u/The_Big_DongerJ

Hi everyone! I’m about to receive my very first paycheck and want to set up good financial habits right from day one. I’m earning around ₱20,000 – ₱25,000 monthly.

Since I'm completely new to personal finance, I’d love to get your advice and perspective on two main things:

1. Salary Percentage Split:

• How much of my income should realistically go toward Needs (rent share, groceries, utilities, daily commute)?
• What percentage is reasonable for Wants / Fun money without feeling restricted or guilty?
• How should I split my savings between an Emergency Fund, Short/Long-term Goals, and Retirement?
• Is the classic 50/30/20 rule realistic on a starting salary here, or did you use a different split when starting out?

2. Bank & E-Bank Allocations:

• Which banks or digital banks (UnionBank, MariBank, GoTyme, Maya, Pag-IBIG MP2, etc.) do you use for each specific category?
• How do you separate your spending money from your savings so you aren't tempted to touch your emergency fund?

I'm really eager to learn and build a solid system early on. Any advice, bank recommendations, or lessons you learned from your own first job would be greatly appreciated! Thank you and have a good day!