Pandemic disruption has utterly changed household spending in so many ways

THE virus has radically altered household spending, putting paid to old habits and introducing new trends. Gone are the likes of spending money on trips to the pub, taxis, sandwiches for lunch and meals out.

In has come higher expenditure on Netflix, online shopping, groceries and charity donations.

Savings are resulting from childcare facilities being closed, forcing parents to juggle even more than usual.

Overall household spending is down 25pc compared with a normal week, according to the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI). This means the lockdown benefit for those lucky enough to retain their jobs could be huge.

Lucky households that have not been hit with an income shock are not able to spend their money. The result is going to be a big rise in household savings. By the end of this year, households will have between €10bn and €15bn extra in their bank accounts because they could not spend it, according to economist John FitzGerald.

For the 1.25 million people existing on the pandemic unemployment payment and the temporary wage subsidy scheme, no such benefits are accruing and the pandemic is instead a cash crisis.

The ESRI estimates that spending has fallen by a quarter in the average household.

Its economists reckon the typical household is now spending around €630 a week, down from €830.

So what impact is Covid-19 having on our spending, and will the pandemic herald longterm changes?

Childcare

This is the single biggest expense for many parents. The pandemic means parents have been forced to juggle minding children at home rather than paying for expensive care in crèches or using childminders.

The average weekly cost for full-time childcare is around €184, according to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in material published last year. Assuming a 12-week period when childcare facilities are closed means a saving of around €2,200 for a family with one child.

Groceries

The pandemic has caused huge disruption to the weekly shopping experience and its cost. Queues outside stores are now standard so social distancing can be observed.

But spending on groceries and other essentials are also up. The average household spent €122 more on groceries in the four weeks up to March 22, according to research group Kantar.

And around a third of households are spending €120 or more on each shopping trip.

This is double the number that spent that much last year.

People are bulk buying, with others ordering online.

Online shopping surge

US billionaire Jeff Bezos of Amazon is a big winner from the pandemic, with Irish consumers buying more on their phones and laptops during the lockdown. Couriers say they are busier now than during a typical Christmas.

One in three of us are now shopping online on at least a weekly basis.

In the first three months of the year alone, there was close to €6bn spent online, according to data on credit and debit cards sales extracted by the

Banking and Payments Federation (BPFI). Some 42pc of the money spent on cards was classed as e-commerce, up from 31pc five years ago.

Big purchases are out

Nearly half of Irish consumers say they are delaying expenditure on large purchases because of the pandemic, according to the Deloitte Consumer Tracker. This typically refers to expenditure on cars, fridges and furniture.

Caution is the watchword. Despite reassurances by the Government and the Irish Fiscal Council that we are not returning to a bout of severe austerity, some 86pc of consumers expect austerity measures in the coming years, according to a KBC Bank survey.

Takeaway coffees

Because so many people are either out of work or toiling on a laptop perched on the kitchen table, spending on work-related expenses has crashed. This means commuter costs are down. People who buy tickets regularly are not travelling, while those who have annual Leap cards are due rebates.

Takeaways are a distant memory for many, while buying sandwiches for lunch in the office is not a thing at the moment. And the closure of hairdressers and barbers means spending on the cutting and styling of hair is almost non-existent now.

Drink and home entertainment

The pubs may be shut, but that does not mean we are not drinking. We are spending almost twice as much on drinking at home, according to ESRI estimates. This works out at €21 a week on drinking at home, double the prepandemic spend. Subscription service Netflix reported a 27pc surge in spending on its streaming services at the start of lockdown.