Fixed expenses are the bills and recurring costs you pay every month — rent, utilities, insurance, car payment, gym membership. These are the predictable, non-negotiable costs that form the foundation of your budget. The Expenses page in ZhanPlan is where you track all of them in one place.
Why Track Fixed Expenses Separately
When you import your bank statement, most of your fixed expenses will appear in the transaction list. But not all of them do — cash payments, autopay from accounts you have not imported, or expenses paid via check may not show up.
By logging your fixed expenses on the Expenses page, you ensure ZhanPlan always knows your full monthly obligation — even for bills that do not come through a bank import you have uploaded.
How to Add a Fixed Expense
Click Add Expense at the top of the Expenses page. Fill in:
- Name — what the bill is (e.g., Rent, Electricity, Netflix)
- Category — choose from the 17 ZhanPlan categories
- Amount — your regular monthly amount
- Due Date — the day of the month it is due (e.g., 1st, 15th, last day)
Click Save. The expense appears in your list immediately.
The Expenses Table
Your expense list shows all added fixed costs with their name, category, monthly amount, and due date. The table also shows your total monthly fixed expense burden at the bottom — a number that tells you exactly how much of every paycheck is already spoken for before any discretionary spending.
How to Edit or Delete an Expense
Click any expense row to open the edit panel. You can change the name, category, amount, or due date. Click Delete in the edit panel to remove the expense entirely.
Review your Expenses list every quarter. Subscriptions pile up — a streaming service you forgot about, a software tool from last year, a gym membership you stopped using. Running through this list is often where people find their first easy savings.
Categories for Fixed Expenses
Common categories for fixed expenses in ZhanPlan:
- Housing — rent, mortgage, HOA fees, property taxes
- Utilities — electric, gas, water, internet, phone, trash
- Subscriptions — Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, software tools, membership fees
- Health & Medical — health insurance premium, gym membership, therapy
- Transportation — car loan payment, car insurance, parking permit
- Education — student loan payment, tuition, tutoring
- Debt Payments — minimum credit card payments, personal loan installments
- Insurance — life, renters, home, pet — any insurance not under Health
How Fixed Expenses Feed Into ZhanPlan
Fixed expenses are used by several other features:
- Budget — your monthly budget knows to account for fixed costs
- Cash Flow — fixed expenses appear as monthly outflows in your cash flow plan
- Plan Ahead / Yearly Purchases — any annual bills (car registration, Amazon Prime) can be tracked here to prepare for them in advance
Should I add expenses that are already in my bank imports?
You can, but you do not have to. If your electric bill appears in your bank import, it will already show up in your Spending page under Utilities. Adding it to Fixed Expenses as well will not create a duplicate in your spending — the two sections are separate. Fixed Expenses is purely for awareness and planning; it does not affect your transaction history.
What about irregular recurring bills like quarterly payments?
Add them at the quarterly amount divided by three — treat them as a monthly allocation. Alternatively, note them on the Yearly Purchases feature under Plan Ahead, which is designed specifically for irregular large expenses that come once or a few times per year.
Can I see all my bills due this week or month?
The Expenses page shows your full bill list with due dates. You can sort by due date to see what is coming up soonest.