Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (2024)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use and love. Thanks for supporting The Little Frugal House!

Wondering how to make budgeting easier and organize your money? In this post, I’ll show you why you need at least 4 bank accounts to save money and be smart with your money.

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (1)

Are you a dreamer like me?Do you dream of becoming financially stable, independent, and to quit worrying and stressing about money?

Do you want to purchase big things in the future? Or do you want to increase your savings? And make sure your bills are always taken care of with no worry or stress?

I am a strong believer that money does not equal happiness, but it can definitely be used in great ways to provide a more comfortable life for your family. And it can do powerful things when put to good use.

A great way to get to financial stability is by using the 4 bank account system.

The 4 Bank Accounts You Need

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (2)

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (3)

These 4 bank accounts will help you organize your money, making budgeting so simple and easy. You can divide your money up, telling it exactly where to go and what it will be used for.

This makes it so easy to make sure bills get paid, you save some money, and you will know exactly how much spending money you have.

These are the 4 bank accounts you need to have set up:

1. Bill Pay Checking Account

Add up all your bills over the course of a year – everything from electric bills, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, mortgage, cell phone bills…

Add everything up and add a little extra for wiggle room, then divide by 12. This is the amount you need to be transferring to your bill pay checking account each month.

You can break it down into a weekly transfer, bi-weekly transfer, or once a month – just make sure the whole amount gets put in there.

And then when it comes time for all those bills to be paid, the money is right there and ready to be used for that exact purpose.

I would also highly suggest setting your bills up on auto pay and having them draft directly from this account. Of course, you still want to keep up with the bills and make sure you are being charged correctly, but this will make sure every bill gets paid on time and you don’t accrue late fees.

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (4)

2. Regular Checking Account

This account is for everything else – unless you want to take this system a step farther and create additional accounts for things like groceries or hobbies.

Separating bills from everything else will give you an easy, in-your-face, image of how much money you actually have for everything else after bills are paid. And bills get paid first. Isn’t life grand? 😉

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (5)

3. Savings for the Future Account

This is a savings account for emergencies or just savings for the future.

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (6)

Once you figure your bills and how much you will need for groceries, gas, misc spending, etc., decide on an amount you can transfer each week or monthly to this account. You can even set up auto transfers on your online banking so you never forget!

This money should not be touched unless it’s an emergency (like a real emergency!)

4. Savings to Spend Account

If you have a large purchase you are wanting to make, start saving in this account for that. Think of this money as I’m saving to spend this on this one really big thing, like a new car, four wheeler, or a big home improvement project.

This account is you working hard to reach your goals, and not depending on loans for things you want.

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (7)

Additional Account Ideas:

Depending on your specificdreams and desires, you could also create an account for home improvement projects, hobbies, a separate business account, etc.

The idea is to make your money work for you, to tell it where to go. From my experience, if the money sits in one account, it’s going to be spent.

And at the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you where it went. I don’t like that! I like to know my money went here for this, and I saved and got this.

Take a look at your bank accounts and see how you can change things up to make this system work for you. Talk to your local bank branch or check online to open these bank accounts to organize your money.

Everyone is different and has a different money situation, but everyone is capable of doing their very best and making their money work for them.

Try setting up these 4 bank accounts to organize your money and tell it where to go!

Using this system will allow you to feel the relief of knowing you always have money for your bills, you can increase your savings, and save up for large purchases. This has seriously been life changing for us and I can’t wait to hear how it helps you reach your financial dreams and goals.

Go chase your dreams! Keep at this and never give up on yourself. You can do this!

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (9)

You might also enjoy…

Why You Need At Least 4 Bank Accounts - The Little Frugal House (2024)

FAQs

Why do you need 4 bank accounts? ›

What are the benefits of multiple bank accounts? Multiple bank accounts can help you organize your money, set goals and earn interest. Some banks also reward customers for having several accounts by waiving fees, allowing for easy transfers between accounts and offering higher interest rates.

How many bank accounts do I really need? ›

The ideal number of bank accounts depends on your financial habits and needs. You might be happy with just two accounts – checking and savings – or you may want multiple accounts to separate business and personal expenses, share a bank account with a partner or maintain separate accounts for various financial goals.

How do I manage 4 bank accounts? ›

Five Best Practices for Managing Multiple Bank Accounts
  1. Create a Consolidated Financial Dashboard. One of the biggest challenges of having multiple bank accounts is keeping track of all the information. ...
  2. Track Account Balances. ...
  3. Don't Keep Too Much Cash. ...
  4. Eliminate Unnecessary Accounts. ...
  5. Rebalance, As Needed.

How many bank accounts should I have minimum? ›

There's no one correct answer, but it's usually best to start with at least two accounts—a checking account and a savings account. This gives you an everyday banking account for bills and other expenses and another for saving. Your bank account journey doesn't need to end there.

What is the 50 30 20 rule? ›

The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals. Let's take a closer look at each category.

What happens if I have 4 bank accounts? ›

Things to consider before opening another current account

For example, opening multiple accounts may impact your credit score. This is especially the case if you start using multiple overdrafts from your different accounts. This can signal financial strain and may cause a hit to your credit score.

Is there a downside to having multiple bank accounts? ›

If your overall savings amount is dispersed among a variety of accounts, meeting this minimum balance can prove challenging. Having different savings accounts sometimes means you'll have to decide how to allocate unexpected bonuses from work or occasional income such as birthday money or cash gleaned from a side job.

Should I split my money between banks? ›

Spreading your savings across multiple accounts can also help ensure all your deposits are protected under FDIC insurance limits. There are several ways that having multiple savings accounts can help make managing your personal finances easier.

Should you keep all your money in one bank? ›

Keeping all of your money in one bank can be convenient. But it's important to consider whether you're getting the best rates on savings and paying the lowest fees for checking accounts. It's possible that you could get a better deal by keeping some of your money at a different bank.

How many savings accounts should I have? ›

Key Takeaways. There's no limit to how many savings accounts you can have. Having just one savings account can simplify money management. Having multiple savings accounts may let you easily stash cash for different goals.

What are the disadvantages of a current account? ›

Disadvantages of having a Current Account

The involved paperwork and fine print serves to be lengthy and confusing. Huge fees due to corporate business transactions. There is a limit on the amount of funds that can be withdrawn in a day.

Can I have two current accounts with different banks? ›

Some people may think that they can only have one bank account or just bank with one provider. The truth is, you can have multiple current accounts with different providers. This doesn't mean you can have endless amounts of accounts, but you can manage your finances by splitting them.

Does closing a bank account hurt your credit? ›

The act of closing a bank account, such as a checking or savings account, does not directly affect your credit score. Your credit score is not directly affected by your checking and savings account activity. That includes account closures.

How much money should you always have in your bank account? ›

A common rule of thumb for how much to keep in checking is one to two months' worth of expenses. If your monthly expenses are $4,000, for instance, you'd want to keep $8,000 in checking. Keeping one to two months' of expenses in checking can help you to stay ahead of monthly bills.

How many bank accounts is normal? ›

Depending on your financial goals, you may find that having more than one bank account makes sense. But there's no correct number of bank accounts to have. The key is figuring out which combination of accounts makes for the ideal match between your financial goals and your lifestyle.

Why do people need multiple bank accounts? ›

Budgeting with multiple bank accounts could prove easier than with only one. Multiple accounts can help you separate spending money from savings and household money from individual earnings. Tracking savings goals. Having multiple bank accounts may help track individual savings goals more easily.

Is it okay to have 4 checking accounts? ›

The number of checking accounts any one person can have is entirely up to them. There's no limit on the number of checking accounts you can open, whether you have them at traditional banks, credit unions or online banks.

Is 4 savings accounts too many? ›

"There is no right or wrong number of savings accounts," says Kendall Meade, a certified financial planner at personal finance platform SoFi. "Some people prefer to separate their savings into multiple accounts for different purposes, while others find it simpler to have all of their money in one account."

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Golda Nolan II

Last Updated:

Views: 6625

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (78 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Golda Nolan II

Birthday: 1998-05-14

Address: Suite 369 9754 Roberts Pines, West Benitaburgh, NM 69180-7958

Phone: +522993866487

Job: Sales Executive

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Shopping, Quilting, Cooking, Homebrewing, Leather crafting, Pet

Introduction: My name is Golda Nolan II, I am a thoughtful, clever, cute, jolly, brave, powerful, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.