Pros and Cons of the 50/30/20 Budgeting Rule (2024)

FAQs

Pros and Cons of the 50/30/20 Budgeting Rule? ›

For many people, the 50/30/20 rule works extremely well—it provides significant room in your budget for discretionary spending while setting aside income to pay down debt and save. But the exact breakdown between “needs,” “wants” and savings may not be ideal for everyone.

For many people, the 50/30/20 rule works extremely well—it provides significant room in your budget for discretionary spending while setting aside income to pay down debt and save. But the exact breakdown between “needs,” “wants” and savings may not be ideal for everyone.

Disadvantages of the 50/30/20 Budget

Many people find it hard to allocate 20% of their income toward savings. If you live in a large metropolitan area with a high cost of living, it may be difficult or impossible to include all your needs with only 50% of your income.

Some Experts Say the 50/30/20 Is Not a Good Rule at All. “This budget is restrictive and does not take into consideration your values, lifestyle and money goals. For example, 50% for needs is not enough for those in high-cost-of-living areas.

Zero-based budgeting differs from traditional budgeting in that the companies using it create a budget for each new period. The benefits can include lower costs by keeping old and new expenses in check. Potential disadvantages are that it can reward short-term thinking and be resource-intensive.

It slows your progress when you have multiple savings goals. When you have multiple savings goals you're working on simultaneously, it's going to take you longer to save for each of them. That's true of any budget, but it's a more significant problem if you're serious about adhering to the 50/30/20 model.

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

Using the 20-20-20 rule can help prevent eye strain when looking at screens. For every 20 minutes a person looks at a screen, they should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Following the rule is a great way to remember to take frequent breaks.

What are the negative effects of budgeting? ›

A fixed budget is important to have control over the company and it is useful while creating future goals. It also enables proper internal communication and coordination within the company. However, it doesn't focus much on necessary details, nor it is too hierarchical.

The 50/30/20 rule can be a good budgeting method for some, but it may not work for your unique monthly expenses. Depending on your income and where you live, earmarking 50% of your income for your needs may not be enough.

Living on $1,000 per month is a challenge. From the high costs of housing, transportation and food, plus trying to keep your bills to a minimum, it would be difficult for anyone living alone to make this work. But with some creativity, roommates and strategy, you might be able to pull it off.

Requiring a balanced budget every year, no matter the state of the economy, would risk tipping a weak economy into recession and making recessions more frequent, longer, and deeper, causing very large job losses and hurting long-term growth.