New Year, New Nut: Nail Monthly Expenses to Build Your Runway

Doomscrolling LinkedIn over holiday coffee? If you're pro-eyeing a 2026 career shift—with kids' activities, mortgage payments, and that nagging "what if" runway question—you're not alone. Getting a clear read on your household's monthly expenses isn't about nickel-and-diming lattes; it's the baseline for every smart move in the year ahead.

Why Your Monthly Breakdown Matters Now

Fixed expenses like mortgage and utilities lock in 50-60% of most high cost of living area (HCOLA) family budgets, while discretionary (dining out, kids' sports) hits 25-35%, leaving 10-20% for automated savings and investments. Knowing these percentages with rough certainty lets you stress-test scenarios—like a sabbatical or side hustle—without the fog. No perfection required; averages over two or three months reveal the truth.

High Cost of Living Family Example: Couple with 2 Kids

Picture Dan and Alex, mid-40s tech/marketing pros in San Mateo, dual incomes around $250K, owning a 3-bed townhome for stability post-kids' elementary years. Their total monthly outflow: $12,500—realistic for "comfortable but not flashy" in the current market.

Category	Monthly Amount	Percentage	Examples
Fixed	$7,000 (56%)	50-60% benchmark	$4,500 mortgage+taxes+insurance, $800 utilities, $500 student loans/childcare, $1,200 minimum debt payments
Discretionary	$3,500 (28%)	25-35% benchmark	$1,200 groceries/dining, $800 kids' activities/sports, $500 entertainment/travel, $1,000 misc (clothes, gifts)
Savings & Investments	$2,000 (16%)	10-20% benchmark	$1,000 401(k)/IRA auto-deducts, $500 emergency/high-yield savings, $500 college 529

Benchmark range for similar households: $11K-$15K total. Not much room to tweak fixed expenses as high COLT drives housing dominance; but there’s an opportunity to trim 10% discretionary for more runway. And more runway means more freedom.

Easy Ways to Uncover Your Numbers

Grab a napkin for a 5-minute sketch, or go digital—no daily logging needed. Pull statements from the last 2-3 months via bank/credit card apps to tally averages: fixed = predictable bills, discretionary = variable spends, savings = outflows to investment accounts.

• Spreadsheet Quick-Win: Google Sheets or Excel—columns for categories, paste transactions, use SUMIF for totals. Review quarterly.

• Bank Reconciliation: Download CSVs from Chase/Amex, sort by merchant/payee. Spot patterns (e.g., $400/month UberEats).

• Apps That Automate It: Monarch syncs all accounts, auto-categorizes, flags subscriptions, and dashboards fixed/discretionary splits with progress bars—ideal for couples. Rocket Money helps identify and cancel useless subscriptions effortlessly. YNAB or PocketGuard work too for zero-based tweaks.

• Habit Hack: Set a 15-min "Money Monday" calendar reminder. Tweak as life shifts.

Empty-Nest Future: Post-Retirement Benchmarks

Fast-forward: Kids launched, mortgage under $1K (or paid off), you and your partner in a downsized Bay Area spot or suburb. Comfortable monthly needs: $6,000-$10,000—housing/utilities 35-40% ($2,000-$4,000), healthcare/food 25% ($1,500-$2,500), discretionary/travel 20-25% ($1,500-$2,500), savings buffer 10-15% ($1,000). Benchmark ranges hold steady for planning, adjusted for inflation and lifestyle choices.

Your 3 Concrete Steps, Richuel Builds Your Runway

1. Tally last 2 months' totals: Fixed + Discretionary + Savings/Invest = Monthly "Nut."

2. Note percentages and local area tweaks (e.g., +20% housing buffer).

3. Know your numbers: "My current household monthly: $XX fixed, $XX discretionary, $XX savings. Future empty-nest: ~$XX."

Richuel’s AI guide, Reese, will have a conversation with you to understand your personal financial situation, automatically Forecast your financial projections through life, then give you a Checkup and Financial Plan. You’ll be ready for the new year to take calculated risks and make career moves with confidence.

What's your “nut” looking like? Drop it in the Richuel app—we're building runway together.