Charlie and Jordan
Charlie lives in Staffordshire with her fiancé Jordan and children - Luna, three, and Rex, 10 months. The couple, both 30, spend around 66% of their income on essential bills after struggling to stick to a 50-30-20 budget plan.
The MoneySuperMarket Household Money Index
Read the latest report
The MoneySuperMarket Household Money Index (HMI) is a quarterly analysis of how much people across the UK spend on bills and everyday living expenses.
February 2026 report
Total Monthly HMI
£1,455
Committed spending
67%
(of monthly income)
Daily cost
£48
.50
Disposable income
£715
.92
(per month)
What is the 50-30-20 framework?
The 50-30-20 framework is a popular budgeting method to help households balance spending on needs, wants, and savings each month.
The aim is to split your take-home pay into the following:
50% goes to essential costs, like utilities, mortgage repayments, and food shopping
30% goes to the things you want but don't need, like gym memberships, TV subscriptions, and days out
20% goes into your savings pot or pension
These percentages aren't set in stone - you can tweak them as you need - but they are a good target to aim for if you find yourself struggling to juggle your expenses.
Want to know how your budget compares?
We're helping households save money
MoneySuperMarket has teamed up with two UK families over the course of a year to help them reduce their spend on household essentials.
As new reports come out, these families will be sharing their journeys to rebalance their budgets with the goal of getting essential spending down to 50% of their take-home pay - in line with the 50-30-20 budgeting framework.
They will be using MoneySuperMarket's range of informational guides and comparison tools to secure the best deals for their needs, while also taking advantage of SuperSaveClub rewards to help their money go further.
Start your 50-30-20 journey here
The 50-30-20 budgeting framework is a simple, beginner‑friendly way to organise your money by breaking spending into clear, manageable categories.
It’s flexible enough for anyone to use, no matter their income or financial experience, and by starting with small, consistent steps, you can build powerful habits that make a big difference to your long‑term financial goals.
Learn more about the framework in our budgeting guide and follow these tips from our personal finance expert, Kara Gammell, to kick-start your journey.
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Categorise your spending into needs vs. wants
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Note renewal dates for bills such as insurance, utilities, phone contracts
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Check for rollover or out-of-contract rates: compare and switch these first
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Set reminders to compare and switch before renewal dates
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If you can, set up a standing order to pay off debts or to go towards your savings
Compare savings accounts with MoneySuperMarket
If you have savings, one of the best places to put them is a savings account where you can keep them separate from your everyday funds and earn interest.
With MoneySuperMarket, it's easy to compare, open, and manage savings accounts in one place within the MoneySuperMarket app - and you can even earn SuperSaveClub rewards.
Check your bill health with our Home Bills Healthcheck*
Our Home Bills Healthcheck tool shows you the average prices for car and home insurance in your area for people like you. The more details you add to the tool, the more accurate an estimate we can give you, so you can find out if you could make a saving.
To check other bills and expenses, such as energy, groceries, and broadband, our tool also shows you how much the average person in your region spends so you can see how you compare.
Home Bills Healthcheck
How do your bills compare?
We'll instantly show you typical household bill prices in your area, so you can see if you're paying over the odds
Instant results
Enter your postcode into the Home Bills Healthcheck and we'll show you typical prices, local to you, across home insurance, car insurance, and six other household expenses.
Tailor your results
Give us a bit more detail about you, like your age or property type, and we can make your estimates even more accurate.
Compare and save
Click on the links below and we’ll help you find great deals on insurance, credit cards, broadband, and energy.
Want rewards, cashback and free experiences? We've got you....
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Earn every time you buy
We’ll reward you every time you make a purchase. Exchange your earnings for a gift card for Amazon.co.uk1, Sainsbury’s & more
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Free experiences
A years worth of free experiences across the UK. From London Zoo and Go Ape, to Hussle Swimming and English Heritage, there’s an adventure for everybody.
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Cashback
Whether you're buying clothing, homewares or takeaways, earn up to 10%2 cashback from brands like Just Eat, eBay & Argos.
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Refer a friend
You and your friends each get up to £20 when they join the Club and make a qualifying purchase. Win-Win!
*About this tool
Insurance tool
This tool uses real MoneySuperMarket consumer data from insurance policies sold between 01/08/2023 and 01/08/2025 and estimates generated with the aid of AI where data is limited. AI generated estimates are 5.6% of the total data used in this tool.
Household bills tool
All household expenses figures are based on UK survey data from the MoneySuperMarket February 2026 Household Money Index report.
Figures represent the average amount that’s spent per person per month in a given region and nationally towards the given household expenses, with averages based on total population.
The figures given by this tool are not personalised quotes or financial advice. Actual prices may vary.
1 T&Cs apply, click here for more information
2 T&Cs and restrictions apply, see here for more information
