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1 August 2026

Designing a values-first budget for beauty, travel, and wellness

Create a budget that prioritizes your values and passions, and learn how to allocate your resources to fund your dream lifestyle

Designing a values-first budget for beauty, travel, and wellness

A values-first budget is an approach to financial planning that prioritizes your core values and passions. By allocating your resources in a way that aligns with your values, you can create a lifestyle that is both fulfilling and financially sustainable. In this article, we will explore how to design a budget that funds beautytravel and wellness without guilt.

The key to creating a values-first budget is to identify your core values and passions. Take some time to reflect on what is most important to you in life. Do you value self-care and wellness? Do you love to travel and explore new places? Do you enjoy beauty and fashion? Once you have identified your core values, you can begin to allocate your resources in a way that aligns with them.

Introducing the 60/20/20 glam allocation

The 60/20/20 glam allocation is a simple and effective way to allocate your resources. The idea is to allocate 60% of your income towards necessary expenses such as rent, utilities, and groceries. 20% towards savings and debt repayment and 20% towards discretionary spending such as beautytravel and wellness. By allocating your resources in this way, you can ensure that you are meeting your necessary expenses while also prioritizing your values and passions.

Sinking funds for treats

A sinking fund is a type of savings account that is specifically designed for discretionary spending. By setting up a sinking fund for treats such as beauty and travel you can ensure that you have the resources you need to enjoy your passions without guilt. For example, you could set up a sinking fund for beauty treatments such as massages and facials, or for travel expenses such as flights and accommodation.

Price-per-wear logic

The price-per-wear logic is a simple and effective way to evaluate the value of a purchase. The idea is to calculate the cost of an item per wear, rather than just looking at the initial purchase price. For example, if you buy a beauty product that costs $100 and you use it 10 times, the price-per-wear would be $10. By using the price-per-wear logic, you can make more informed purchasing decisions and ensure that you are getting the most value out of your money.

By identifying your core values and passions, allocating your resources in a way that aligns with them, and using tools such as sinking funds and the price-per-wear logic, you can create a lifestyle that is both fulfilling and financially sustainable.

Author

Henry Anderson

Henry Anderson of Edinburgh, sharp-corporate in demeanour, famously argued to run a council budget deep-dive after a packed Holyrood briefing, choosing public-accountability over easy headlines. Prefers evidence-led interrogation of institutions and collects annotated maps of the Lothians as a private quirk.