People of all ages struggle with money management. If you learn fundamental financial skills early, it may help you avoid costly mistakes later on. But you might wonder, “How do I make a simple budget for teens with school expenses, savings, and spending money?” Let’s take a closer look at how to budget for teens.
How to Make a Budget for Teens
Most teenagers don’t work full-time jobs, so their budgeting needs will be different from those of an adult working full-time and paying rent or a mortgage.
If you’re ready to start learning about money management, you might be asking, “Can you show me how to budget as a teenager if I only get allowance or make a little money from a part-time job?”
Here’s a step-by-step guide to building a budget for teens.
1. Start With the Money You Have
First, identify all of your income sources. These are a few to consider:
- Income from a part-time job
- Allowance
- Odd jobs
- Babysitting
- Pet sitting
- Gifts
If you’re like many teenagers, your income is somewhat irregular. If this is the case, estimate your monthly income based on your regular income. Your budget should match your real income, not the money you’re hoping for.
2. Track Your Spending
Having a budget can help you adjust your spending so your money aligns with your goals. But before you start, it’s a good idea to establish a baseline.
Write down all of your spending for one month. When you have a clear idea of where your money’s going, you’ll be better equipped to identify spending categories. You’ll also be able to decide where you want to make changes.
For example, imagine you track spending for a month and find out that you’re spending 20% of your money on fast food. That might motivate you to reduce the number of meals out and put more money toward savings instead.
3. Identify Spending Categories
After tracking your spending for a bit, list your spending categories. Common categories for teens include:
- School expenses
- Food
- Transportation
- Gifts
- Entertainment
- Phone costs
- Savings
Take note of which expenses are fixed and which are variable. Fixed expenses stay the same. For example, your phone bill might be $50 per month. Variable expenses change.
4. Pick a Budgeting Method
For many teens, simple and category-based budgets, like the 50/30/20 rule, work best. The 50/30/20 rule tells you to put your earnings toward three different categories:
- 50% goes to needs
- 30% goes to wants
- 20% goes to savings or debt repayment
The 50/30/20 categories aren’t set in stone, and you can change them to better fit your situation. For example, if you’re like many teens, your parents might cover your basic needs (like food, clothing, housing, medical bills, etc.). In this case, you might decide to put 50% of your money toward wants and the other 50% toward savings (or toward debt repayment, if you have any).
The important thing is choosing a budget you know you can stick to.
5. Set Spending Limits
Once you’ve divided spending into categories and identified all of your income sources, it’s time to set limits and goals. For example, you might decide to limit entertainment purchases to $100, keep food purchases to $50, and save at least $200 each month.
With your budget in place, make the time to review your spending at the end of each month. That way, you can track your progress and adjust your budget as needed.
What Is the Best Budgeting Method for Teens?
What is a good budget for a teen? For teens, the 50/30/20 rule may be a good place to start because of its flexibility. Other options include zero-based budgeting, where you assign every dollar to a specific purpose, or pay-yourself-first budgeting, where you prioritize setting aside money for your financial goals.
What Are the Best Budgeting Tips for High School Students?
As you go forward on your money-management journey, keep these tips for success in mind:
- Track your spending before you build your budget.
- Remember that your budget can (and should) evolve over time.
- Set weekly or monthly check-ins to make sure you’re still on track.
- Set both short-term and long-term financial goals to stay motivated.
- “Pay yourself first” by treating monthly savings like a mandatory bill.
If you fall short of a budgeting goal, don’t be hard on yourself. It’s a process to learn budgeting for high school students. The mistakes you make now and the lessons you learn from them can help you avoid bigger financial problems later on.
The Importance of Knowing How to Budget for Teens
If you establish smart financial habits early in life, you can increase your chances of financial success later on. When you understand how to budget for teens and start putting that knowledge to work while you’re still in school, you just might find that the transition to adulthood gets a little easier.
