The 50/30/20 Rule I Wish I Knew Sooner

The plant-based eating (and living) framework that’s EASY to stick to

May 20, 2025

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I LOVE walking along the river each morning. It’s something I try to do every day, unless the rain is too bad or it’s icy. But those days are few and far between.

I usually walk with friends, my husband, or my daughter. If I’m alone, I take in the sounds of people playing on the river, or bald eagles flying by, or possibly a sea lion playing in the water.

Occasionally, I listen to a podcast. And this morning, I’m glad I did. Because the ideas started to fly …

See, 2025 is the year I’m focusing on WELLTH. On all aspects of how I define Gorgeous Wellth.

Yes, it’s about Good Food and Great Health. But it’s also about the financial independence that allows you to dive in and do all you need to do to build Gorgeous Wellth.

[Stick with me for a moment. This isn’t about investments or finances. I promise.]

Anyway, I AM working with an investment advisor to increase my investment knowledge. And this morning, I listened to his interpretation of the 50/30/20 rule.

Ding, Ding, Ding. He may have been referring to investments, but it’s how I’ve lived my life with eating and health too.

What is the 50/30/20 rule

This isn’t unique - I’ve seen it repeatedly in financial advice. The premise is to divide your income up into three “piles”:

50 percent need
30 percent want
20 percent invest

The 50 percent pile should cover all of your needs. Your housing costs. Your car. Your insurance. Your food. You know, the things you need to live.

The 30 percent pile should cover the things you want. If you want to eat at an expensive restaurant with your friends, it should come from the want pile. If you order another pair of your favorite shoes, it’s from the want pile. This pile covers your upgrades. It’s the pile that funds your fun throughout your life … with no regrets. Because it’s coming from your want pile. Your fun pile.

Then, if you work this Rule the right way, you’ll also have a 20 percent pile. This amount funds your investments, no matter what. This is the part that helps your nest egg grow.

So, to see it in action, we’ll start with $100,000 yearly income. That means you’ll have $50,000 for needs, $30,000 for wants, and $20,000 for investments. Or $4167 per month for needs, $2,500 for wants, and $1,667 for investments.

See how this works? It’s a plan. A doable plan that’s livable. You see the guidelines, and you adjust your life accordingly.

[I promise! That’s all the math I’ll do!]

The 50/30/20 Rule … Plant-Based Style

This is where my brain went this morning. What if we applied the 50/30/20 rule to our living patterns too? The more I thought of it, the more I discovered this is how I’ve been living for years.

50 percent need. This is the food I won’t compromise on. It’s organic. It’s high quality. It’s plant-based. It’s the best of the best. It’s the stuff I grow. It’s the good things I want in my body. Nutrients.

Of course, it goes beyond that. It’s everything about health. Walks every morning. Workouts. Exercise classes. Self-care. Meditation. Making money to do the things I choose to do. The right relationships. My outlook on life. Mindset.

Need is pieced together over time. It’s discovering what works - and what doesn’t.

Need can look different to every single person. But you know a NEED because if you back away from it, you soon realize just how important it is in your life.

30 percent are the wants. This is still healthy food, but this is where you give yourself room to have fun. If a friend calls and wants to meet for dinner. You help select the restaurant so you have healthy options.

I just did this, and we had so much fun! I hadn’t seen my friend in a while, and we spent several hours talking over Chinese food. The vegetarian Buddha Feast was wonderful (and it really wasn’t about the food anyway). 😉

Your wants will change over time. I’ve seen soooo much change since I first discovered healthier living. Things that once brought me joy have morphed and changed.

I feel my “needs” set my goals and values. They guide me to make the “right” choices as I approach my “wants”. It’s what creates joy in my life right now.

But of course, wants also allow you to “mess up” from time to time. Yes, go out for ice cream with friends, even though you avoid dairy. Don’t get a workout in while traveling? That’s okay. It happens. Just start it up again when you return to your regular living.

Don’t beat yourself up over a screw-up. Life happens. You just move back into your healthy lane - the need lane - as soon as possible.

20 percent is investment for the future. This is about education. It’s about adjusting needs and wants over time.

I remember a time when I put everything off. “I’ll do it when I lose ten pounds.” “I’ll start cooking after the holidays. Or after summer vacation. Or …”

That “future timeline” never happens.

So instead, notice the “put everything off” pattern and do something about it.

Investing is all about creating a plan for a future time. You invest for retirement. You create a plan to be financially fit when you need it in the future.

It works the same way with Wellth. You can’t have great health unless you “see” the goal in the future.