Average Family Budget
Have you ever wondered what the average family budget is? Use the data on this page to compare to your own family budget. Average 2008 Expenditures Categorized
The following table shows 2008 expenditures broken down into categories. This data was taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It can help give you some great ideas of how to handle your own family budget spending. The table shows data from a "consumer unit". The Bureau of Labor Statistics definition of consumer unit is based on an average of 2.5 persons. | 2008 Consumer Unit Average Expenditures | Annual | Monthly |
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| | $50,486 | $4,207 | | Food | $6,443 | $537 | | Food at home | $3,744 | $312 | | Food away from home | $2,698 | $225 | | Alcoholic beverages | $444 | $37 | | Housing | $17,109 | $1,426 | | Shelter | $10,183 | $849 | | Utilities, fuels, and public services | $3,649 | $304 | | Household operations | $998 | $83 | | Housekeeping supplies | $654 | $55 | | Household furnishings and equipment | $1,624 | $135 | | Apparel and services | $1,801 | $150 | | Men and boys | $427 | $36 | | Women and girls | $718 | $60 | | Children under 2 | $93 | $8 | | Footwear | $314 | $26 | | Other apparel products and services | $248 | $21 | | Transportation | $8,604 | $717 | | Vehicle purchases (net outlay) | $2,755 | $230 | | Gasoline and motor oil | $2,715 | $226 | | Other vehicle expenses | $2,621 | $218 | | Public transportation | $513 | $43 | | Healthcare | $2,976 | $248 | | Health insurance | $1,653 | $138 | | Medical services | $727 | $61 | | Drugs | $482 | $40 | | Medical supplies | $114 | $10 | | Entertainment | $2,835 | $236 | | Fees and admissions | $616 | $51 | | Audio and visual equipment and services | $1,036 | $86 | | Pets, toys, hobbies, and playground equipment | $704 | $59 | | Other entertainment supplies, equipment, and services | $479 | $40 | | Personal care products and services | $616 | $51 | | Reading | $116 | $10 | | Education | $1,046 | $87 | | Tobacco products and smoking supplies | $317 | $26 | | Miscellaneous | $840 | $70 | | Cash contributions | $1,737 | $145 | | Personal insurance and pensions | $5,605 | $467 | | Life and other personal insurance | $317 | $26 | | Pensions and Social Security | $5,288 | $441 | | *Data taken from Bureau of Labor Statistics. | | | | **Data based on consumer unit, which on average has 2.5 persons. | | |
Hopefully this average family budget data is useful when trying to analyze your own family money management plan. Cell Phone Spending
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also had some interesting data on family residential versus cell phone spending. It is something I had wondered about, so when I found the information I thought it would be nice to share. As you probably suspected, spending on residential phones is decreasing and spending on cell phones is increasing. 
The next chart shows cell phone spending according to age group. 
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