What I learned about my bills after trying the Money Wellness household bills calculator

Household bills are changing again from April. Some costs are set to dip slightly, while others are expected to rise, which could mean your monthly spending ends up higher overall.

I wanted to see what that might look like for my own budget, so I tried the Money Wellness household bills calculator. It’s a free interactive tool that estimates how your bills could change based on where you live.

The calculator only takes a couple of minutes to use, and it gives you a personalised estimate of how your costs might change over the coming year, so you’re not caught off guard when the new bills arrive.

Getting a personalised forecast of your bills

Using the calculator was really simple.

All I had to do was enter what I currently spend each month and select my local council area from a dropdown list. The tool then estimated how much my bills could change over the next year.

It looks at the main everyday costs, including:

• energy
• water
• council tax
• phone and broadband
• TV licence
• groceries
• vehicle tax

Once I’d filled everything in, it showed me three useful figures: what I spend now, what I might spend after the changes, and the difference between the two.

In other words, a quick snapshot of how my budget might look in the months ahead.

What you’ll need before you start

Before you start, you’ll need to know what you’re currently paying for each bill.

The calculator asks for monthly amounts, so if you pay anything yearly, like your TV licence or vehicle tax, you’ll just need to divide it by 12 and enter the monthly figure.

The most time-consuming part for me was digging out those numbers. But once I had them, filling in the calculator took less than five minutes.

So… what did my results say?

First, the good news.

My energy bill is expected to fall by £19 a month. That’s because in February the regulator Ofgem announced the energy price cap will drop by 7% in April.

For a typical dual-fuel household, that means bills could fall by around £117 a year, bringing the average to £1,641. The new price cap will run until 30 June 2026.

Sadly, that was about where the good news ended.

According to the calculator, my other bills are set to rise:

• water: +£9.89
• council tax: +£12.97
• TV licence: +£0.44
• phone and broadband: +£3.07
• groceries: +£10.50
• vehicle tax: +£0.05

When everything was added up, my total monthly bills for 2026 are expected to be £17.82 higher than what I pay now.

Trying the calculator definitely opened my eyes.

While it was nice to see my energy bill drop slightly, the increases elsewhere more than cancelled it out.

It’s a good reminder that when several bills rise at the same time, it can quickly put extra pressure on your budget.

But at least I now know what might be coming, and I can plan for it.

Why checking your budget matters

When bills change, it’s easy for your finances to drift without you noticing.

Creating a monthly budget can help you stay in control by showing exactly what’s coming in and where it’s going. It can help you:

• prioritise essential spending
• spot areas where you could cut back
• make room for savings
• stay prepared for rising bills

Once you’ve checked your costs with the household bills calculator, you can take the next step by using our free budget planner to map out your monthly finances. It’s free and easy to use.

If you’re struggling to keep up with household bills, support may be available. We can check you’re getting all the benefits you’re entitled to with our benefits calculator.