Whether you’ve been married for decades, been dating for just a few months or have a Tinder date planned for Feb. 14, you simply can’t show up empty-handed.
The folks at WalletHub wanted to learn exactly how people plan to spend their money this Valentine’s Day, so they conducted an online survey from Jan. 15-18, asking respondents what they plan to buy and how much they plan to spend, as well as financial turnoffs and how money problems affect relationships. When it comes to money and Valentine’s Day, this survey covers it all—and the findings are quite interesting.
For starters, not everyone is celebrating Valentine’s Day. In fact, only 45 percent of people will, and this is up 6 percent from 2008.
Valentine’s Day is Wednesday, and as much as people like to knock it as a Hallmark holiday, it’s a pretty big deal for the lovebirds of the world.
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For those celebrating, the average person will spend $143.56. Not surprisingly, the bulk of that, about $89, will be spent on significant others. But people also drop a little bit of Valentine’s cash on other family members, classmates and teachers, friends, pets and co-workers.
While you don’t want to overwhelm your date with lavish gifts if the romantic vibes aren’t right, the survey shows that most people (32 percent) think it’s appropriate to spend more than $100 once you’ve been together for over a year.
When comes to what people are buying, items range from candy, which is the most purchased item (55 percent) and greeting cards (46 percent) to an evening out (35 percent) and jewelry (19 percent).
One interesting takeaway from the WalletHub survey? People have very strong opinions on whether or not gift cards are an appropriate gift for Valentine’s Day. In fact, 2 in 10 people said that a gift card is the worst present, while 3 in 10 say it’s the best gift. Talk about a polarizing opinion.
People also have mixed feelings about popular gifts like chocolate, flowers and jewelry. So, if you’re feeling unsure about what to buy for your Valentine, it’s probably for good reason.
For those in serious relationships, WalletHub came to some interesting conclusions about what makes or breaks a couple (at least financially!). According to the survey, 52 percent of people wouldn’t marry someone with bad credit, while 36 percent wouldn’t even date someone with bad credit. More than 8 in 10 people said heavy credit card debt is a turn-off.
The worst type of money problem for a couple? Keeping financial secrets (36 percent).