Comparing American Spending to the Rest of the World

An interesting report was released earlier this week by ACNielsen. The study looked at American financial behavior, feelings and spending habits compared to other countries.

Surprisingly, American's are the second ranked country for consumers who report being "strapped for cash." 22% of our consumers reported having no cash to spare after covering their basic living expenses. Only Portugal exceeded this with 23%. The next highest percentage was 17% for the Netherlands and the UK.

The study also looked at how Americans spend the small amount of spare cash we may have. Again, I was pretty surprised by the results. Most US consumers reported that they would spend spare cash on paying off debts (41%) or building savings (38%). Most global consumers reported that they would use spare cash for savings (40%) or vacations (34%).

"While Americans are notorious for overspending and building debt, these findings show a desire for financial responsibility when it comes to discretionary income," said John J. Lewis, President & CEO, ACNielsen U.S. "Perhaps because the idea of living from paycheck to paycheck is so prevalent, consumers who have a little extra cash would rather use it to shore up their finances than spend it right away."

Does this survey accurately represent your financial situation? Do you have spare cash each month? Do you use your leftover money to pay off debts and build your savings? Share your feedback in the comments section below.