Mark Dolliver's Takes: Perfumes, Etc.

It’s one of the almost-universal experiences of modern life: paying bills. There’s much variation, though, in the sorts of bills different people get and the success they have in paying them all. A report from the Pew Research Center gives a detailed look at the topic.

Housing is among the classic necessities of life, and 76 percent of adults have regular expenses in this category (whether mortgage payments, rent or condo fees). They’re slightly outnumbered, though, by those with bills for cable/satellite TV (78 percent)—an expense largely unheard of a generation ago.