How much to save each month without going without

First work out what remains after fixed charges. That sum, and only that sum, can be split between variable spending and saving.

On 700 of disposable income, setting aside 70 is 10% of what is genuinely available: a target you can keep. Applying 10% of gross salary usually means an amount you will take back at the end of the cycle.

Saving 30 for twelve months beats saving 150 and quitting in the third month, restarting, then quitting again.

Start deliberately low. Increase it once two or three cycles have ended without tension.

The transfer should leave on salary day, not at the end of the cycle. What is left at the end is never left.

Treat saving exactly like a fixed charge: an amount that leaves automatically, at the same time as rent.

The first absorbs the unexpected: it must stay immediately available. One to two months of fixed charges is a reasonable marker.

The second matches an identified project. It can be less accessible, which stops you from spending it out of habit.

A saving amount is right if, once removed, your daily available figure is still liveable. If the daily figure becomes unrealistic, the saving will be taken back before the cycle ends.

That is why an amount per day is a better guide than a percentage.