Dave Ramsey Budget Recommendations

The Four Walls- Priorities in a Budget:

1) Food

2) Shelter / Utilities

3) Transportation

4) Clothing

Budget Percentages Guidelines

(Multiply your total income by recommended % to see how you are doing.)

Food/Groceries-  5-15%  Include grocery stores, restaurants, and even those drive-thru windows or vending machines.

Home- 25-35%  Depending on whether you rent or own your home, this category consists of items such as rent/mortgage, repairs, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and even furniture.

Utilities– 5-10%  Include electricity, water, gas, internet, phone, and trash pick-up.

Automobiles- 10-15%  Include auto insurance, repairs, license, registration, taxes, gas, and oil.  (If you are making car payments – include that in the DEBTS category.)

Clothing/Shoes– 2-7%  Even though you might think this is more of a personal item, it really is a necessity.

Medical-  5-10%  This is a tough and frustrating category for most people, but it includes things like health insurance, disability insurance, doctor bills, and medicines.

Personal/Misc– 5-10%  This category contains a lot of variety.  Examples include hair care, school supplies, life insurance, alimony, child care, subscriptions, pet supplies, toiletries, gifts, and other miscellaneous items.

Recreation-  5-10%  Don’t let life go by without having some fun. Live a little, but make a plan first.  Set aside some money for entertainment and vacation.

Contributions– 10-15%  This includes places such as your church, non-profit organizations, and education foundations.  It does not include gifts.

Savings/Investments– 5-10%  This includes items like your retirement, mutual funds, college savings, and even your emergency fund.

 (Dave wants you to be debt free more than anybody, but while you work on that he recommends:)

Debts– 5-10%  Most Americans don’t like to look at this category, so get it paid off quickly.  Add up things like car payments, credit cards, and student loans.  Include everything you owe money on EXCEPT the house you live in.

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