Dave Ramsey Says To Budget for These ‘Four Walls’ Before Anything Else — And In This Specific Order (2024)

Josephine Nesbit

·2 min read

Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey says if you’re going through a tough financial period, you should budget for the “Four Walls” first above anything else.

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In a series of tweets, Ramsey suggested budgeting for food, utilities, shelter and transportation — in that specific order. “I call these budget categories the ‘Four Walls.’ Focus on taking care of these FIRST, and in this specific order… especially if you’re going through a tough financial season,” the tweet read.

Ramsey advised prioritizing expenses, especially if you’re going through financial hardship.

“Cover utilities before you pay your rent or mortgage. This is because in most cases, your lights or water risk being shut off before you’d be evicted or foreclosed on,” Ramsey continued. “Don’t ever pay a debt before you buy food. Pause paying extra on debts and save money while you weather the financial storm.”

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In a blog post, Ramsey explained more about the Four Walls and how to protect them against inflation.

As Ramsey Solutions detailed, it’s best to shop at cheaper stores — Aldi, Costco, Walmart, etc. — and look for foods that give you more bang for your buck. Only buy the items you need and use cash-back apps and coupons whenever possible.

Energy bills have also been rising. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the typical power bill is expected to rise by 2% this summer as compared to a year ago. You can cut down on utility bills by only running appliances when necessary and programming your thermostat to use less heating and cooling energy when you’re not home.

To help save money on housing, Ramsey Solutions suggested getting a roommate, and to save enough money for a down payment in order to avoid private mortgage insurance (PMI). Also important: Make sure your house payment isn’t more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay.

Transportation is the last on the list, but you can save on gas by joining gas rewards and cash-back programs and using apps to track the cheapest gas prices. Unless you need a car ASAP, either avoid purchasing a car right now or budget for a used one.

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Dave Ramsey Says To Budget for These ‘Four Walls’ Before Anything Else — And In This Specific Order (2024)

FAQs

Dave Ramsey Says To Budget for These ‘Four Walls’ Before Anything Else — And In This Specific Order? ›

What expenses should I budget for first? Cover your Four Walls—food, utilities, shelter and transportation—before you budget for other essential expenses and fun.

What are the four walls of budgeting Dave Ramsey? ›

(What I call the Four Walls go first—food, utilities, shelter and transportation—and then other essentials come next.) After that, you prioritize everything else in the budget based on your income, your situation and your Baby Step. As things change in your life, you change up where your money's going!

What are the four walls and what priority are those in your budget? ›

Start with the most important categories first.

Giving and saving are at the top of the list, and then comes the Four Walls—food, shelter and utilities, basic clothing and transportation. Once your true necessities are taken care of, you can fill in the rest of the categories in your budget.

Which 4 are part of a successful budget? ›

To be successful, a budget must be Well-Planned, Flexible, Realistic, and Clearly Communicated.

What are the four types of expenses in a budget? ›

Broadly speaking, you can split monthly expenses into four different categories: fixed, variable, intermittent and discretionary.

What are the 4 budgets? ›

The Four Main Types of Budgets and Budgeting Methods. There are four common types of budgets that companies use: (1) incremental, (2) activity-based, (3) value proposition, and (4) zero-based.

What are the 4 steps of budgeting? ›

The following steps can help you create a budget.
  • Calculate your earnings.
  • Pay your bills on time and track your expenses.
  • Set financial goals.
  • Review your progress.
May 2, 2024

What are the four walls? ›

Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey says if you're going through a tough financial period, you should budget for the “Four Walls” first above anything else. In a series of tweets, Ramsey suggested budgeting for food, utilities, shelter and transportation — in that specific order.

What are 4 budgeting tips? ›

Get Started
  • Overestimate your expenses. It's better to overestimate your expenses and then underspend and end up with a surplus.
  • Underestimate your income. ...
  • Involve your family in the budget planning process. ...
  • Prepare for the unexpected by setting saving goals to build your emergency fund.

What is step 4 of planning a budget? ›

Step 4: Make a plan

Consider setting specific—and realistic—spending limits for each category of expenses. You might choose to break down your expenses even further, between things you need to have and things you want to have.

What is the 50/20/30 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals.

What are the four types of expenses for Dave Ramsey? ›

Four Walls (food, utilities, shelter/housing and transportation)

What is your biggest wealth building tool? ›

“Your most powerful wealth-building tool is your income. And when you spend your whole life sending loan payments to banks and credit card companies, you end up with less money to save and invest for your future.

What are the 4 areas of investment Dave Ramsey? ›

That's why we recommend splitting your investments evenly (25% each) between four types of stock mutual funds: growth and income, growth, aggressive growth, and international.

What is the 4 wall strategy? ›

A 4-wall analysis allows management to stratify store performance using various filters, such as store contribution or EBITDA, by state or region, or by line item such as sales, sales per square foot, sales per head count or other expense line item.

What are the four walls and why are they important? ›

Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey says if you're going through a tough financial period, you should budget for the “Four Walls” first above anything else. In a series of tweets, Ramsey suggested budgeting for food, utilities, shelter and transportation — in that specific order.

What does 4 walls mean? ›

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English these four wallsspoken the room that you are in, especially considered as a private place I don't want anything repeated outside these four walls.

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