{ "_meta": { "description": "Selected monthly spending starting estimates with slider ranges. Defaults draw on BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 categories and industry research, with curated category amounts and taxable-share assumptions. They are not measured Greenville household averages.", "sources": [ "BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 Table 1203 (structure, clothing, furnishings, alcohol, tobacco)", "J.D. Power TV/Internet Bills Q1 2025", "Reviews.org State of Consumer Media Spending 2025", "Astound Average Cell Phone Bill 2026", "Deloitte Digital Media Trends 2026", "AAA Your Driving Costs 2025" ], "taxNote": "tax_fraction represents the share of spending that is actually subject to SC sales tax. Some categories (clothing, personal care, entertainment non-streaming) bundle services that are not taxed. Internet access is exempt under the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act and is excluded from the model entirely (it is not a category here).", "bracketNote": "The second bracket is anchored at Greenville County's median household income: $76,932, Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate (table B19013). Its spending defaults are curated starting values. Custom incomes use log-log interpolation between presets; the local income anchor does not imply local spending survey data.", "brackets": [42000, 76932, 150000, 322142] }, "categories": [ { "key": "dining_out", "label": "Dining out & takeout", "tax_fraction": 1.0, "defaults": { "42000": 180, "76932": 350, "150000": 550, "322142": 750 }, "min": 0, "max": 2500, "step": 10, "note": "Restaurants, fast food, coffee, delivery. Defaults are curated starting amounts, not a published national median or a measured local average." }, { "key": "household_furnishings", "label": "Household & furniture", "tax_fraction": 1.0, "defaults": { "42000": 120, "76932": 170, "150000": 295, "322142": 450 }, "min": 0, "max": 2000, "step": 10, "note": "Furniture, decor, small appliances, kitchenware. Curated starting amounts informed by BLS category structure." }, { "key": "entertainment", "label": "Entertainment & hobbies", "tax_fraction": 0.55, "defaults": { "42000": 90, "76932": 170, "150000": 280, "322142": 400 }, "min": 0, "max": 1500, "step": 10, "note": "Hobbies, pets, toys, sporting goods. Excludes streaming/cable (separate row). Tax fraction 55%: ADMISSIONS ARE EXCLUDED ENTIRELY. Tickets to movies, concerts, games and attractions pay a 5% admissions license tax under S.C. Code Title 12 Ch. 21 (Sec. 12-21-2420), NOT the Ch. 36 sales tax, and Sec. 4-37-30 levies the county tax only on proceeds subject to Ch. 36. The 55% taxable share is a model assumption allowing for admissions, untaxed pet services, and club dues within the broader category; it is not a measured household split." }, { "key": "phone_cable_streaming", "label": "Cell phone, cable & streaming", "tax_fraction": 1.0, "defaults": { "42000": 140, "76932": 225, "150000": 310, "322142": 380 }, "min": 0, "max": 700, "step": 5, "note": "Mobile service + cable TV + streaming (Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, Disney+, etc.). Curated starting amounts informed by industry research; Deloitte 2026 reports a $69 monthly streaming average among subscribing households. Internet access is separately exempt under the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act." }, { "key": "clothing_personal_care", "label": "Clothing & personal care", "tax_fraction": 0.95, "defaults": { "42000": 150, "76932": 210, "150000": 340, "322142": 505 }, "min": 0, "max": 1800, "step": 10, "note": "Clothing, footwear, and personal care products (soap, shampoo, cosmetics, OTC). The 95% taxable share assumes a 5% allowance for untaxed salon and barber services; this is not a measured household split. Laundering and dry cleaning are taxed under Sec. 12-36-910(B)(1), which exempts only coin-operated machines, so they are not netted out here." }, { "key": "vehicle_maintenance", "label": "Vehicle maintenance & parts", "tax_fraction": 0.7, "defaults": { "42000": 85, "76932": 105, "150000": 120, "322142": 140 }, "min": 0, "max": 500, "step": 5, "note": "Oil changes, tires, brakes, parts. Excludes insurance, finance, registration (not sales-taxed). AAA 2025: ~$107/mo average. Tax fraction 70%: parts are taxable but SEPARATELY STATED REPAIR LABOR IS NOT (S.C. Regs. 117-306.1 and 117-306.2 -- only a lump-sum bill is taxable in full). 70% is an assumption weighted toward parts because tires and batteries sit in this category; it is not a measured split." }, { "key": "alcohol_tobacco", "label": "Alcohol & tobacco", "tax_fraction": 1.0, "defaults": { "42000": 30, "76932": 45, "150000": 80, "322142": 140 }, "min": 0, "max": 800, "step": 5, "note": "Beer, wine, spirits, and tobacco. The default assumes no tobacco spending. A pack-a-day habit adds roughly $250/mo in SC." } ], "other_taxed": { "label": "Other taxed retail", "hint": "Housekeeping supplies, books, OTC medical supplies, small retail", "defaults": { "42000": 35, "76932": 57, "150000": 85, "322142": 120 }, "note": "Fixed curated allowance informed by BLS categories: housekeeping supplies + medical supplies + reading + other small taxable retail. It remains in the calculation when the adjustable sliders are zero." }, "utilities_exempt": { "label": "Water, electricity & natural gas", "hint": "Exempt for households, so it adds nothing to your tax", "defaults": { "42000": 238, "76932": 273, "150000": 326, "322142": 385 }, "note": "Display only. It never enters the tax calculation. Residential electricity and natural gas are exempt under S.C. Code § 12-36-2120(33); water sold by public utilities under § 12-36-2120(12). Monthly = (ELECTRIC + NATRLGAS + WATER annual means) / 12 from BLS CEX 2024, series CXU{ELECTRIC,NATRLGAS,WATER}LB02{08,20,22,23}M. The BLS WATER line ('Water and other public services') includes trash collection and septic, so the water share is slightly overstated." } }