Household Spending

New Strategist Publications

If Americans buy it, you can probably find out how much they’re spending on it in the all-new 15th edition of Household Spending: Who Spends How Much on What.

Widely praised when the first edition appeared in 1991, this unique resource gives you the latest dollar-for-dollar answers to the questions Who buys? What do they buy? How much do they spend? It also gives you market shares and spending indexes, valuable additions that add depth to your research.

Based on unpublished data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2008 Consumer Expenditure Survey, Household Spending examines how much American households spend on hundreds of products and services by the demographics that count—age, income, household type, region of residence, race and Hispanic origin, and educational attainment.

The products and services are organized into chapters on:

Apparel  Clothing for men, boys, women, girls, and children under age 2. Includes material for making clothes, jewelry, watches, professional laundry and dry cleaning.

Entertainment  Admission to sports events, movie and theater tickets, television, radio, sound equipment, toys, photographic equipment, etc.

Financial Products and Services  Gambling losses and legal fees, child support and alimony, life insurance and pension, taxes, etc.

Food and Alcohol  Groceries, or food consumed at home, which includes cereals and bakery products, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, sugar and other sweets, fats and oils, etc. The section on food consumed away from home looks at spending on breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in restaurants, carry-outs, etc.

Gifts  Gifts to people in other households of food, alcoholic beverages, housing, apparel, transportation, health care, entertainment, education, etc.

Health Care  Health insurance, medical services, drugs, and medical supplies.

Household Furnishings, Services, and Supplies  Personal and other household services such as elder care, lawn care service, etc.; laundry and cleaning supplies; postage and stationery; sheets, towels, and other household textiles; furniture; rugs; major and small appliances; and miscellaneous equipment such as power tools, smoke alarms, and luggage.

Shelter and Utilities  Spending on maintenance and repair, property taxes, utilities, etc. for owned and rented dwellings.

Personal Care, Reading, Education, and Tobacco  Hair care products, cosmetics and perfume, electric personal care appliances, newspapers and magazines, school tuition and books, and cigarettes.

Transportation  Vehicle purchases, gasoline and motor oil, vehicle finance charges and insurance, maintenance and repairs, public transportation, etc.

(614 pp., avaiable in hardcover, ISBN: 978-1-935114-90-1 ($125.00); or paperback ISBN: 978-1-935114-91-8 ($94.95); December 2010)