HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE DURING A PANDEMIC: COVID-19 AND THE CASE OF BULGARIA

Abstract

This article examines the expenditures of Bulgarian households during the COVID-19 pandemic. It specifies the theoretical and methodological features of the concepts of the household total and monetary expenditures and outlines their structure and specific characteristics. It also proves that the amount of total consumer expenditure is greater than the amount of monetary consumer expenditure. The structure and dynamics of the total expenditure average per household and per person are analyzed, deriving the factors that affect the trends in the change of the studied categories. The object of study is household total expenditure, and the subject involves the supposed role of COVID-19 as a factor that affects the state and dynamics of household total expenditure and/or its structure in Bulgaria. The conclusion is that there is a negative pandemic impact, but it should not be overestimated and/or dramatized.