How do you determine how much you set aside per month for savings? My girlfriend loves to shop, and I don't have much savings myself. How do I know how much is "enough"?

I think how much you set aside to save is dependent on factors like:

1. Is there a certain goal you're working towards?

2. Do you have debt you need to pay off alongside your monthly expenses & a set saving amount?

3. Are there any other financial commitments you have?

Evaluate these factors and your lifestyle ( are you able to live on $xxx amount a month? What is the bare minimum?) From there work backwards towards an amount, because you don't want to set an unrealistically high savings amount which would then be setting yourself up for failure. Once you grow more used to saving and frugality, you can increase the amount you save as time goes by.

As for your gf, if you see her as a long term partner, I think you should sit her down and make sure your financial goals are aligned and you both know what you want and what you are working towards. Be honest with her! If she insists on spending or if retail therapy is important to her, try to reason with her to reduce her spending amount or get her to assume more financial responibility over her monthly budget maybe by splitting any bulk/ big payments up ( but she needs to keep track of this! Very important!)

This works for me when I have to make big purchases that don't fit into my monthly budget. I use this payment provider called hoolah that allows me to split my payment up over 3 months, no added charge and it actually keeps me accounatble for the following month's budget because I keep track of how much I need to pay and by when. You can try these options but ultimately it's important for you to discuss your finances / your future plans with her and the timeline you're working with.

You should probably have a good talk with her, as it doesn't matter how much you earn, if she is always spending, you will end up not having any money saved up at all.

Hi Anon, I think it would be good to have a talk with your Gf on her spending habits. I don't think it's sustainable that she is shopping using your money. She should spend within her own means.

Nonetheless, I personally don't set aside a particular sum of money as savings. I just restrict my expenditure every month, whatever that is left is my savings.

It depends on yr target retirement age. If u r saving 50%, u can achieve FI in 17 years of working. If u r saving 10%, u will need to work 50 years to achieve FI.
U can read the article below to understand how saving rate impact yr FI plan
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-...