The Harsh Truth: Why Your Monthly Budget Fails (And How to Fix It)

Hey there!

I see you clicking on this article, probably thinking, "Great, another budget lecture." But stick with me for a few minutes, because I'm about to get real with you about why that budget you keep trying to make work... well, doesn't.

Let's be honest with ourselves for a minute. We've all been there setting up that perfectly crafted monthly budget with enthusiasm and determination, only to abandon it by week two.

The Uncomfortable Truths About Budgeting

"Kal se pakka expense tracking shuru karunga," you tell yourself—only to watch it fall apart in a week.

Here’s why your budget keeps failing:

• You're not tracking what you spend: Those "small" ₹200 purchases add up faster than you think. For example, that daily ₹150 chai and samosa from that fancy café near your office? That's ₹4,500 per month you've conveniently forgotten about. Those weekend Swiggy orders with "free delivery" but ₹40 "platform fees"? Another ₹320+ vanishing from your account which annually costs you ₹3840.

• You're making it too complicated: A 27-category color-coded spreadsheet might look impressive, but if it's too complex to update, you'll abandon it before summer vacation. I once tried keeping separate budget categories for "groceries" and "snacks"—but after a few weeks, I just ended up lumping everything under "food."
• You're being unrealistic. Cutting your monthly household expenses from ₹15,000 to ₹7,500 overnight isn't "being disciplined" – it's setting yourself up for failure. My cousin tried limiting himself to ₹2,000/week for groceries in Mumbai. By day four, he was ordering ₹1,200 worth of food from a local restaurant and feeling like a failure.
• You're not planning for social obligations. In Indian culture, we have weddings, family functions, and festivals that require spending. A budget with zero money for gifts or celebrations isn't sustainable unless you're planning to become a hermit in the Himalayas.

How to Create a Budget That Actually Works

Here's my no-nonsense approach to fixing your budget:

• Start with reality, not wishes: Look at what you've actually spent in the past three months. Yes, all of it. When I did this, I discovered I was spending ₹3,200/month on DTH, OTT subscriptions, and mobile data plans – most of which I barely used.

Painful? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.

• Use the 50/30/20 rule as a starting framework: Aim for about 50% on needs (housing, food, utilities), 30% on wants (dining out, entertainment), and 20% on savings and investments. For someone making ₹60,000/month after taxes, that's ₹30,000 for necessities, ₹18,000 for wants, and ₹12,000 for future you.

• Automate everything possible: Your willpower is finite, and transfers to savings shouldn't depend on it. Set up automatic SIPs and recurring deposits that process right after your salary is credited. SIP is one of the most impactful inventions in the mutual fund space. You can check out Zerodha for your SIP. I have ₹5,000 automatically moving to my PF and ₹7,000 to my mutual funds on the 1st of every month. So, I never even "see" that money in my account.

• Give yourself some slack money: Build a "whatever" fund of ₹1,000-2,000 per month that requires no justification or tracking. This prevents budget rebellion. My friend Pallavi calls hers the "no questions asked fund" – last month she spent it on a premium dinner date for herself.

• Check in weekly, not monthly: A month is too long to go without course-correcting. Ten minutes every Sunday can save you from discovering you've blown your budget halfway through the month.

• My simple check-in: I use apps like Axio to track my transactions either on UPI, or Cards, adjust budgets as needed, and even set reminders for myself. Axio automatically categorizes expenses and helps you stay within budget.

For example, you can set alerts like:

"Restaurant budget: ₹600 left for the week. Stay strong against those Zomato notifications"

• Use discounted gift cards for regular expenses: One of my favorite budget hacks? I purchase discounted gift cards through Dealzy for places I shop at regularly. Need groceries from BigBasket? Using Dealzy's BigBasket gift card can save you 4.5% on every order. Regular Zomato user? Grabbing Zomato gift card at a 4% gives me discounts that I was not getting on Zomato.

I saved ₹2500 last month just by using discounted gift cards for my regular. shopping at Zomato, Flipkart, Myntra, and even my Amazon Prime subscription.

Look, budgeting isn't sexy, but neither is being broke. The system doesn't need to be perfect it just needs to work for you. Start small, be honest with yourself, and remember that the goal isn't restriction – it's freedom to spend on what matters to you.

Happy Budgeting!!