Your budget, made clear
See where your money goes and take back control, one step at a time. No judgement: just your own figures.
- An educational tool, not financial advice
- Everything stays on your device, no account
You're not alone. Let's start with what matters most
When money runs short it weighs on you, and it isn't your fault. Free, non-judgemental help exists in most countries. Here's the order that works.
A bill is a priority when not paying it costs you something you can't undo: your home, your heating, your water, or a court case. The rest matters too, but missing those mainly damages your credit: serious, and repairable. Debt advisers everywhere work in this order.
Priority: these first
- Rent or mortgage, and any arrears
- Energy: electricity, gas, heating
- Water
- Local taxes (council tax, property tax)
- Food
- Transport you need to get to work
- Child maintenance, court fines
Non-priority: these after
- Credit cards and store cards
- Personal loans
- Overdraft
- Buy now, pay later
- Money owed to family or friends
Paying a priority bill before a credit card is not dodging your debts. It's the order that protects your home and keeps the lights on while you sort the rest out.
- List your bills from the most urgent to the least.
- Contact anyone you owe before you miss a payment: payment plans are normal and they'd rather agree one than chase you.
- Ask a free debt adviser to look at your situation. They negotiate on your behalf, at no cost.
- Check which benefits or allowances you're entitled to. Many go unclaimed.
- A food bank can tide you over this week. That's what it's there for.
Opening hours change: check their site. These services are free and independent: a service that asks you to pay up front to reduce your debts is not one of them.
Enter each amount at the rhythm you actually receive it: weekly, fortnightly, monthly. The tool converts it to a month for you. An estimate is enough to start.
Use last month's statements. Leave a row at 0 if it doesn't apply to you. Rows marked priority are the ones to cover first: missing them costs you your home, your energy or a court case.
Gentle observations, to help you see clearly.
Add your figures to get a few pointers.
These percentages are common benchmarks, not absolute rules, and they vary a lot from one country and one city to another. Your situation is yours: what matters is moving at your own pace.
Putting money aside, even a little, changes everything when something unexpected comes up.
Tempted by something? Let's see what it represents, without judgement.
Everything you type here stays on your device, in your browser. Nothing is sent over the internet, and there is no account. You can take your figures with you or erase everything whenever you want.
On a shared or public computer, remember to erase everything before you leave.