Build a Budget That Survives
Practice lesson. Nothing here is saved to My Plan.
Here is a real starting situation: about $2,600 a month in take-home pay (roughly $18 an hour, full time). Your job: make it survive a month with money left over. Harder than it sounds, easier than it feels.
Before you start: where are you now?
Rate yourself honestly. Nobody sees this but you.
The $2,600 challenge
Fill in your monthly plan. The meter keeps score.
The 50/30/20 rule
A classic sanity check for any income: about 50% to needs (rent, utilities, groceries, transport), 30% to wants (fun, eating out, subscriptions), 20% to savings and debt payoff. On $2,600 that is roughly $1,300 / $780 / $520. Your numbers do not need to match exactly; the rule exists so you notice when rent alone eats 60% (roommates fix that) or when savings quietly hits zero (autopay fixes that).
Quick check
After the lesson: where are you now?
The big idea
A budget is not punishment; it is the price list for the life you want written down BEFORE the month starts. Savings comes out first because whatever comes out last never happens. Master this on $2,600 and every raise afterward is pure progress.