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Budgeting and tax
Lesson 6 of 9

Building a monthly budget

Objective. Balance income, fixed costs, variable costs and savings.

The key idea

List fixed costs first, then variable ones, then treat savings as a bill you pay yourself. Income minus all of these should be zero or positive.

Worked example

Net £1,770, fixed £1,050, variable £400. What is left for savings?

£1.00
Money illustration for £1
  1. 1Total spending: 1,050 + 400 = 1,450.
  2. 21,770 − 1,450 = 320.

Answer: £320 a month

Practice

Each question comes with a picture and a listen button. Try it first, then reveal the answer.

Common mistake. Treating savings as whatever happens to be left over.

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