The Fiscal Femme Anonymous Spending Survey

The Fiscal Femme Anonymous Spending Survey

When I first started my money journey it was really helpful to see how much people were spending on certain things. Not because it was important to compare myself with others or that I should spend my money the same way. But more because it opened my eyes to what was possible and gave me a spending frame of reference.

I remember finding out that one of my friends spent a fraction of what I was spending on food and dining out. Yet, her life didn’t seem that much different from mine. It made me realize I had a lot of room for improvement. 

Because money isn’t something we are regularly talking about with our friends, family and colleagues (yet), it’s hard to find out what other people are spending in certain areas of their lives. Friends might complain about their spending, but they aren’t often sharing specific numbers. 

During our Money Parties, we run through our expenses for the past month. At the end, I ask people what areas of spending they’re most curious about. Then, I share a quick anonymous spending survey and share the results on the call. 

It’s a highlight of the Money Parties for many! 

I decided to take this survey to the entire Fiscal Femme community and asked all of you which areas of spending you were most curious about. I gathered data all of last month and am excited to finally be sharing the results with you. 

Drumroll please…

Here are some highlights but you can get the full detail below.

  • 91% of our community is saving

  • 77% of our community donated in 2019

  • On average, our community spent $261 per person on groceries last month

  • 2019 spending on shopping ranged from $226 to $13,000

  • 56% of our community is paying off some kind of non-mortgage debt

THE FISCAL FEMME COMMUNITY

ANONYMOUS SPENDING SURVEY 2020

Anonymous Spending Survey_ Monthly Expenses.png

* 2 people have paid off their car in full.

Anonymous Spending Survey_Annual Expenses.png

** 1 person had their own wedding this year. It cost $55,000 for 131 guests.

*** One family had $9,000 in medical bills this year when they had their baby.

**** Of every category, people sounded most upset with / ashamed of their shopping spending.

FUN FACTS ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY

  • 60% of our community has a car

  • 91% of our community is saving

  • 56% of our community is paying off some kind of non-mortgage debt

  • 33% of our community attended weddings in 2019

  • 7% of our community paid for childcare this year

  • 30% of our community has pets

  • 77% of our community donated in 2019