Take-home income
$5,800
Framework
Your spending
$3,100
$1,400
$950
Your actual mix
Needs 53%
Wants 24%
Save 16%
Target: 50/30/20. You're at 53%/24%/16%.
Off target. Biggest gap is needs (53% vs. 50%). Adjust one bucket at a time.
Needs
$3,100
target $2,900 · +200
Wants
$1,400
target $1,740 · −340
Savings
$950
target $1,160 · −210
How we built this tool
Why these frameworks
Step 1
50/30/20: the default
Half on needs, 30% on wants, 20% on savings + debt payoff. Works for most stable middle incomes. If you can hit this, you're winning.
Step 2
70/20/10: the survival budget
When rent is crushing your income, you need a realistic framework. 70% needs acknowledges reality while still carving out 10% for savings. Not forever — a bridge.
Step 3
Zero-based: every dollar has a job
Most rigorous. No bucket is implicit. Good for detail-oriented people or anyone who finds their spending mysteriously disappears each month.