So I make after-tax income on average of 1894.54$ per month (according to YNAB) in which 674,25$ goes towards fixed expenses & contracts (ex: Rent, electricity bill, cell phone bill, etc...). That means I have 1220,29$ remaining once my fixed expenses have been paid.
Every month, I also put aside 8,69$ for my passport (once I have 200$ accumulated, that money will be used to renew my passport), 7,62$ goes towards my driver's licence fee (in my province, we pay around 100-120$ towards the driver licence fee every year), I put aside 25$ per month for next year's tax (this is to cover myself incase I am hit with a tax bill after income tax season), I put aside 15$ per month towards Repairs/Replacement emergencies (this is used just incase something breaks down or needs fixing now) and finally 10$ per month is put aside for taxi emergencies (I usually take the bus to go to work and it has happened in the past that we've had bus strikes,so the taxi emergencies would help me pay for my ride if I can't somehow use my bike or any other transportation to go to work). With all that money put aside, I am now left with 1153,98$.
So far, so good, I don't see the need to change in these 2 areas (my fixed expenses and my savings).
Where I have trouble allocating is in these following categories, here is what I usually put aside each month:
Variable Expenses:
-Groceries: 500$
-Personal Care & Hygiene (ex.: Toothpaste, Shampoo, Deodorant, etc...): 25$
-Restaurants: 15$
-Entertainment & Outings (going to a movie, going out with friends, etc..): 20$
-Gifts & Special events: 10$
-Clothes: 23.20$
-Miscellanous (Stuff I buy not on a regular basis like batteries or furnitures, it can be anything): 35$
Savings or planned expenses:
-Vacation (I put 4% per paycheck): 75.78$
-Emergency Fund: 50$
-Long Term Investments (this is where I save my money for FIRE and maybe a future house purchase): 400$
So like I said, I have 1153,98$ remaning, is my budget for variable expenses and savings. Should I stick with my current budget or should I modify something in order to higher up my savings? Is there an area in which I need to fix or should I keep things the way they are? By the way, I am from Canada, my grocery budget is in my opinion high (as you can see I put 500$ aside for groceries per month), but that is because I buy mainly organic and since I work out, I tend to eat alot more than the average person. Plus canadian food is expensive compared to the US.