Budgets and life goals: how do people strike the balance?

More than half of respondents (53%) say they manage their budget by gut feeling. Their bank's app comes next (36%), ahead of spreadsheets (25%). Dedicated budgeting apps remain marginal: only 9% mention one.

Steering by instinct does not mean lack of interest — quite the opposite: 80% of respondents check their finances at least once a week, and 31% do so every day. The share is the same among those who go by gut feeling (80%): people look at their account often, but without a method for knowing what they can actually spend.

Asked to rate from 1 to 5 how well they know what they have left once fixed costs are paid, respondents give an average of 3.4. Only 27% know it exactly (5 out of 5), and 25% put themselves at 1 or 2.

The gap is clear depending on how people manage their budget: 33% of those who go by gut feeling know their figure well (4 or 5 out of 5), against 74% of other respondents. With groups this small (40 and 35 people) the gap is indicative only, but it points the expected way: without a method, the most useful everyday number stays blurred.

12% of respondents manage to set nothing aside, while 33% save more than a quarter of their income. In between, 31% set aside 1 to 10% of their income, and 24% between 11 and 25%.

The first obstacle cited is financial: 53% of respondents consider their income too low. Next come lack of visibility (36%) and the unexpected (33%). Poor management comes last (23%): respondents point first to a lack of margin and visibility.

Their last "big" treat — a trip, a tech purchase, a car — was planned for 71% of respondents and spontaneous for 29%. Yet 72% use no savings pot or sub-account to put money aside for their plans: people plan ahead, but without a dedicated tool.

Respondents are split almost evenly: 52% would like to know what they can spend today without guilt, while 48% would rather see their progress towards their goals clearly.

One lead stands out: 78% of the 60 respondents asked about it would follow a dedicated tool's suggestion to spend — a €40 restaurant meal, say — if it guaranteed the expense would not jeopardise their long-term plans.