income. Do you have a fixed salary and know how much you bring home each month? Are you a freelancer and your salary varies from month to month? Having a clear idea of ​​how much you'll earn is the most important thing to creating a successful budget.

2. Determine how you spend your money. What bills do you need to pay each month? Do you go out for dinner with friends every Friday or go to the cinema once a week? Knowing where your money is going will help you keep track of it better.

3. Add up your regular expenses and subtract them from your salary. Is it a negative number? If so, you are clearly living beyond your means. If there is money left over, divide it into several groups:

"Flexible" money. About 10-20% of the difference between salary and regular expenses should be prepared if you suddenly have to pay more for something than expected. This can happen to your utility bills if gas prices suddenly rise, if you get a flat tire, or something else.

Saving. Ideally, you should save 30% of your salary, although even 10% (if you do this all the time) is not bad. Set aside money for an emergency fund (4-6 times your monthly expenses), then start saving for investing.

Spending money is what remains after subtracting savings and flexible money. This is the money you spend on clothes, eating out and other entertainment.

✔ Budget creation

1. Set budget and financial goals. They should be both short- and long-term. The first include: not spending more than a certain amount each month, or saving a certain amount each month. The second includes: the ability to make a down payment on a car or house. You need some kind of goal, this will help you stick to your budget. It is convenient to set financial goals using the service. You can specify the desired date of saving for travel or creating a financial safety net (in the amount of 6-12 monthly salaries), and the server will automatically calculate the amount that needs to be saved each month.

2. Make a list of everything you need to pay for. This includes the most important things - rent, electricity, heating. Let these expenses be the most important in the budget.

3. Use software. Android app
“Personal finance. Family budget " from
has built-in tools for working with the budget.

✔ Maintaining a budget

1. Stay within your budget. It sounds obvious, but it's easy to go over budget even when you have one. Spend your money wisely...

2. Make daily payments and income to the site. Watch for recurring expenses that can be easily avoided. For example, a daily trip to a cafe to drink coffee.

3. Don't expect to receive unexpected money. Don't take into account potential sources of income like a New Year's bonus or tax refund. You should only include in your budget money that you are absolutely sure you will receive.

4. Leave your debit/credit card at home. Once you're out and about, it's easy (and tempting) to overspend. Do not do that!

5. Save money for the whole week at once. If you want to spend 8000 and no more each week, go to the ATM on Monday and withdraw all the money at once. Running out of money? All.

✔ More ways to stick to your budget

1. Consider the difference between luxury and necessity. Determine what is “needed” and “want” in your budget. Let necessities be at the forefront of your budget, and if there is money left over, allow yourself to get out somewhere or go shopping.

2. Cut big expenses. This is the most effective way to stay on budget. If you go somewhere on vacation every year, consider staying home this year. If you smoke, think about how you can quit.

3. Pay less taxes. If you file your taxes once a year, consider using itemized deductions instead.

4. Stay ahead of inflation. Over time, inflation increases the cost of living. 3% annual growth will double the value of everything in 24 years. If your income is rising, don't spend on luxury items until you're sure you can stay ahead of inflation at all times.

Sample budget

Salary: 60,000 rub.

Regular expenses:
Rent 18,000 rub.
Mobile 1000 rub.
Food 8000 rub.
Utility bills 5000 rub.
Machine 5000
Gasoline 3000

Total – 60000
60,000 – 40,000 (regular expenses) = 20,000
20,000 – 6,000 (“flexible” money, 10% of salary – regular expenses) = 14,000
14000 – 3000 (savings, 5% salary) = 11000
11,000 is the money with which you can do whatever you want until your next salary.