Identifying savings in your household expenditure
If you've been finding it difficult to keep to your savings target, it might be time for a quick review.
Generally, you will find that your income is fixed. So to identify surplus savings potential, take a closer look at your expenses, especially in relation to household expenditure.
Itemise household expenditure
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Household Expenditure Survey 2009-2010 the average Australian household expenditure in 2009-2010 was about $1,236 per week. Taking inflation into account this is approximately $1,429 per week in today's figures.
Your own circumstances: eg family size, education costs, child care requirements, and transport costs will mean that your weekly spending will likelty differ from the national benchmark. A useful practice is to break down your own spending into categories. The more detailed you get, the easier it is to see where savings can be made.
An example is shown in Table 1 below.
| Household expenditure categories (goods and services) | Total goods and services expenditure ($) | Total goods and services expenditure (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Current housing costs (selected dwelling) | 258 | 18.0 |
| Domestic fuel and power | 38 | 2.6 |
| Food and non-alcoholic beverages | 236 | 16.5 |
| Alcoholic beverages | 37 | 2.6 |
| Tobacco products | 15 | 1.0 |
| Clothing and footwear | 51 | 3.6 |
| Household furnishings and equipment | 68 | 4.7 |
| Household services and operation | 78 | 5.5 |
| Medical care and health expenses | 76 | 5.3 |
| Transport | 223 | 15.6 |
| Recreation | 187 | 13.1 |
| Personal care | 28 | 1.9 |
| Miscellaneous goods and services | 135 | 9.4 |
| Total | 1,429 | 100.0 |
If you are unsure about how to break down your spending habits, consider tracking individual transactions via your receipts and bank statements over a period of 3 months – this will help you to get a handle on how you spend your money.
Identify Areas for Savings
Once you have categorised your household expenditure, you now have an insight into where savings can be made. Here are a few areas that may yield results:
- Needs vs. wants - Understanding the difference between needs and wants is vital to cutting down on household expenditure. We're not saying that you should cut out all "wants", but keep the distinction in mind when making purchases, and ask yourself "do I really need this?"
- Utility bills - Simple things like, turning off the lights, using a shower timer, hanging washing on a clothesline instead of using the dryer, and unplugging devices/appliances when they're not in use really can help cut down on your energy and water consumption.
- Reviewing your services - Regular payments for services like utilities, car insurance, home and contents insurance, gym membership, mobile and internet plan, magazines and publications as well as digital streaming (e.g. Netflix).
- Food waste - According to a recent report, Australians waste over $10 billion worth of food annually, which roughly equates to $1,100 per annum ($21 per week) for each household. Remember that its not just food you're wasting but money too. Buying fresh food in smaller quantities and with a specific purpose in mind can help to reduce food waste.
- Implement a money management plan - consider restructuring the way your cash flows by using different bank accounts for savings as opposed to regular spending (current account). Use credit cards only for food, utility bills and education expenses, or eliminate them entirely and replace them with a debit card linked to your current account.
“Reducing your impact on the environment also reduces the impact on your wallet. ”
Social Sharing
Sources:
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, Household Expenditure Survey and Survey of Income and Housing, Australia, 2009-10, 13 July 2012
- Rabobank, 2016 Food and Farming Report, 22 Sep 2016
Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide general news and information only. While every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information it contains, neither Loanscape nor its employees can be held liable for any inaccuracies, errors or omission. All information is current as at publication release and the publisher takes no responsibility for any factors that may change thereafter. Readers are advised to contact their financial adviser, broker or accountant before making any investment decisions and should not rely on this article as a substitute for professional advice.
Loanscape has today released its Borrowing Capacity Index for Q4/2024. It confirms the forecast trend that borrowing capacities of Australian individuals and families are recovering from their low levels which coincided with the last of the recent increases to borrowing rates initiated by the Reserve Bank of Australia.