Is the daily coffee really the problem?

Rarely. It is 996 a year here against 14,400 of rent. Giving it up is a real saving and a small one relative to the effort, which is why it is worth checking the large lines before rationing the small ones.

Where should I start?

List every recurring cost, annualise it, and sort by size. Then ask which of the top three could move with a single decision. That ordering usually finds more money in an afternoon than months of daily restraint.

Expense Calculator – Monthly & Yearly Spending

Add up your monthly expenses by category to see your total monthly and yearly spending, plus where your money goes.

Enter at least one expense to see your total.

How to track your monthly expenses

Tracking your expenses is the first step to taking control of your finances. When you know exactly where your money goes each month, it becomes far easier to spot waste, set a realistic budget, and free up money for saving.

The 50/30/20 rule is a simple way to read your numbers: aim to keep needs (housing, food, utilities, transport) near 50% of your take-home pay, wants (entertainment and other discretionary spending) near 30%, and savings or debt repayment near 20%. Multiplying your monthly total by twelve shows the yearly figure, which is often the number that reveals how much small recurring costs really add up.

Cutting rent 5% saves nearly as much as giving up coffee entirely

Budget advice concentrates on small discretionary purchases because they are visible and feel voluntary. The arithmetic points elsewhere. On a typical budget, trimming 5% from rent saves 720 a year — 72% of what abandoning every coffee out would save, and without abandoning anything.

How it works

Totals recurring expenses by category and annualises them, which is where the proportions become clear.
Shows what a given percentage cut on each line is actually worth.
Separates the large fixed lines from the small discretionary ones, which respond very differently.

annual = monthly × 12

saving from a cut = category × cut % × 12

a small percentage of a large line beats a large percentage of a small one

Worked example

A monthly budget of 1,983 across five categories, and a 5% cut applied to each.

rent 1,200 → 5% saves 720 a year
groceries 400 → saves 240
transport 180 → saves 108
subscriptions 120 → saves 72
coffee out 83 → saves 50

Cutting coffee entirely saves 996 a year. Cutting rent by 5% saves 720 — three quarters as much, from a single negotiation or a slightly smaller flat, with nothing given up daily.

Reading the result

Attack the largest lines first, in percentage terms. Rent, transport and insurance respond to a one-off decision — a renegotiation, a move, a switch — while discretionary spending demands a daily choice for the same money.
Subscriptions deserve a separate audit because they accumulate without ever being decided. Ten at an average of 12 is 1,440 a year, and few people can name all ten from memory.
Annualise everything before judging it. A 12 monthly charge reads as trivial and is 1,440 across a decade, which is the frame in which it should be compared against what else that money could do.
There is a real limit to this. Below a certain point, cutting further trades against health, time or the ability to work, and income becomes the more productive variable — a raise is not capped the way a budget is.

Common questions

Is the daily coffee really the problem?: Rarely. It is 996 a year here against 14,400 of rent. Giving it up is a real saving and a small one relative to the effort, which is why it is worth checking the large lines before rationing the small ones.
Where should I start?: List every recurring cost, annualise it, and sort by size. Then ask which of the top three could move with a single decision. That ordering usually finds more money in an afternoon than months of daily restraint.