Budgeting basics

A budget is a spending plan that helps you understand how much money you're making and where you're spending it. A budget is the cornerstone of a strong financial plan.

Envelope budgeting

Zero-based budget

Create a home budget

Budgeting tips

A couple budgets together.

Bankrate offers 18 ideas for stretching your budget to save money.

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Understanding discretionary income can help you with your budgeting strategy.

Our guide tackles the basics of disposable income and how you can use it to budget.

Essential reading

Calculate your savings

Use our Savings Calculator to help you quickly and accurately estimate the growth of your investment. Set a goal and figure out how much you need to save each month to hit the mark.

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Latest articles

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A CFPB lawsuit claims Capital One underpaid savings account interest by $2 billion.

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Here’s how you can start paying off that holiday debt and building up your savings.

Mother and daughter shopping for vegetables

These simple moves can help you build a cash cushion.

A couple budgets together.

Bankrate offers 18 ideas for stretching your budget to save money.

Whimsical illustration of a hand putting a quarter into a miniature but realistic high end safe. As if it were a piggy bank

Comparing savings rates can ensure you get the best return on your savings.

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Get the latest rates on top-yielding money market accounts.

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Check out the latest CD rates from Bankrate’s weekly survey of banks and thrifts.

Mother and daughter shopping for vegetables

These simple moves can help you build a cash cushion.

Calendar of 2023

Use this challenge to stash more cash toward your savings goals.

Illustration of construction workers on a roof

An emergency fund is an essential part of a solid financial plan.

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Here’s a helpful guide to how much you need in savings over the course of your life.

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Creating a timeline is a useful way to plan and meet all your financial goals.

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It’s important to find the right home for your emergency savings.

Young man choosing oranges in the supermarket

Monthly budgets are popular because many expenses, such as rent and bills, occur monthly.

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Rainy day and emergency funds differ but together provide a sound financial plan.

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Even the small victories add up over time when you’re living on a fixed income.

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Budgeting on an irregular income is challenging, but it’s possible. Here’s how to do it.

Man using a tablet for banking

Online banks offer a number of benefits, and they’re just as safe as brick-and-mortar banks.

Five participants won the Bankrate Drop Your Debt sweepstakes

Five winners won $10,000 each in Bankrate’s first Drop Your Debt Sweepstakes.

Couple works on bills

U.S. consumers see inflation as the biggest threat to improving personal finances.

Two young brothers bake cookies together.

It’s easy to get caught up in the holiday spirit and overspend. Here are ways to avoid that trap.

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More than 3 in 5 Americans are worried about their incomes over the next six months.

Holiday shoppers gather in Macy's for holiday shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.

Experts say it’s time to prepare now for an expensive gift-buying season.

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