While Americans remain budget-conscious since the onset of the economic downturn, 68 percent say they did not decrease spending in the areas they are most passionate about--with food being the number-one passion cited, according to the latest American Express Spending & Saving Tracker. Sixty percent of the 2,025 Americans surveyed cited food as their passion, with electronics and gadgets (35 percent), sports (34 percent) and fashion (25 percent) following.

On average, foodies appear to spend significantly more on their passion annually ($2,447) compared to the other three groups. Consumers also prioritized spending on larger ticket items and ranked what they spend on most often to indulge in their passion. The top large-ticket items for foodies included fining-dining (35 percent) and culinary vacations (8 percent).

Moreover, 53 percent of foodies say they didn't cut-back spending on their passion at the onset of the economic downturn and 46 percent say they enjoy spending on their passion for food without ever feeling guilty.

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