Annual Spending Review - 2014

It's that time of the year again.  Here's a breakdown of where all the money went in 2014....click for a larger image...

Basic ground rules are generally as last year's post, and a few points of note are listed below :-

• the 'Savings & Investments' category also includes the repayments of capital I made against the mortgage on our other house (the interest payments are treated as expenses and are covered within 'House No 2 Bills'), and the relatively small personal contributions to my SIPP.   This second house was sold at the end of May, so the annual spending on it was halved and will disappear altogether in next year's figures.
• the 'Savings & Investment' category doesn't include the lump sum I received from the house sale, which would have severely distorted the results - only the savings from income are included here, for a more direct comparison with 2013. 
• 'House No 1' bills were lower in 2014, due to the very mild winter last year, which meant we spent way below budget on heating oil.

• 'Groceries and Alcohol' doesn't reflect the total household spending, only my own.  My wife usually picks up the tab at the supermarkets when we do our major food shops every other week or so.  I pay all the other household bills except for the broadband internet. 
• I've split one of last year's categories into two - the former 'Miscellaneous including Holidays' is now 'Holidays and Travel' and a separate 'Miscellaneous' entry. Spending on 'Holidays & Travel' has trebled this year, but the 'Miscellaneous' column has halved because 2013 was a big year for wedding presents and family get-togethers etc.
• 'Gambling' spending in 2014 was twice that of 2013 - no big wins on the horses this year....
• 'Tobacco' spending was lower this year, generally due to stocking up abroad when on holidays etc, and despite the fact I bought six months supplies of bigger cigars while on a business trip the week before Christmas.
• Spending on the Garden this year was only a quarter of that in 2013 - no further major landscaping works were required.
• 'Car Expenses' were down in 2014 - insurance was cheaper this year and we drove fewer miles, probably because we spent a lot of time away on holiday !
• 'Restaurant' spending more than doubled this year, because we now go out for lunch every Sunday.  

In total cash terms, I 'spent' 4.5% more this year than in 2013, but the 'Savings & Investments' category increased by 2.5%.

Finally, a very Happy New Year to all...