Interactive tool

Survival Budget Builder

Enter your essential expenses to find your survival number — what it actually costs to keep your life running. Then see your discretionary space and how much you spend above your floor.

1
Your essential expenses
Include only genuine non-negotiables — what you must pay to keep a roof over your head, food on the table, and core commitments met. Leave anything non-essential out.
Rent / mortgage
$
Electricity
$
Gas / heating
$
Water
$
Internet
$
Mobile / phone
Basic plan only
$
Groceries
Realistic minimum to eat well
$
Essential transport
Fuel, public transport, or car loan minimum
$
Minimum debt repayments
Required minimums only — not extra payments
$
Childcare
If applicable
$
Essential medications
$
Other non-negotiable
Any essential obligation not listed above
$
Your survival number
$0
2
Your monthly income
Your real take-home after tax. Used to calculate how much space you have above your essentials.
$
Use the average of your last 3 months — or your lowest recent month to be conservative.
3
Your actual monthly spending — optional
Your total from Day 1. Used to show how much you spend above your survival floor — the zone where all your choices live.
$
Include everything — housing, food, transport, subscriptions, debt repayments, every category.