I think that we should allocate our money into 5 categories.
1. Necessary expenses. I am talking electricity bills, food, school fees (if you are studying or have children), housing, healthcare, and transportation. I believe this group is where most of our money goes because we basically can't survive without these things.
2. Emergency fund. In cases of emergency, we should be able to get some money for it. Especially in countries where healthcare is not free, we should be prepared to pay if ever we get into accidents or we get sick though hopefully it never happens but still we have to be always prepared either way.
3. Savings. Some people save up for specific things like buying a better house, a better car, getting your kid into a better school among other things. Some people may just save for the sake of having money to pull for emergencies. I think emergency money and money I want to use into building a new home should be separate.
4. Investment. Aside from our day jobs where we get most of our money to pay for our necessary expenses, we should invest in assets to make our money grow. This could be gold, real estate or cryptocurrencies.
5. Luxury. When I mean luxury, I do not actually mean it has to be expensive. But I say luxury because there are things that we do not need but still want to have or experience like traveling or eating at a good restaurant. I believe that even though we should be smart in finances this does not mean we have to completely deprive ourselves of enjoyment.
How about:
6:
Quality. When you are buying things that are necessary or improving your life somehow, it helps if you can go extra mile and read reviews. Those help you determine what items have longer lifecycle and can be upgraded or fixed if needed. Usually those things cost more but they will pay themselves back.
Having a hobby where you need to stretch your body and what rises your heartbeat might help you avoid huge medical bills in the future. Putting money to take care of yourself mentally and physically is an investment for the future. Because if you are not taking care of yourself now, someone has to do that in the future. That will cost you exponentially more.
7:
Time. Time is money, and by investing into time i mean investing in planning how to use it. Friends, family, jobs, hobbies, healthy life and rest takes time. And if you want to work for your ambitious dreams to become a reality, you need to find time to make a budget for all of that.
Having a schedule and budget is essential for any plan. It's a way to get your tasks done faster and only way to achieve any bigger goal.
It's not just about raising money. If you end up ruining your health and losing all social contacts, money won't bring that magically back.