This guide walks through making a budget that you can follow: starting from real numbers, setting limits that fit, and checking in during the month.
Step 1: Start with your income
Write down what comes in each month. If your income varies, use the lower of recent months so the plan holds in a quiet month.
Step 2: List fixed costs first
Rent or EMI, electricity, internet, phone recharge, school fees, insurance and subscriptions are usually the same each month. Put them in first. Tracking them as recurring bills means you will not forget them.
Step 3: Look at your real spending on everything else
Use two or three weeks of entries, or last month if you have it, to see what you spent on groceries, milk, vegetables, transport, eating out and shopping. This is the honest starting point. If you have no numbers yet, track expenses for a few weeks first.
Step 4: Set a limit for each category
Set each limit a little below what you actually spent in the categories that grew most, and close to actual in the ones that are fixed. Do not cut everything at once. A budget that is too tight is abandoned in a week.
Step 5: Pay yourself first
Decide how much to save before you plan the rest, then treat it like a bill. Put it in the budget as a category called Savings.
Step 6: Keep a small buffer
Add an Other category for surprises. Something always comes up: a repair, a gift, a doctor visit.
Step 7: Check in weekly
Once a week, look at how much of each limit is used. If Groceries is at 70 percent by the 15th, you can adjust in time instead of finding out on the 30th.
Using Rozbahi for your budget
- Set one overall monthly budget and see how much is spent and left.
- Give each category its own limit, with a progress bar.
- Get a warning as you get close to a limit.
- Use Reports to compare this period with the previous one.
See the budget planner page or download the app.
Common questions
How much of my income should I save?
There is no single right number. Pick an amount you can keep up, even if it is small, and raise it as your spending becomes clearer.
What if my income changes every month?
Plan around your lower months and treat anything above as extra to save or to cover earlier gaps.
What if I go over a category limit?
It happens. Look at why, and either move some budget from another category or accept the overspend and adjust next month. A budget is a guide, not a test.
Do I need to set a limit for every category?
No. Start with the two or three that matter most, usually groceries, transport and eating out or shopping.
Can I see my budget in the app at any time?
Yes. The Budgets screen shows your monthly budget, the amount used and each category's progress.
Related reading
Next: How to split expenses with flatmates or family
All guides · Features · Notebook vs Excel vs Rozbahi · Pricing
