I tried a popular budgeting method but felt I was running out of money every month — until I made one small change

• Libby Brooks wanted to move out of her parents' house, so she started budgeting. 
• The 50/30/20 method worked for a while, but she found it didn't allow her to pay off her debts. 
• Switching to the 50/20/20/10 method gave her more ability to work toward financial goals.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Libby Brooks, 27, who lives in Wisconsin, about her budgeting journey. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I began to budget after college when I had a significant amount of zeros in my bank account I hadn't had before.