📊 Monthly Budget Planner
Decide where your salary goes before daily spending starts.
1. Calculate reliable income
- Use guaranteed salary and fixed allowances.
- Keep overtime, commission and delivery orders as a separate conservative estimate.
- Do not budget using the maximum income promised.
2. Separate expenses
| Fixed | Flexible | Irregular |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, instalments, family commitment | Food, fuel, mobile, shopping | Car repair, medical, visa, annual fees |
Divide yearly/irregular costs by 12 and reserve that amount monthly.
3. Use a payday order
- Pay essential bills.
- Move emergency savings immediately.
- Reserve food and transport by week.
- Set a limit for non-essential spending.
- Review actual versus planned amounts at month end.
4. If expenses exceed salary
Protect housing, basic food, essential transport and insurance first. Freeze unnecessary subscriptions/shopping, contact lenders early, and avoid using a new loan to hide a permanent monthly shortfall.
Worked monthly budget
Illustrative example: income AED 3,000; room AED 700, food AED 450, travel AED 600, mobile AED 100, family transfer AED 600 and instalments AED 200. These regular costs total AED 2,650, leaving AED 350. If annual registration and repairs are expected to cost AED 1,200, reserve AED 100 every month; only AED 250 remains for other costs and new savings.
Budget with guaranteed income. Add variable delivery orders, commission or overtime after payment, and keep a separate reserve for irregular expenses. Replace these sample numbers in the monthly calculator.