HOW WE SPEND

EVERY six years the Australian Bureau of Statistics conducts a major examination into how the average Aussie spends their money. They’ve been doing it for 30 years so it gives an amazing insight into how spending patterns change. For us the highlights were:

■ The biggest expense was rent at 7.39 per cent of the family budget … interest on mortgages came in third at 5.63 per cent.

■ For the first time, the second biggest expense for the average family was eating out, at $80 a week or 5.64 per cent.

■ Another first is spending more of our budget travelling overseas (3.19 per cent) compared with domestic holidays (2.19 per cent).

■ Cars take less to buy and run now than six years ago. Buying a car now represents 3.61 per cent of spending, down from 3.81 per cent in 2009-10 … filling up the car with petrol takes 3.48 per cent of spending, down from 4.13 per cent.

■ Electricity and gas (2.82 per cent of spending), is only a modest lift from 2.58 per cent of weekly household spending in 2009-10. Would you believe Aussies are spending a smaller proportion of total spending on lights and power than in 1984?

■ Spending on gambling has fallen from $5.86 to $4.44 a week.

■ Alcohol costs have fallen from 2.62 per cent of the family budget to

2.25 per cent .

■ Health costs up from 1.54 per cent to 1.59 per cent.

■ Childcare costs up from 0.71 per cent to 1.23 per cent.