Annual Spending Review - 2017

Here's the annual look back at where all the money went during the year.  A flurry of snow this morning put paid to plans for a final round of golf in 2017, and so I'm now unlikely to spend anything more until 2018 ... 

click on the graphic for a larger image ...

As usual, the columns are ranked highest-to-lowest from left-to-right, based on the 2017 spending, and include the equivalent 2016 and 2015 spends alongside, for comparison.   


Here's another plot containing exactly the same data, but this time with the 'Savings & Investment' and 'Holidays and Travel' categories hidden, as these are much larger than the others and therefore tend to distort the chart scale :-  

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 it's now fallen out of the charts. 

• '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 has fallen significantly in the last couple of years, from a high of 61% in 2015, to 49% in 2016, to just 38% in 2017 ... 

• ... but again in 2017 this fall in 'Savings & Investments' is mostly offset by the increase in 'Holidays & Travel' spending, up from 8.5% in 2015 to 23% in 2016 and 32% this year.   This category for 2017 also includes the travel and accommodation costs of our next trip coming up very soon (in 2018), which we've already paid for. 

• Total 'Gambling' spending in 2017 was lower again - one half-decent win on the horses in early December reduced the year's losses considerably. 

• Both our rabbits died in 2016 so the 'Pet Food / Vets' category is zero this year. 

• The 'Car Expenses' category has fallen in 2017.  Last year, it included the purchase cost of the secondhand convertible we bought.  However, owning two cars is still more expensive than one (mainly insurance and road tax) and so I didn't expect to get back down to 2015 levels.  

• In cash terms, the total '...spend...' was 14% less this year than in 2016, down to a level not seen since 2013.  

And finally, a very Happy New Year to all...