Top Savings and Budgeting Goals Recommended by Simple Employees

“I set a Goal for my first international trip, to Thailand. I had never been able to budget correctly for something like this and now I have the ticket booked, funds saved, and am leaving in a month!” —Mallery, Frontend Customer Relations

Money Tip: Set three Goals: One for spending-money (activities, food, etc.), one for hotel, and one for your plane ticket. That way you can set an earlier completion date for the ticket and hotel while giving plenty of time for your spending money to pile up.

Set the Goal:

“I have an emergency fund Goal and I used it to fix this tooth [points to tooth].” —Bruke, Data

Money Tip: Saving enough to cover 3-6 months of your expenses creates a nice fallback in case you lose your job, need medical treatment, or suffer a vehicle breakdown. Automatically set aside $5.47 a day using Goals and you can build a $2,000 Emergency Fund in a year!

Set the Goal:

“A puppy is a big responsibility, and I was worried the cost of food, vet trips, and training classes would be unmanageable. My ‘Samson’ Goal ensures I’m set every month not just for pet insurance and food, but also chew toys, treats, and polkadot leashes.” —Emily, Customer Relations Onboarding

Money Tip: An unexpected trip to the vet could run several thousand dollars. Budget for a pet emergency or set enough aside for pet insurance.

Set the Goal:

“I love eating out, but never really knew how much I was spending and felt anxious that it might be too much. Now I have an ‘Eating Out’ Goal, and can enjoy my meals without worry. If the Goal runs out, I just cook a bit more until it fills back up.” —Michael, Mobile

Money Tip: The first of each month, set a new restaurant Goal. If you have any left over, roll it over to next month’s — you deserve it!

Set the Goal:

“Every month I put a little money into a Goal for a new adventure, something I’ve never done. I set an end-date, and look forward to reaching that Goal. Last summer I went skydiving for the first time thanks to setting a Goal!” —Meg, Disputes

Money Tip: Save a little extra for the liquid celebration.

Set the Goal:

“My car insurance payments are infrequent and large, a combination that used to catch me off guard and cause stress. Setting an Insurance Goal has put me in the driver’s seat.” —Brian, Operations

Money Tip: Save over time for infrequent easy-to-forget-about payments like car insurance. Use Goals to automatically set a little aside every day so you’re covered when it’s time to re-up.

Set the Goal:

“Now that I use Goals to deliberately save for tickets to fly home, I see my family more. It’s such a weight off that I don’t have to sacrifice an entire paycheck or two to make it happen and then spend months recovering from it. I also save a portion of every paycheck in a Goal for my nephews. Again, I’m the only one who doesn’t live nearby, so at least now I can always be prepared to spoil them when I do get to see them.” —Naps, Customer Relations

Money Tip: Embrace adulting! Save enough to take your folks out to a nice dinner when you’re home.

Set the Goal:

“I’ve always beaten myself up about driving to work and paying to park. I did the math and buying a bike would allow me to save $11 a day on parking as well as build a workout into my daily commute. I created a Goal for ‘New Hot Wheels.’ Now I’m saving $55+ a week and cycling a total 60 miles Monday-Friday. I haven’t even counted how much I’m saving on gas!” —Mike, Recruiting

Money Tip: If you’re buying a vehicle, compare the cost of your new ride (including estimated monthly payments, if applicable) to what you’d spend on a peer-to-peer service such as ridesharing or carpooling.

Set the Goal:

“I saved up a $1,000 Buffer fund without even noticing, fairly quickly, using Goals.” —Sarah, Marketing

Money Tip: Set aside ~$1,000 in a Buffer fund you can dip into to cover bills or other expenses when things get tight.

Set the Goal:

“Beers or groceries? Out of beer money? Should I transfer some from my groceries Goal? Probably not. That’s called responsibility.” —Lee, People

Money Tip: When starting out budgeting, don’t let perfect get in the way of good. Americans on average spend around 12% of our monthly income on groceries. If you don’t know your monthly grocery expenses, try setting that much aside in a Goal now and fine-tune next month.

Set the Goal:

“Setting a Goal for my health has really improved my concept of self-worth. I treat myself with a lot more care because I budget for it. It was all too easy to shrug off symptoms or serious injury because I couldn’t be bothered with the bills. Now that I save intentionally for it, I treat myself better.” —Karen, Customer Relations Education

Money Tip: Go to a massage school and you’ll get a deep discount on that deep-tissue rubdown.

Set the Goal:

“Vacations never meant that much to me until I learned how important they are to my wife. Now we plan to do a trip every year. Seeing our progress to Goal inspires us both.” —Dan, People

Money Tip: Setting a small Goal for romance is an easy way to make sure you always have enough money for a special surprise. The completed Goal is a nice reminder that it’s time to tell someone how much you care.

Set the Goal:

“I’ve always wanted to go back to grad school, but I also don’t want to have to dip into my emergency fund to pay for it. So, I made a ‘Grad School’ Goal! In a couple more years, I should have enough to pay for a Master’s without taking out loans.” —kf, Data

Money Tip: If you’re saving for an undergraduate degree, try using the Department of Education’s College Scorecard to inform your Goal amount. Many colleges list prices assuming scholarships and financial aid, but for incoming students, budgeting for the net price of attending really helps!

Set the Goal:

“We started saving 11 months before we got engaged and ended up with leftover money in the Goal after the wedding. It was a pleasant surprise!” —Daron, Data

Money Tip: Make sure to include each wedding line-item (catering, venue, photographer, etc.) in your total—and then add a different Goal for “the unexpected.” That way you’ll be covered if inclement weather shows up uninvited.

Set the Goal:

“We’re going to St. Lucia for our honeymoon and have Goals set up for snorkeling, mountain biking, and a big Goal just for food. We’ve already been able to cover a lot of our expenses through wedding gifts, but with all the craziness of wedding planning going on, it’s nice to know we have money set aside anyway, just in case. Every time I look at my Goals page I get excited about the trip!” —Emily, Frontend Customer Relations

Money Tip: Set a “Mystery” Goal for the Honeymoon and commit to spending however much you save on something unexpected.

Set the Goal:

“Before using Simple I was constantly picking which bill I would let bounce. After being a Simple customer I went from constant overdrafts to owning my own home. I’m still amazed every time I look back.” —Josh, Backend Customer Relations

Money Tip: Name your Goals after your bills and include the date they’re due and the amount right in the title. (Here’s one Josh uses: ‘22nd: Netflix $8’) Then you can make sure it’s full by the time the bill is due!

Set the Goal:

“I’m saving to build a house, and it’s so motivating to watch the money stack up. It’s made it easy to stick to my budget, despite all sorts of temptations.” —Chelsea, Customer Relations Education

Money Tip: Financing can be tricky when you build a home. If you already own, you can do what Chelsea is doing and take out a home equity loan and then save for the rest. Another option is to do a construction loan. If you go this route, you won’t have to save as much out of pocket, but you’ll need a good buffer (for emergencies and unexpected expenses) and excellent credit.

Set the Goal:

“I have a ‘Summer Adventures’ Goal that I use to pay for camping permits, flights, gas, and snacks for all the adventures that occur in the summer months. The Goal encourages me to spend more time outdoors and traveling because I have the money saved already.” —Brian, IT

Money Tip: Around October/November, set a “Summer Adventures” goal for around $1500 to end in May or June the following year.

Set the Goal:

“A few of my high school buddies decided to get married this year. Between hotels, tuxes, and bachelor parties, I knew I needed to have a plan in place. I set a Goal for each wedding and now I’m ready for all of them, way in advance.” —Cory, Frontend Customer Relations

Money Tip: Use a deals-app like Hotel Tonight to find discount lodging or skip the hotel and get a group to go in on an Airbnb rental.

Set the Goal:

“I got a commemorative tattoo done when I was 19 that means a lot to me. I want to get it touched up and added to, so I’m saving up. I want to make sure I have enough money to get it done right.” —Hannah, Marketing

Money Tip: Stick to your tattoo savings plan by booking your appointment in advance. That way, you won’t be tempted to dip into your savings, and won’t chicken out of getting your ink done!

Set the Goal:

“I’ve been saving for a new monosynth, but will likely use it for a modular system instead.” —Whit, Operations Engineering

Money Tip: Do your research and don’t be afraid to invest in quality. A cheap instrument might seem like a good idea in the short-term, but you’ll grow out of it quickly.

Set the Goal:

“When I learned that I was going to have a child, I talked to my insurance company and figured out how much I needed out-of-pocket to cover my wife’s stay in the hospital and created a Goal for that amount to be completed on the due date. I knew that the day he entered my life would be the best of my life and I didn’t want to worry about a thing.” —Eric, Legal

Money Tip: Make a list of all your variable and fixed expenses and commit to getting more consistent with your spending before the stork comes.

Set the Goal:

“After having my first daughter I realized I needed to start saving money for her future. What started out as a simple Goal to save money for her college or her first car has changed into a tool for educating her on the importance of saving. While she’s still quite young, we show her how much is saved for her and talk about how one day it will be hers to look after and manage.” —Werner, Risk

Money Tip: Round-off your Safe-to-Spend every once in awhile into your kids’ accounts. It’s like the modern equivalent to emptying the change out of your pockets!

Set the Goal:

“Goals helped me save for an adventure to Bali where my partner and I reconnected with an old college friend, ate coconut barracuda, visited the water priestess, snorkeled in the reefs, and mountain biked through orange groves.” —Emily, Marketing

Money Tip: It’s fun to save for the perfect trip, but be sure to budget for rainy-day scenarios so you don’t get left out in the cold.

Set the Goal:

“As a new homeowner, I had no idea how quickly buying & fixing little things around the house could add up. Before I knew it, I’d spent much more money than I planned to. Then I created a Home Improvement Goal, and immediately had a much better picture of my finances. We’ll see what’s next…” —Devin, Finance

Money Tip: Start each year with a planning session to finalize a list of home improvement projects you want to tackle—then create a Goal for each. (Make sure to set one for “unwanted surprise projects” as well!)

Set the Goal:

“For most people like myself, new gear can easily equate to a couple months’ paychecks. Setting a ‘New Gear’ Goal has allowed me set money aside for a ski helmet that can break my tomahawk down the slope.” —Hau, Disputes

Money Tip: Set Goals for everything you need to replace at full-retail-prices—then be on the lookout for off-season deals. Refresh your summer gear in winter and your winter gear in summer and you might have enough leftover for a trip.

Set the Goal:

“I set a goal for the season to save up for a compact (but good) mirrorless camera. It will help me escape from my digital life, but also help me capture the moments I want to remember later! By setting a Goal, I’m easily able to set enough aside for a nice camera, where I might otherwise have just bought a cheap-o one.” —Kristin, Product Design

Money Tip: Setting a ‘Hobby’ Goal on the first day of each new season ensures you always have something set aside to pursue your passions.

Set the Goal:

“I love my Portland Trail Blazers ‘Game-Day’ Goal. I use it so I can keep up my swag collection and maybe buy a new Blazers tracksuit. It’s also something I use toward food and drinks during the games. Knowing that I have this little bucket of money set aside for my favorite sports team’s events makes celebrating a win or swallowing a loss that much easier.” —Heather, Information Security

Money Tip: Many teams offer discounts on things like food when you buy a 10-game pack of tickets. (It’s also a nice first-step toward being a season ticket holder.)

Set the Goal:

“I recommend my friends set a Shopping Goal timed to complete in mid-July, when a major retailer puts all the upcoming fall stuff like boots, jackets, and denim on sale!” —Danielle, Risk

Money Tip: Planning your Goal-completions around sales can be a great way to maximize your money.

Set the Goal:

“I’ve had a dream my whole life to own a horse. Totally was that kid. As an adult, realizing I could make this lifelong dream happen for myself was really empowering—I saved up for horseback riding lessons (check!), a pair of riding boots (check!), and now have a long term plan to save up for the possibility of being a horse owner in the future. It feels good to know that I can take small steps to make it happen.” —Kate, Brand-Studio

Money Tip: Change your phone’s background to remind you of the dream so you don’t lose sight of this long-term Goal.

Set the Goal:

“I love my ‘Impulse’ Goal. We all occasionally want things we don’t actually need, and so haven’t budgeted for. Spending from my ‘Impulse’ Goal removes the guilt from these treats, but also makes sure I don’t get carried away.” —Emily, Backend Customer Relations

Money Tip: Set aside a different amount each month to keep things interesting!

Set the Goal: