Employed families with small children may spend as much as 10 to 20 percent of the family take-home pay for child care. Elder care is a big portion of other family budgets. Families have different spending priorities because they think different things are important. The family who thinks it's important to give to the church or to give elaborate gifts to others will spend more for gifts and contributions than the family who places a low priority on these items. The amount spent for education varies widely from family to family, depending on the age of children and the priority placed on education.
All families are different.
They all have different values. They spend money differently because of their values. Your family may have unusual circumstances which can make certain expense items very different from the average guidelines. Things like high medical expenses for a family member, children in college or a temporary job layoff are just a few examples. You may find that you are spending 100 percent of your take-home pay before you are completely down the list.