We are the MonoTape team. Most of us can name our fixed costs — rent, electricity, internet, phone, a couple of subscriptions — but very few of us can say what they add up to. The figure that matters most for planning is the one we almost never look at. The reason is simple: the costs live in different places and nobody ever sits down to total them. In this article we show how to put your fixed costs on one tape and keep a single number you can actually see.
Why your fixed-cost total stays invisible
Fixed costs are scattered by design. Rent is one app, the electric bill another, subscriptions buried in a dozen emails. Because no single screen shows them together, the total stays a vague feeling rather than a number. A calculator could add them, but the moment you press equals it forgets which figure was which — so the result is a bare number you cannot check or update without redoing the whole thing.
A spreadsheet is the classic answer, but for a short, stable list it is more setup than most people will keep up. What you really want is something lighter: a place to list each cost by name, see the total, and tweak a line when a bill changes — without rebuilding anything.
Label each cost and the total becomes visible
In MonoTape you add one labeled line per fixed cost. The total sits at the bottom, and because every line is named, you can see exactly what makes up the number — not just how big it is.
Now the number is in front of you. You can see at a glance that rent dominates, that subscriptions quietly add up, and how much of your income is spoken for before you spend a cent on anything else. That single figure is what turns a vague worry into a decision you can act on.
Or let SUM() do the adding
Instead of naming every cost in one long expression, list them and drop SUM() underneath — it totals the consecutive rows above it. Add another subscription and the total row stays as it is. Follow it with AVG() to see the average per line as well.
When a bill changes, fix one line
Fixed costs are stable, not frozen. Rent goes up, you drop a subscription, the electric bill jumps in summer. With a calculator each change means retyping the lot. In MonoTape you edit the one line that changed and the total recalculates itself. Want to see the effect of cutting something? Delete the line and read the new total instantly — a clean before-and-after with no rework.
A fair caveat: MonoTape is a calculator memo, not an automatic household-budgeting app. It will not pull in your bills or track spending for you. It does one thing well — keeps a labeled, editable total you can open and trust — which is exactly what a short list of fixed costs needs.
Seeing your fixed costs is a visibility problem, not a math problem. Label each cost, let the tape show the total, and edit one line when a bill moves. The number you most need for planning finally stays in plain sight.
MonoTape
A calculator notepad where you label your math and one edit recalculates everything. Fixed-cost totals, estimates, split bills — whatever you calculate stays on the tape. Free to use.
Learn more about MonoTapeFrequently asked questions
Is this a household budgeting app?
No. MonoTape is a calculator memo. It does not pull in bills or track spending automatically. You list each cost by name and it keeps a labeled total you can see and update at a glance.
What happens when a bill changes?
Edit the one line that changed and the total recalculates automatically. To test cutting a cost, delete its line and read the new total right away.
Can I keep this tape from month to month?
Yes. The tape is saved on your device, so your fixed-cost list stays put. When something changes you just edit the relevant line.
Is it free, and is my data private?
Yes, it is free, and everything is saved locally on your device, never uploaded. It works on both iPhone and Android.