Romanians spend more on phone bills and cigarettes than on food

The expenditures of the 7.5 million households in the last three months of 2009 reached 2,143 RON (around 510 euros), almost 3% more than the 2,081 RON posted in the same period of the previous year, according to the National Statistics Institute data. The population’s average monthly incomes per household climbed by the same percentage, hitting 2,390.3 RON, from 2,318.5 RON in October-December 2008. However, adjusted to 2009 inflation, the population’s incomes in the last three months of the year dropped by 1.6% in real terms. Sums earmarked for purchases of non-food products were three times higher than the budget allotted for the daily basket in the fourth quarter, so that households spent more than 73 RON on cigarettes on average each month, while for meat purchases they allotted 44.5 RON in the same period. Phone services also held a top position in the expenditures’ budget in the last months of the year, worth 73.5 RON per month. Fuel expenses were also high, each household of Romania allocating almost 44 RON on average.