Your goals!  A budget is simply a plan to channel your money towards your needs, and that you afford your wants.  Budgeting helps for many reasons: you do not spend more than you earn, you plan / pay your bills, you plan ahead to make your ends meet, and more. Keep in mind one important thing:  ideally you budget to make sure that you meet your goals – pay for the essential expenditures, pay off your loans and credit, and save money both for short terms goals such as going for a holiday or long term ones for your retirement.