Fixed Monthly Expenses Planner
List the payments you owe every month, every quarter or every year, and see what they add up to, where the money goes, and how much of your income is already spoken for before you spend anything else.
An example list is already filled in. Change it to match your life, add your own with Add expense, and watch the charts update. Your list is saved in this browser only and never uploaded.
What counts as a fixed expense
A fixed expense is a payment that is predictable in amount and timing. The usual suspects are rent or mortgage, insurance, loan and credit repayments, phone and internet, utilities, subscriptions, public transport passes and childcare. Groceries and electricity move around, but most people budget a steady average for them, so it is reasonable to include those as well.
Don't forget the yearly bills
The payments that catch people out are the ones that only arrive once or twice a year: car insurance, road tax, a professional membership, a domain renewal, annual software licences. Add each one here. The planner divides it by twelve, which is exactly the amount to set aside every month so the bill never feels like an emergency.
Reading the charts
- The ring shows how your fixed costs split across categories. The centre shows the monthly total.
- The list beneath ranks each category with its amount and share, so you can see the big items at a glance.
- The income bar (when you enter your income) shows how much of your pay is committed and how much is left. A hatched section at the end is money still free to use.
A rough guideline: 50/30/20
A widely used rule of thumb splits take-home pay into three parts. It is only a starting point, and in expensive cities essentials often take more than half.
| Share | Group | Typical items |
|---|---|---|
| About 50% | Needs | Housing, utilities and phone, transport, insurance, food, health, minimum debt payments, education and childcare |
| About 30% | Wants | Subscriptions, dining out, hobbies, travel, everything optional |
| About 20% | Savings | Emergency fund, investing, extra debt repayment |
This planner maps its categories the same way. Because it only lists fixed payments, your "wants" will look smaller than they really are — the real spending on fun and eating out is what is left over.
How to bring fixed costs down
- Start with the biggest category. A 10% saving on housing beats cancelling five small subscriptions.
- Renegotiate once a year. Insurance, phone, internet and energy contracts drift upwards. Compare offers at renewal instead of letting them roll over.
- Prune subscriptions. If you have not used one in a month, cancel it. The subscription cost calculator shows what they add up to over five years.
- Turn annual bills into monthly savings. Set aside one twelfth of each yearly bill so it never lands as a shock.
- Re-check after every big change. A new job, a move or a new child changes the whole picture. Update the list and see where you stand.
Frequently asked questions
What are fixed expenses?
Payments that stay roughly the same and come around on a schedule: rent or mortgage, insurance, loan repayments, phone and internet, subscriptions, transport passes. They are the costs you owe whether or not you had a good month, which is why it helps to see them all in one place.
What is the difference between fixed and variable expenses?
Fixed expenses are predictable in both amount and timing. Variable expenses change from month to month — eating out, clothes, fuel, gifts. Some things sit in between, like electricity or groceries. If a bill moves around, enter your average so the plan still reflects a normal month.
How are yearly, quarterly and weekly bills converted?
Everything is turned into a monthly amount so it can be compared and added up: weekly × 52 ÷ 12, every two weeks × 26 ÷ 12, quarterly ÷ 3, every six months ÷ 6, and yearly ÷ 12. A 480 yearly car insurance shows up as 40 a month.
What share of my income should go on fixed expenses?
There is no single right number — it depends on where you live and what you earn. A common rule of thumb (50/30/20) suggests about 50% of take-home pay for essentials, 30% for wants and 20% for saving. Treat it as a starting point for a conversation with your own numbers, not a target you must hit.
Is the information I enter stored anywhere?
Only in your own browser, using local storage. Nothing is uploaded or sent to a server. Your list survives a page reload on this device, and it is removed if you clear your browser data or use the "Clear all" button.
Why include annual bills I only pay once a year?
Because they are the ones that hurt when they arrive. Dividing an annual bill by twelve shows what you should be setting aside each month so it never comes as a surprise.
This planner is for information only and is not financial advice.