The point o f departure o f this study was a n examinationrno f the limita tions o f the traditi onal appr oach t o consump ti onrna nalysis in the developinG countries . An a l ternative appr oachrnwas developed a nd applie d t o the socio- e c o nomic r ealities o frnpos t-revolutionary Ethiopi a . The appr onche ' permitted one t orna nalyse h ousehold c onsumption pat t er ns o f the c ountry fr omrndiff erent aneles. The s t~ tly suggested that th os e who a r ernc oncerned with c onsumption planning Gould be able t o contributernmore t o t he de velopment o f the national economy by r e c onsideringrntheir appr oach t o the subject .