It looks at how much of their take - home pay is left after meeting a full range of household costs and putting some money away in savings. (theglobeandmail.com)
The official receiver will compare your spending to their own guidelines which are based on average household costs. (stepchange.org)
It should mean you spend less because you share household costs and it could also mean you open a joint bank account or take out a mortgage together. (moneyadviceservice.org.uk)