Short answer: Cap rent at 25–30% of take-home. Above that, savings and wants both get squeezed hard.
The longer version
The fastest way to take control of your money is to put real figures on paper. The number above is a starting point, not a law — your city, dependents and income stability all shift it. What doesn't change: you can't manage what you don't measure.
Put a number on it this week
Open your tracker and check the actual figure for your own life — last month's real data answers this question better than any article. Set a cap or goal around it, turn on alerts, and revisit in 30 days.
Common mistakes
Answering from memory instead of records; setting targets copied from someone else's salary; and changing five habits at once. Pick the one number this article is about, fix it for a month, then move on.
Expense Tracker: Income Manager keeps budgets, EMIs, SIP goals and daily spending on your phone. No account, no ads, no cloud.
