How I Would Budget $7,000 a Month

[@brookie6877]

Can you do this but in other incomes? 2k, 3k, 4K, etc… maybe use percentages for all the categories. 25% housing….

[@BrokeToBlessed]

*cries in $1100* 😅😂

[@terminaterjohn]

agreed

[@amyhood6562]

That would be great idea. This is a good video but it would be interesting to see something closer to the average income.

[@reaper-sz5tm]

I’ll give you one right now. 25% housing, other 25% is your food, gas, groceries and utilities. 20% entertainment, 15% 401k, 15% emergency savings

[@edwinroyal9734]

​@reaper-sz5tm insurance adds up quick too!

[@nathalieisneon]

Everyone is complaining but… I actually prefer Rachel’s budget over Dave’s extreme. People, this is still a tight budget. 50 dollar a month eating out isn’t going to break their budget (unlike many people spending 500-1k) it gives the person a tiny bit of leeway for once or a few times a month to grab food in case of something happening. I think this is a realistic tight budget. Good job Rachel!

[@terricox3559]

I cannot fathom 500-1k a month eating out. The culture here is extremely different. You go out to eat on a weekend or a birthday once, twice a week tops, often a lot less. I'm always amazed how much Americans eat out

[@kendallmcguire]

i do too

[@sherribrink5664]

Loved this. Would love to see more of these done. It would benefit those learning how to budget, how to use Every Dollar, and to improve on their current budgets. Thanks ❤

[@crystalrobinson916]

Thank you so much for sharing this Rachel. I'm a visual learner and this helps take the stress out of breaking it down. Please do this monthly with random "pop up" expenses and what that looks like.

[@chanelm.3145]

This was awesome! It was great to see the baby steps process out of order. Please continue this segment. Would love to see this process with older adults on a fixed income.

[@shannonshannon4654]

I love this real life budget!!! I would love to see more with varying incomes, debts, goals, retirement positions, etc. Love it!

[@smilybacon7179]

Really like a series for real life budgetting as you go through the steps.

[@vhol93]

This is great, would love to see this video becoming a full on series !

[@davidbeare8909]

I really enjoyed Rachels skill and determination making things happen on day one In relation to the car lease, in Australia the lease payment includes all expensed including fuel (gas), service. tyres, maintenance etc, it is a full budget within the budget, no surprises. Thats why the gas was zero, which Rachel changed to $200. So in reality there is another $200 towards the 2nd debt! David - Melbourne, Australia.

[@libbysworld7649]

Rachel, you need this every month please.

[@stosh6586]

I am surprised Rachel kept the allocation for savings toward their vacation to the Holy Land. With being in Baby Step 2 and supposedly being gazelle intense, I would have eliminated that savings since a vacation is a luxury, not a necessity.

[@lydiasmith552]

Agree. Dave would have cut the eating out & the trip in baby step 2. Interesting to see she doesn’t follow?

[@stosh6586]

@@lydiasmith552 Lydia, good point about cutting out restaurants entirely. The $50 Rachel kept in the budget for eating out should have gone toward the debt!

[@Mtripp27]

She probably considers it donating to the church.

[@euniceyacobaa.8626]

🤔Could it because they’ve achieved Baby Steps 1,5,6 already.

[@sharonc316]

They probably have already signed up for the trip and the group going really depends on all committing to the trip. The Holy Land trips usually take a year of planning ahead with your church group.

[@samanthaberch]

That couple had a TON of extra money flying out the door they needed to tighten up.

[@KKahn3]

This is the best video!! I’d love to see these a couple times a month with all different baby steps and incomes.

[@lisagallant8386]

This was SO SO SO helpful a) to see everydollar in action b) to see you cutting things that maybe others wouldn't like lawncare or house keeping VERY VERY helpful ❤❤❤

[@annbarrios764]

Keep posting different budgets very helpful.

[@Red_1976]

People on a real budget can’t afford lawn care or housekeeping - to them this is a real luxury! 7K is an amazing income. Try a real figure if $3-3500 per month.

[@nicholebryant7359]

Mobility issues and /or neighborhood ordinances could impact housekeeping or lawn care. But agreed there may be an oppty. to cut some there. I stay getting warnings 😂😂

[@shannonshannon4654]

I love that you showed the Every Dollar budget for those of us that are visual

[@lizzsparks8710]

Love this. Thank you for sharing. I would love to see you create a budget with no debt included; savings towards 401k, retirement, buying a home, etc..

[@binfordtoolman5674]

IMO, Rachel is the most balanced & realistic of the Ramsey personalities. Unlike Dave, she shows some flexibility while sticking to the overall principles of the Ramsey plan. One example is the "Chick-fil-A" run of $50. Dave would have never supported that. As a result, I think this couple will be more successful under Rachel's coaching vs Dave's. If the plan is too rigid & unrealistic, people will lose interest in the plan and fail.

[@hectorkjv_1611]

I don't think Dave is against eating out every once in a while. Envelope fun money lol.

[@KatieBellino]

Exactly. If you are $20-30k in debt (or more), it's unrealistic to have no social life for 2-3 years.

[@mjalaska]

Great video. Would love to see more content with lower income values. Social security, retirement, fixed or irregular income examples. :)

[@samanthaberch]

Awesome real world examples Rachel, please keep doing this!

[@jasonhernandez2454]

Appreciate the $0 budget example using the app, everyone's situation will be different and look forward (hopefully) to other types of budget situations. I like the "what if" senarios and how you went back and adjusted for the $100 "buffer". This is realistic with a $7k income... I'm sure there are other challenging income situations but, the budget will show if a side hustles and selling stuff for extra income is required to meet your monthly money goals.

[@susang.3045]

Thanks Rachel, This is a great video. Every Dollar has been the most incredible game changer for me; been using it for several years now.

[@christiS907]

I love this. I like that you showed the every dollar on a lap top. I’ve only tried it on my phone and didn’t care for it. But this I liked.

[@kajsahagen5455]

I would love to see these at different income levels!!

[@lydiasmith552]

Love this type of video. Could you please do more for every type of situation, including for those past baby step 2? It’s a helpful visual and applicable to real life. But I’m confused why eating out, a trip, and savings for emergency fund are included? Dave would cut all in baby step 2…….

[@nh7tr]

Hi Rachel! I love your channel and SMHH! I’d love to see you do more of these with more debt or less income, etc. Fantastic video!

[@ingiegirl]

MORE BUDGET REVIEW PLS!!! Love seeing real examples!!

[@GillianMarshall-ps2iw]

Great video Rachel! I would love to see more of these.

[@MomoHitsujiOwO]

This is pretty much my budget! Thank you for sharing! ❤

[@cassidy745]

This was fun! Thanks Rachel!!

[@thirdlynephilim]

Most people make far less than that. People who are struggling usually make minim wage or not much above it.

[@sabrinastroe1821]

as mentioned before: it's an avg salary per household (aka 2 people/family), it's not that crazy.

[@haveablessedday7746]

I want to see Dave do one of these videos 😂

[@gryffinkat]

I LOVED this video! I would love for you to do my budget. I have $183k in debt (almost all student loans), and I'm currently making $3600 in take-home pay. Looking to increase my income, but in the meantime, any tips I can get about how to tweak my budget would be REALLY helpful!

[@janelleg597]

There are already lots of vids about this. Good luck

[@RachelCruze]

Hey @gryffinkat would love to help you with this. Could you post your email here? We can message you directly and get more of your budgeting details so that we could better serve you.

[@sergiorivas2581]

I don't know how I got here, but starting loving it

[@sviolet892]

I love this series!!!

[@gailtester8749]

I really liked this Rachel!

[@danzingkatie5642]

I love this idea and would love to see this every month!

[@rachelt727]

Please do more of these!

[@RegularHuman]

Some people really need you! thank you for sharing

[@Bfolks84]

This is a fun series!!! Do more of these !!

[@royalredus]

This was terrific!

[@WriteHollyDavis]

This was sooo helpful!! More of these please :)

[@GeoForReal]

More of these please!

[@markhines192]

Rachel this was helpful but could you do a video on how to record money going in and out of your budget. When you pay a bill how do you record that money going out

[@lpinman16]

Very helpful. If your do this again will you explain each line item as you go instead of I’m going to take this and not being specific

[@jangle318]

I’ve been keeping a budget and working the baby steps since 2019 but next month will be our first month without a paycheck for my husband (who brings in the majority of our income). He is 100% commission and I’ve set aside a chunk of his last paycheck to hold us over a couple of months, but it’s still scary! We’re in BS3 and I feel like we’ll be here forever between the hike in our homeowners insurance (we live in South LA and been affected greatly due to recent storms), my son’s special needs (we have been unsuccessful in finding a summer camp for him the past few summers so we have to pay someone to watch him), hurricane repairs and building up a sinking fund for our deductible now that it’s so high, etc. We also bought a car in cash in October when my husband switched to this 100% commission job since his previous job came with a work vehicle. We’ll get there one day but wish I could feel like we’re making progress other than temporary progress which gets depleted without a paycheck or with hurricane damage, etc.

[@jasonk446]

I do mine on a spreadsheet. That app looks pretty neat though.

[@savannahhartwig6561]

Loved this! Please do more!

[@momstruction]

My only complaint with everydollar is there's no weekly or biweekly budgeting option

[@Pickedpurposely]

Same ! That’s why we ended up still using our excel spreadsheet because we do a budget per check

[@gryffinkat]

@@Pickedpurposely I'm seriously thinking of going back to this, as well. It's easier for me to consider what I am spending per paycheck (paid twice a month), rather than over the month.

[@sadfasde3108]

Why is that a problem? Why not just use last months money?

[@WAGSMadison]

Yes, agree. Paycheck planning is supposed to help with that but I haven't tried it yet.

[@linnieh.2846]

Love this! Please do this more often!!!!

[@thomasgreenwood9468]

Awesome budget example Rachel.

[@marydski]

Love this! So helpful ❤ thank you!

[@cammy60467]

This is really cool to see the hard numbers

[@chipgilbreath5910]

Such a down to earth personality, love to see baby steps out of order. What is the app used?

[@nicholebryant7359]

Every dollar

[@MonicaKincaid]

Yes I would love for you to show us a variety of income examples. Also, a great show idea is to show us how to live on less than you make. For example, if your income is $75k, how can you live on 50k?

[@greatsouthmarketing8897]

Yes, next time do someone who is struggling like 2-3k

[@maikalacorumtuliva4030]

Hi Rachel :) I hope we can also use the every dollar budget app here in the Philippines. Thanks for all your help.

[@girlonaswing9439]

Are you kidding me? I would have a wonderful time budgeting 7 grand a month. I would be able to do and help so many people. Wow.

[@Pickedpurposely]

Exactly lol After taxes have about $3700 a month

[@gilligan1350]

​@@Pickedpurposelytwo people exactly like you getting married is how people get to $7k. It's not as unrealistic as it seems.

[@sabrinastroe1821]

@@gilligan1350 exactly! i think people get too personal on the fact that they think this is one person salary/income

[@hannahyoungblood1805]

Please do more of these!!!❤

[@flip4v]

Do 2500/mo please

[@lindadorman2869]

It would be interesting to see how you budget for a single retiree with a fixed income of $2000 from Social Security and pension, no savings or investments, and no debt.

[@sharonfleshman6961]

Rent/mortgage?

[@jasonbornne7767]

@@sharonfleshman6961I’m assuming they would own their home outright and just be on the hook for taxes.

[@jasonbornne7767]

$7000 budget and the house is paid off?

[@ericl6386]

If you make 2k in the US in retirement you are better off moving to South America / Asia . Much better life with that kind of income

[@sharonfleshman6961]

@@ericl6386 No family and a language barrier from most of the society? Nope.

[@trentme09]

Don't worry "Never see the inside of a restaurant" is when the drive-thru comes in REAL handy...

[@donnahampton3632]

Loop hole! Haha!

[@elsaromero4743]

Yessss!!! 😂haha finding those loop holes 🤣

[@Melanierose.821]

Just keep looking forward

[@stowie7733]

2 thoughts - 1) $7000 a month is not a realistic figure for most people as many, including myself, live on much less money a month. 2) I tried to use the app but I have different banks that I switch the funds to along with two accounts at the same bank. The app kept thinking I had almost twice as much income than I did. It counted all deposits as income when they were transfers between accounts. It was so frustrating that they would not keep the accounts & separate the funds (like adding my emergency fund monies as if it was available funds. Uugghhhh!!)

[@sophiaallen655]

Yup, I have the same issue with it thinking all my transfers are income. Or bringing money out of savings. 🫠

[@tiffneyminor1878]

you can delete transactions.

[@emilyschimek1526]

I just delete those transactions

[@thehomeless_trucker]

100k isn't a crazy high income anymore, and 1/3 of US households make that much or more annually. It's just a solid income. I don't use every dollar, so I agree it's not good. Ynab made me realise I only need a single bank account.

[@jeffmorse5599]

7k is certainly very realistic for a lot of americans. TBH in any HCOL or edium to HCOL thats the bare minimum for a normal household income.

[@emoney1231]

This did not feel like a baby steps budget. Shouldn't be taking a trip overseas while still in debt. (I wouldn't consider that trip "giving.") Adding $25 to the emergency fund isn't necessary if they already have $1000. And leaving money in for restaurants? Since when is that recommended? Dave should come in and critique Rachel's critique.

[@lydiasmith552]

Agree. Dave would have cut out these items. Why isn’t she following?!

[@flyinggeckos123]

That’s just not very realistic. $25 a month is not going to make or break the goals here, considering their income.

[@brookecarrillo3432]

@@flyinggeckos123but it’s the 25 dollars here and there that DO break the budget. Those things add up quickly and can sneak up on you.

[@lydiasmith552]

Exactly. It’s being “Dave-ish” 😂

[@brookecarrillo3432]

@@lydiasmith552 YES!!!!!

[@morbotheturtle3796]

Would love to see these with the same income at different steps. Like $7k income budgets if in bs1,2,3; or bs4,5,6; bs3b; or bs 7

[@monikadoyle-realtor9559]

Probably better to have paid off the other debt first before the mortgage. Most mortgages have some of the lowest interest rates!

[@aubreysiglock9]

Yes do this monthly, please! 🩷

[@Aaron-hg8jo]

Cool. More videos like this!

[@elisemedina2237]

This was great!!!

[@jeremybeadles5197]

How do I submit to Rachel my budget on EveryDollar? Would love to find out what she would say about my budget.

[@sanctified1ne902]

Car payment is paid 2x, under Transportation and the debt category, technically have another $499 to put towards the snowball debt.

[@zk0989]

One is probably financed

[@jenndesigns_4501]

I think the car payment was there 2 times. So there was another $499 that could be used to pay debt.

[@brittanyhollander1641]

We make about $4k a month and family of 4 groceries(not including toiletries) is approximately $400-600 depending on the month

[@janelleg597]

?1? Just me and hubby need $600/mo. Nothing fancy either

[@bramhaze]

Is there a reason to first pay off the lowest debt instead of first paying of the highest interest debt? (The only benefit I can imagine is psychology)

[@lauren0007]

Psychologically it’s more motivating but it would save money on interest to pay the highest. I’m currently paying off debt and I am prioritizing credit cards first and then personal loans from lowest balance to highest to keep up the motivation.

[@TheyCallMeRoam]

They probably have electric vehicles. The high electric bill and $0 gas budget would make sense then.

[@FunInTheSun808]

Could the music throughout the video be cut so its easier to pay attention.

[@melissafedeli2022]

Who has 7k a month? Do someone with 2k

[@luckylib]

Yes. I second that

[@sherribrink5664]

I look forward to seeing more of these done with all kinds of different incomes.❤

[@yoyoma27payer]

i do but i have to work alot

[@PCKA1987]

We make $8k a month. Family of 8. We do have a nice home in a nice neighborhood. We eat very intentionally. Lots of fresh produce and organic grains from a wholesaler. Still challenging to save each month.

[@Mrsmetamorphosis2012]

🙋🏽‍♀️

[@leroythegreat]

What about taxes?

[@rickmayer9614]

can someone explain to me, please! what does Rachel mean by ‘’ giving ‘’

[@coastalgolf4720]

I like strict budgeting and agree with budgeting and avoiding consumer debt. I like Rachel. I noticed this budget was $7,200 income and of that $140 is being given to the church. With the tithe being traditionally 10%, that would be $720 for a tithe. Does the Ramsey debt snowball allow for reducing the tithe below 10% of take home pay to provide more money for the snowball?

[@joshuasutton7451]

They don't teach that, no. They do, however, tell people not to give much over 10% until they're past BS3

[@moneywithjustliving5258]

I welcome all ideas. Thank you.

[@paulaglogowski6544]

Did I see a car lease? If so, is there someway that they can return the car and get a cheap car with no payment?

[@anneard1674]

you didn't mention getting a review on insurance for potential savings... are you assuming they have already had like energy audits for lower utilities etc?

[@gryffinkat]

What I don't get is why they had no auto insurance payment???

[@schuylergeery-zink1923]

My husband and I have health conditions where we eat healthy, fresh and frozen. And have higher expenses for medical like item. We make ~$5,500 and have a mortgage. Budgeting is a bit trickier for us… but we also went through bankruptcy to get ride of credit cards so the amount of debt we need to pay off is wayyyy less now.

[@smith12885]

Food and supplements are major issues for us. Because of serious health issues, I’ve only found $1000 extra in our healthy income. Searching for possible side hustles within our constraints. It’s frustrating

[@nicholebryant7359]

Agreed. I could do a pretty good side hustle in my field but it would be at the expense of my health, so I’ve chosen to take the longer, less lucrative route.

[@frenzy360sm]

The budget had the car lease listed twice. There is an extra $400 to throw at their debt.

[@ashleyharlow9948]

I caught that too!

[@ceciliajohnson6593]

Me too!

[@itsallperfectlynormal9805]

Unless there are 2 cars?

[@freedomring3022]

I use every dollar. The free version. So much easier then using a spreadsheet.

[@Mruelas0924]

Do 10k please!!

[@firefalcoln]

Whether or not it’s smart to cut off the small 401K contribution depends on whether or not their company has a match for that contribution. Even if it’s a 50% match, that’s a much better return than the cost of 20% credit card interest. This is why the money guy channel prioritizes putting money toward the 401K match above paying off high interest debt.

[@SarahtheDietitian]

Even if you take out pool cleaning and do it yourself, you still have to buy chemicals.

[@joeltrain]

I could watch an entire series on this. It might be better to have the person with you though so they can get on board with the plan

[@homeschoolteenswithjenny]

What percentage of your income should you be spending on food? I have two teens on top of me and my husband, and our food budget is such a struggle!

[@shawnanapier845]

We have teen boys too and our food budget is always a struggle. It’s crazy! 😅

[@homeschoolteenswithjenny]

@@shawnanapier845 I'm glad I'm not alone. HA!

[@pamelalima5401]

Yes food is what’s killing me

[@juliequates9529]

Yes such a low food budget. Our biggest bills are mortgage and food.

[@janelleg597]

Everyone be struggling

[@awolf876]

This is perfect.

[@travman4545]

Great video. Budget critique: A vacation shouldn’t be in the giving category just because it’s a vacation in Israel 🤣

[@personperson9635]

Amen! 😁

[@kleindropper]

WTH, get rid of the pool, car, and do your own housework. Boom, $1,000 saved per month.

[@amyjones8613]

Can you please do a low income example? Around 2k 😊

[@vvraithz]

I like this new video idea! But I don’t know Rachel, I feel like you are giving too many fantasy budget numbers. The sacrifice is real, as you mentioned, but I find it hard to expect both parents, who have kids, to find a side hustle of $500/mo each after you just took out a lot of their free time which is now spent cooking, cleaning, and yard work. I do all my own yard work, it is never $0. At least put $20/mo to round out for fertilizer etc required throughout the year (especially if they have an HOA to keep happy). I’d be curious to know a few more unique facts about the family, like, what industry they work in or if they have major health problems they are working around.

[@nicholebryant7359]

My thoughts as well

[@corneliaguida440]

Why did you not budget 10% giving? Is this until the depth is paid?

[@Supafly1906]

That Home owners insurance of $675 has got to be the annual amount. So monthly that’s only $60 .

[@Katlife246]

@supafly1906 unfortunately maybe not. Our homeowners insurance just went up over double what it was. Our annual now is $5500

[@Supafly1906]

@katycarmack-7642 you could right. They could live in a flood zone or just live in a ridiculously low property tax area. I was going off of the property tax. For them to pay less than 6k a year in PT I assume the house isn't big and shouldn't cost that much to replace. But that's all just an assumption.

[@donna3302]

@@Supafly1906hat can be the monthly cost. Mine is just a bit over that 😢Home insurance prices have been going up like crazy in the last couple of years.

[@nicholebryant7359]

@@donna3302car also. I have a garage now and it still went up. Meanwhile my car was swiped often when parked on the street. You would think less risk but that’s as an individual not the pool of ppl insured by the company.

[@pattiupton1499]

Cool video!!

[@richardm5540]

What’s your monthly budget Rachel? Would you divulge it ? Are you comfortable?

[@WeBeatMedicare6969]

Lol