We've been helping people in Thailand take control of their money since 2021. Here's what actually works and what doesn't when you're starting from zero each month.
Most people quit after their first month. Not because zero-based budgeting doesn't work, but because they set up their categories wrong. I made the same mistake in 2019, and so did about 60% of the people we've worked with.
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Freelancers and commission-based workers can't predict next month's income. So how do you allocate every baht when you don't know how many baht you'll have? We tested three approaches with 40 Bangkok freelancers.
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Following up with families who started zero-based budgeting in September 2024. Three kept going, two quit, one modified it completely. Here's what happened and why some approaches lasted while others didn't.
Read the full story →Everyone shows you budget templates with 15-20 categories. Groceries, transport, entertainment, utilities, subscriptions, dining out, personal care. Looks organized, right?
But here's what happens in real life: you buy lunch at 7-Eleven. Is that groceries or dining out? You take a Grab to meet friends. Transport or entertainment? Your phone bill includes streaming. Utilities or subscriptions?
After watching 200+ people struggle with this exact issue, we found something interesting:
Start simple. You can always split categories later if you need more detail. Going the other direction is much harder.
We asked Ratchanon Thanomkiat, who's been using zero-based budgeting since early 2023, what actually matters after the excitement wears off.
Financial Planning Guide
Helping Bangkok families find what works for their actual lives, not textbook examples.
Your first month won't be accurate. You'll forget things, miscategorize expenses, and probably run out of money in categories you thought you'd funded properly. That's completely normal.
Use month one as data collection. Just track where money actually goes without judging yourself. Month two is when you start making real decisions based on what you learned.
I see people abandon budgeting because they went 50 baht over in their coffee category. Or they forgot to log a transaction and gave up entirely. A budget isn't a test you pass or fail.
If you track 80% of your spending and make better decisions because of it, you're already ahead of where you were. Progress beats perfection every single time.
What works in March might not work in July. Maybe you realize your gym membership should be in "health" not "entertainment." Or you need a separate category for motorcycle maintenance after an expensive repair month.
Good budgets evolve. They match your actual life, not some ideal version of how you think you should spend money.
These come up almost every week in our workshops. Sometimes you just need a straightforward answer without reading a 2,000-word article.
A step-by-step walkthrough of creating your initial budget. We'll show you how to pick categories, estimate amounts, and set up tracking that actually works for Thai banking apps.
Start HereCar insurance once a year. Festival spending in April. Annual subscriptions. These irregular costs mess up monthly budgets unless you plan for them differently.
Learn This MethodShould you build emergency savings before starting zero-based budgeting? Or include emergency fund contributions in your monthly budget? Both work, depending on your situation.
See ExamplesTwo people, two incomes, different spending habits. How do couples make zero-based budgeting work without constant arguments about coffee or clothes purchases?
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