The Masareefy blog
The Masareefy blog, practical writing on household money
Short articles, each on one money question at home: how to set the month's budget, how to get ready for Ramadan, school and travel, and how to decide before you buy in instalments. Every article has a worked example and one step you can take today.
Budgeting
-
The 50/30/20 rule in Egyptian pounds, three tables for three income levels
Does the 50/30/20 rule fit Egyptian salaries? Three hypothetical tables for EGP 8,000, 18,000 and 40,000 a month, and when the shares drift.
-
A food budget built on your numbers, not your hopes
Why food limits set on hope fail, and how to build one from three months of real spending, split across groceries, eating out and delivery.
-
School costs, two months of bills spread over twelve
School costs land in two months of the year. List every item and its due date, spread the cost over twelve months, with a two-child example.
-
A home with two incomes, how each person's share of the costs is worked out
Four ways to split shared household costs when both spouses earn, worked in EGP on one example, and what to do when one income falls or rises.
-
Shared rent and bills, one settlement a month with the fewest transfers
How flatmates split rent, utilities, internet and shared groceries, then settle once a month with two or three transfers instead of ten.
-
Owning a car in the Gulf, what it costs each month beyond the price
What a car costs each month in the Gulf beyond its price: fuel, insurance, renewal, servicing, tyres, parking, fines and lost value, in AED.
-
Two cars at two prices, what the gap adds up to after ten years
The full gap between two cars over ten years: the price gap plus the fuel, maintenance, insurance and tyre gaps, added up plainly, with an EGP example.
Saving
-
Rising prices and the household bill, a two-month comparison that shows where a real saving is
Compare two months of household shopping item by item, separate what rose with price from what rose with quantity, and find a real saving.
-
Saving from a salary in Oman, an amount built on your own numbers
Set a saving amount from your Omani salary that starts from your fixed costs, not a ready-made percentage, with two OMR examples and a fun allowance.
-
Zakat on money and gold, one example worked from start to finish
One zakat calculation from start to finish: the nisab by 85 g of gold, the lunar year, 2.5%, what goes in and what stays out, and worn jewellery.
Instalments and debt
-
Buying in instalments, five questions to settle before you sign
A checklist for the shop counter: total paid against the cash price, the payment against what is left each month, existing commitments, and a lost income.
-
Personal finance in Saudi Arabia, and how to find the day your last instalment falls
Check your salary deduction against the Saudi Central Bank's limit, list each financing's final instalment date, and order the payoff. SAR examples.
Seasons and occasions
-
A Ramadan budget, planned one week at a time
Split Ramadan's extra spending across its four weeks, price the gatherings, zakat al-fitr and Eid in advance, and reach Eid with money left.
Habits
-
Getting out of debt, a plan built to survive a bad month
A way out of debt that expects slips: minimums first, one target debt, a small buffer, and a written rule for the month after you miss your plan.
Country guides
-
End-of-service gratuity in Oman, who is owed it and how it is worked out
Who is owed an end-of-service gratuity in Oman, how Article 61 of the Labour Law works it out on the last basic wage, and what of service before 2023.
App guides
-
Wallets and categories: where the money is, and what it went on
When does money need a wallet of its own, and when is a spending category enough? One rule and household examples for setting up wallets and categories.
-
A trip budget, from planning at home to tracking the days away
Plan a trip budget before you leave, set a daily limit for your time away, and log purchases in the local currency while seeing the total in yours.
Log your spending in Masareefy and try what you read on your own numbers.
30-day free trial • no card needed