Annual Spending Review - 2016

With just one day to go until the end of the year, and no plans to venture beyond the garden gate until 2017, here's the annual look back at where all the money went ...

click on it for a larger image

The columns are ranked highest-to-lowest from left-to-right, based on the 2016 spend, and include the equivalent 2014 and 2015 spends alongside, for comparison.  

Here's another plot containing exactly the same data, but this time with the 'Savings & Investment' category hidden.

Basic ground rules are generally as per the previous years' posts on the subject, and a few points of note are listed below :-

• Our previous house was sold at the end of May 2014, so there's been no spending on it in the past two years.

• 'Groceries & 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.

• The 'Savings & Investments' category is well down on last year, from 61% to 49%...

• ... but this fall in 'Savings & Investments' in 2016 is mostly offset by the increase in 'Holidays & Travel' spending, up from 8.5% to 23%.  This category for 2016 also includes the travel and accommodation costs of our next trip away, coming up very soon (in 2017), but which we've already paid for.

• 'Gambling' spending in 2016 is back up towards 2014 levels - no big wins this year.
• Both our rabbits died this year, and we don't intend to keep any more animals so the 'Pet Food / Vets' category is lower than previous years and will disappear altogether in 2017.

• As I said I might do last year, I've now split the Golf out into a separate category - previously it was included under 'Miscellaneous'. 

• The 'Car Expenses' category is much higher this year, but it includes the purchase cost of the secondhand convertible we bought in the summer.

In cash terms, the total '...spend...' was 7% more this year than in 2015, which can be attributed to the second car purchase plus its associated insurance and road tax costs.

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