09.13.2010 / What do you spend your money on?
Recently, Visual Economics shared a chart showing how the average US consumer spends their paycheck on an annual basis. The chart was based on a study by the Consumer Expenditure Survey by the US Department of Labor. The results are interesting, American consumers spend the most on...
- Housing (34.1%)
- Transportation (17.6%)
- Food (12.4%)
- Insurances & Pensions (10.8%)
- Healthcare (5.7%)
- Entertainment (5.4%)
Where do you stack up? If you don’t already track your expenses, now is the time to start. Tracking your expenses is the first step in setting a budget. The mere act of tracking your expenses for a month makes you more aware of what you spend and can help you decide what, if anything, you might be spending too much money on. While budgets can be a highly personal matter, using information found in the survey above can help you identify where you may be living above your means.
See the reports here:
Visual Economics: http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/
Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/cex/
What do you spend your money on? Is there an expense where you excel at saving or one you wish you could spend less on? Let us know!


