Quick Pitch: Bundle.com is a new social media and money management business focused on helping people save and spend better.
Genius Idea: Most of us know -- at least subconsciously -- if our personal spending habits are excessive, but all of us could probably benefit from seeing our monthly money practices stacked up against the rest of the population.
Bundle is a conveyer of information gleaned from spending data gathered from Citigroup, the U.S. government and third-party research firms. It serves as the ultimate online resource for spending in the U.S.
Bundle users can use the "Everybody's Money" tool to dive into the informative data and learn about their own spending habits, the behaviors of others like them or the money matters of those in a totally different situation. Data can be segmented by different demographics -- location, age, household type and income -- or spend type, and compared against any other group.
For example, I happen to fall into the "Wired Thing" group of spenders. It turns out the "Thrill Jockey" types in San Diego spend $775, to my group's $126, per month on entertainment and travel. Diving a little deeper, it appears that a majority of that Thrill Jockey money ($640) is spent for entertainment purposes.
Bundle also includes a quick and painless onsite quiz that helps to identify your spend type. Completing the quiz will help you further dissect spending data.
The service also regularly releases reports and infographics on the state of spending in cities and states across the U.S. The food and drink report, for example, shows that in 2009 Austin residents spent more on food and beverages -- spending twice the national average on tacos alone -- than denizens in other cities.
Unfortunately, Bundle is more of an informational resource than a money management tool, but there are a plethora of action-oriented articles on site if you're looking for advice.
[img credit: JudeanPeoplesFront]
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