How to read your budget result
This tool answers one question: how much money is left at the end of the month once everything is paid? If the answer is below zero, you see it now, before you run out mid-month.
What the numbers mean
Left this month is money in minus must-pay costs, loan payments, the monthly share of yearly costs and flexible spending. It is the number that matters most. A small positive figure is fine. Below zero means you are short every month.
In a weak month repeats the same sum with the income from your weakest month in the last six. The costs stay the same. Until you enter that month, it shows a dash. It also stays blank if you tick “Fixed salary”.
The coloured box sums it up. It can say you have money left, that a normal month works but a weak one doesn’t, or that you are short each month. Until you enter any income, it asks you to start there.
Yearly costs need a note. Type the yearly amount (Diwali, a wedding, insurance, school admission) and the tool divides it by 12. Putting that share aside each month stops these costs from turning into new debt.
How your money splits shows four shares of income. Needs are must-pay costs plus the yearly set-aside. Loans are all EMIs (fixed monthly loan payments), card minimums and BNPL (buy now, pay later) instalments. Wants are flexible spending, and the last bar is what’s left to save. If loans take more than 40% of income, a warning appears. That 40% line is our own warning sign, not an official rule.
Worked example
On a first visit the page loads a fictional budget. If you used the salary calculator first, your take-home from there replaces the demo income.
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| Take-home pay | ₹28,000 |
| Must-pay costs (rent ₹7,000, food and gas ₹5,500, bills ₹1,200, travel ₹1,800, sent to parents ₹4,000) | − ₹19,500 |
| Phone EMI | − ₹2,500 |
| Yearly costs: ₹18,000 ÷ 12 | − ₹1,500 |
| Flexible spending (eating out, shopping) | − ₹2,500 |
| Left this month | ₹2,000 |
Needs come to 75% of income, loans 9%, wants 9%, and 7% is left. By the popular 50/30/20 template that would look wrong. It isn’t. With rent and money sent home, needs above 50% are common. Your own numbers tell you more than any ratio.
Now add a weak month. If your weakest recent month brought in ₹25,000, you’d be ₹1,000 short with the same costs.
What this tool doesn’t do
It plans one month. It can’t forecast surprise costs, which is why an emergency fund matters. It doesn’t check whether a loan payment is fair or legal. If you share costs with a partner or family, it can’t decide whose income is available. Agree on that first, then enter only that amount.
Common questions
What should I count as money in? Your take-home pay, the amount that lands in your bank, not your CTC. If your income changes month to month, use your weakest recent month as the main figure.
Where do I put money I owe friends or family? Put it under loan payments. Enter the amount you must pay each month, not what you’d like to pay.
What should I do with the money left? Pick a fixed amount to save on payday, before you spend anything else. Spend what remains as you like.
Is my budget saved anywhere? Only if you press “Save on this device”. It then stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to Paisavy.