Aggregate five cost categories into one monthly total.

A typical household spends roughly 1,200 housing, 400 food, 200 transport, 80 subscriptions and 500 other per month — 2,380 total, 28,560 annually. Housing at 50% is the dominant lever: cutting 100 off housing is a 1,200 annual win, versus 50 off 'other' for 600. Follow the biggest line first.

What the result means

Primary is monthly total. Secondary rows show annual total, the biggest category, and what share of total the biggest line represents. When one category dominates (above 40%), that's where effort should focus first.

Why categories matter

Lumping everything into one 'spending' line loses the insight. Breaking into categories shows where money actually goes — and where small percentage cuts produce meaningful cash. Most household budgets have a 50/30/20 pattern: essentials (50%), wants (30%), savings (20%). This tool surfaces the essentials/wants split.

A worked example

Try the defaults: housing of 1,200, food of 400, transport of 200, subscriptions of 80. The tool returns 2,380.00. You can adjust any input and the result updates as you type — no submit button, no reload. That's the real power here: seeing how sensitive the output is to one or two assumptions.

What moves the number most

The result responds to Housing, Food, Transport, Subscriptions, and Other. Frequency and unit price pull the total in different directions. The biggest surprise for most people is how small recurring amounts compound into large annual figures — that's where this calculation earns its keep.

The formula behind this

Sum of the five category inputs. Biggest category and its share are identified to focus attention. Categories reflect a standard household breakdown — enough detail to spot dominance, without the overhead of 20+ line items. Everything the calculator does is shown in the formula box below, so you can check the math against your own spreadsheet if you want.

Using the result to negotiate

The figure gives you a concrete number to quote when shopping alternatives. "I'm paying £X annually" cuts through marketing in a way "I want a better deal" doesn't. The specificity wins.

What this doesn't capture

Usage varies month-to-month; tariffs change; discounts come and go. The figure here is a clean baseline — your actual annual bill will fluctuate around it. Use the calculation to benchmark providers, not as a prediction of a specific bill.