“The Beginner’s Guide to Personal Finance in Pakistan (2025 Edition)”

 

💰 How I Took Control of My Money in Pakistan (Even With a Rs. 50K Salary)

Let me guess — you earn decent money, maybe Rs. 40,000 to 60,000 a month. But by the 25th, you’re checking your balance and asking yourself:
“Where did it all go?”

Been there. Lived it. Hated it.

In 2023, I was freelancing and earning around Rs. 50,000 monthly. Nothing lavish — just chai, Netflix, Foodpanda, rent, and the occasional Careem ride. Still, I ended every month broke.

That’s when I realized the real enemy wasn’t low income — it was bad money habits. I didn’t need a finance degree. I just needed to stop living in financial autopilot mode.

Here’s how I turned it around. This is everything I wish someone had taught me earlier.

📌 What Is Personal Finance (Without the Boring Definition)

Personal finance is just learning to control your money instead of letting it control you. That includes:

• Budgeting
• Saving regularly
• Spending consciously
• Avoiding stupid debt
• Investing smart (even if it’s just Rs. 1,000)
• Planning for emergencies

In my head, it’s:
Make → Manage → Multiply

😬 Why Most Pakistanis (Like Me) Stay Broke

We don’t struggle because we’re lazy. We struggle because no one taught us how to handle money. The usual mistakes:

• Not tracking expenses
• Spending to “feel better” or impress others
• Living on credit cards or 0% installments
• Keeping all money in cash while inflation eats it
• No plan, no savings, no backup

💡 How I Started Getting My Finances Under Control

1. I Tracked Every Rupee for 30 Days
This was uncomfortable but necessary. I used a simple Google Sheet and logged everything: from Rs. 50 snacks to rent.
Result: I discovered I was wasting Rs. 5,000+ on chai, snacks, and mindless scrolling purchases.

Here’s what my budget started to look like on Rs. 50,000/month:

• Rent & Utilities: Rs. 20,000
• Food: Rs. 10,000
• Travel: Rs. 5,000
• Savings: Rs. 5,000
• Remaining: Rs. 10,000 (fun money)

2. I Tried the “50/30/20 Rule”
This changed how I saw money.

• 50% on needs (rent, bills, food)
• 30% on wants (Netflix, dining out)
• 20% into savings or investments

I wasn’t perfect, but aiming for it gave me structure.

3. I Built My Emergency Fund — Slowly
I started saving Rs. 1,000/month in a separate bank account — untouchable money.
It wasn’t much at first. But six months later, when my laptop charger died and I needed a replacement, that Rs. 6,000 saved the day.

4. I Let Tech Save for Me
Manual saving never worked for me. So I set auto-transfers on payday:

• JazzCash/EasyPaisa “buckets” helped me store small amounts
• SadaPay’s round-up feature collected spare change from every transaction

These tools quietly built my savings in the background.

📉 The Truth About Inflation

In 2025, inflation in Pakistan is about 20%. That means Rs. 10,000 today might only buy Rs. 8,000 worth next year.
If you keep all your savings in cash, you’re losing money without even realizing it.

That’s when I knew I had to start investing.

💸 Where I Started Investing (Small & Safe)

No crypto. No day-trading. I kept it halal and simple:

Option	Type	Return	Halal?	Min. Amount
Meezan Mutual Funds	Low-risk investing	10–14%	✅	Rs. 1,000
Gold Savings Account	Inflation-proof	12–18%	✅	Rs. 500
Prize Bonds	Speculative	Varies	✅	Rs. 100
Sukuk Bonds	Govt-backed	10–12%	✅	Rs. 5,000+

Started with Meezan Mutual Funds and Gold. No regrets.

🛠️ The Tools That Actually Helped Me

I tried lots of apps and tools. These stuck:

• Google Sheets (for full control)
• Money Manager (Android)
• Hysab Kytab (great for Pakistanis)
• Notion (customizable finance dashboard)
• JazzCash & SadaPay (for automation)

Pick 1 or 2. Stick with them. Simplicity wins.

❌ Habits I Had to Break

These were killing my finances:

• Spending to “match” others
• “I’ll save next month” (I didn’t)
• Swiping credit cards without checking balance
• Buying phones or gadgets on installment without savings
• Relying on one income stream

🎯 My First Real Financial Goal (That I Actually Hit)

I wanted a new laptop. Cost? Rs. 30,000.

I broke it down:

• Saved Rs. 3,000/month
• Sold my old monitor and shoes for Rs. 5,000
• Used SadaPay auto-save
• Skipped eating out 2x/month

10 months later, I bought that laptop — no loan, no EMI, no regret.

📚 What I Learned About Investing

• Long-term investing beats get-rich-quick schemes
• Don’t touch crypto unless you deeply understand it
• Start small, but start now
• Never invest money you’ll need next month

💼 Saving Alone Won’t Build Wealth — So I Increased My Income

Cutting expenses helped. But earning more changed the game.

I started:

• Freelance writing for small businesses
• Creating budget templates for others
• Helping friends manage Instagram pages
• Learning basic content creation

That extra Rs. 15,000–20,000/month gave me breathing room — and confidence.

🔚 Final Thoughts: Start Now, Even If It’s Small

Most people never start because they think it’s too late, or their income is too low.

Don’t wait.

Track your money. Save Rs. 1,000 this month. Open a mutual fund account.
Whatever your starting point, just begin.

Because the longer you delay, the longer money controls you — instead of the other way around.

Author: Ahmed Shah
📍 Karachi | Self-taught finance nerd sharing real-life lessons for young Pakistanis
Twitter: @AhmedWroteThis | IG: @pakistanibudgetguy