Household Food and Healthcare Spending Increase Dramatically

American households spent 42 percent more on food in 2006 than they did in 1990, according to a survey of selected out-of-pocket expenditures by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Compare this with the increase in health care costs (87 percent) and housing costs (88 percent). Out-of-pocket money paid for entertainment rose 67 percent, while expenses for tobacco products rose 19 percent.

The only decrease in expenditures from a list of 20 items was for reading material, down 24 percent.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / San Francisco Chronicle