Course description

Do you get to the end of the month wondering where the money went? This course shows adults in the UK how to take control of household money, step by step: see where you stand, build a budget that works, cut your bills, use your bank account well, understand credit, borrow safely, deal with debt, start saving and protect your money from scams.

You begin with a calm look at your money picture and four weeks of tracking. Then you build a budget where every pound has a job, plan for the costs that don't come every month, review your bills using the official switching rules, and set up your accounts around payday. Later sections explain credit files, the total cost of borrowing, priority debts, free debt advice, emergency funds, savings protection and what to do when life changes.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons. Each lesson has a worked example, common slips, questions people often ask and a short exercise to try, and each section ends with a short quiz. You follow Kaelan and Shaheen, a made-up couple in Doncaster, from an overdraft letter to a working budget, a cleared overdraft and a growing emergency fund, slips included. In the final lessons you build a household money plan for a made-up family, with full worked answers. Every section has a practice pack with exercise sheets, answer keys and cheat sheets, plus a money picture planner, a budget planner spreadsheet, a bill review checklist, a debt priority sorter, helplines reference sheets, a scam response card and the final project files.

What you'll learn

• Your money picture: what comes in, what goes out, what you owe and what you have, reading a payslip, four weeks of tracking and turning weekly and four-weekly pay into monthly figures.
• Building a budget that works: budgeting methods, needs and wants, a yearly calendar for the costs that don't come every month, sinking pots, a payday routine and a monthly money meeting.
• Cutting your bills: a bill review, energy bills and switching, broadband and mobiles, Council Tax bands and discounts, help with water bills, insurance renewals and subscriptions.
• Banking basics: current accounts, Direct Debits, standing orders and card payments, the Direct Debit Guarantee, overdrafts and setting up accounts around your budget.
• Credit and credit files: how lenders decide, credit reports and scores in general terms, checking your file free, soft and hard searches, financial links and building a healthier file.
• Borrowing safely: the total cost of borrowing, credit cards, loans and other credit, Buy Now Pay Later, loan sharks and how to check a lender on the FCA register.
• Dealing with debt: spotting money trouble early, priority and non-priority debts, talking to the people you owe, free debt advice, Breathing Space and why you never need to pay for debt help.
• Saving and emergency funds: an emergency fund, savings account types in general, the Personal Savings Allowance and ISAs, FSCS protection and saving habits that last.
• Money and life events: moving out, a new baby, losing a job or a drop in income, separation, and using free benefits calculators.
• Scams and your household money plan: common money scams, what to do after a scam, and a final project to build a full household money plan for a made-up family, with worked answers.

Who it's for

Adults in the UK who want to get control of household money, whether you're setting up your first home, juggling bills and debts or simply want a plan that works. No experience or spreadsheet skills are needed; paper works just as well.

What this course is, and isn't

This is a practical beginner course. It explains how things work and where to get free help, but it isn't financial, legal or debt advice, and it never recommends a product, provider, fund or share. It signposts free, impartial help from MoneyHelper, the free debt charities, Citizens Advice, the Financial Ombudsman Service and the FCA register. Official rules and figures come from GOV.UK and other official pages read on 2 November 2026; they change, so check before you rely on a detail. Every example figure is made up and labelled, and every person in the course is fictional.

What will I learn?

• Build a money picture of what comes in, what goes out, what you owe and what you have, using pay after deductions
• Write a monthly budget where every pound has a job, with sinking pots for yearly costs and a payday routine
• Review your bills using the official switching rules for energy, broadband and mobiles, and check Council Tax and water help
• Set up Direct Debits, standing orders and accounts around payday, and plan to clear an overdraft
• Check your credit reports free, fix mistakes and understand what helps and harms a credit file
• Judge borrowing by its total cost, use credit cards and Buy Now Pay Later carefully and spot illegal lenders
• Sort debts into priority and non-priority, talk to creditors and find free debt advice and Breathing Space
• Start an emergency fund and understand savings account types, the Personal Savings Allowance, ISAs and FSCS protection
• Plan for life events such as moving out, a new baby, a drop in income or separation, and use free benefits calculators
• Recognise money scams, know what to do after one, and build a full household money plan

Frequently asked questions