Most people do not have a money problem. They have a "where did it go" problem. This splits your income into three simple buckets — needs, wants and savings — and then shows the gap between the plan and what you really do.
Your month
Use take-home pay — the amount that actually lands in your account.
Add any side income you can count on.
What you actually spend (optional)
Leave these at zero if you only want the targets.
What this tool does
It takes your take-home pay and divides it into three buckets. Half goes to needs, the things you cannot switch off. Roughly a third goes to wants, the things that make life worth living. The rest goes to savings and paying down debt — the only part that ever buys you freedom.
If you also fill in what you really spend, it compares the two side by side and tells you your actual savings rate. That single percentage matters more than your salary. Two people on the same pay, one saving 5% and one saving 25%, are living in different futures.
When you should use it
When money disappears every month and you cannot say where.
After a pay rise, so the extra does not quietly vanish into wants.
Before starting a business, to find out how much you can really put aside.
When rent goes up and the old plan stops fitting.
How to read the answer
The three targets — not rules, just a sane starting shape. Nobody hits them exactly.
The difference column — where your month is actually going. A big minus on wants is normal and fixable. A big minus on needs is a bigger conversation: your fixed costs are too high for your income.
Your savings rate — the honest score. Under 10% means your future depends entirely on your job continuing. Over 20% means you are building something.
Example. Income 2,000. The plan says 1,000 for needs, 600 for wants, 400 for savings. Real life says 1,100 needs, 800 wants, 100 savings. The rent is a little high, but the real leak is 200 a month in wants. Moving half of that across doubles the savings rate without touching the rent.
What this tool cannot tell you
It does not know your country, tax, or benefits — it works on the money that lands in your account.
It cannot tell needs from wants for you. A car is a need for one person and a want for another. Be honest; the tool only reflects what you type.
It assumes a steady month. If your income swings, run it on a low month, not a good one.
Yearly costs — insurance, festivals, travel home — must be divided by twelve and put into needs, or they will wreck the plan later.
It is not advice. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved.
Common questions
What is the 50/30/20 rule?
Half of your take-home pay goes to needs, thirty percent to wants, and twenty percent to savings and extra debt payments. It became popular because it is simple enough to remember and loose enough to survive real life.
What if my needs are already more than 50%?
That is very common in expensive cities. It means only two things will move the number: earn more, or cut a fixed cost such as rent, car or an old loan. Trimming coffee will not fix a rent problem.
Does paying off debt count as savings?
Extra payments above the minimum do, because they raise your net worth. The minimum payment itself is a need, since skipping it has consequences.
Is 20% saving actually enough for financial freedom?
It is a decent start, not the finish. The savings rate decides how many working years you need. Twenty percent puts freedom in the distance; forty percent brings it close enough to plan around.
Next step
Know your split? Then find out what the saved part actually has to reach, and how long your cash buffer would last.