While men drop an average of $129.87 on Valentine’s Day, women generally only spend $99.63.
Valentine’s Day comes with expectations although some of those got put on hold for last year’s pandemic-impact version of the holiday. Some Americans likely opted to not dine out and some folks probably cut back on gifts due to Covid-related economic uncertainty.
In 2021, all holidays felt a little bit different (and, in some cases, were very different). Now, we’re a little closer to normal and Valentine’s Day may provide the spark some people greatly need.
Amid a pandemic that dragged out for longer than any of us could have ever anticipated, holidays like Valentine’s Day have become a way for many to liven up their day-to-day: holiday spending rose 10.7% between 2019 and 2021 while jewelry sales jumped by nearly 40% during certain popular gifting periods in 2021.
Image source: TheStreet.
What Are We Spending This Valentine’s Day?
This year, Americans are expected to spend a total of $113.25 on Valentine’s Day presents like chocolate, jewelry and evenings out.
According to the latest survey from fintech company Self Financial, men will spend an average of $129.87 while women will spend $99.63. The survey does not include numbers for non-binary or gender-diverse people.
Self
About 45.5% of the 1,596 adults surveyed further said that they intend to spend more in 2022 than they had in 2021. By contrast, only 15.3% said that they plan to spend less than last year.
Along with being the most common gifts as found by other studies, romantic meals, chocolates and jewelry (32.4%) are also some of the most appreciated — a respective 39.7%, 34.2% and 32.4% said that this is what they’d appreciate most for Valentine’s Day.
“In addition to the top 10 most meaningful gifts, our survey found that for one in 25 (4.3%) of Americans, the gift of cryptocurrency would be a meaningful gift to them,” reads the survey.
V-Day Expectations Vs. Reality
But as anyone even once been jilted knows all too well, expectations often fail to live up to reality.
Men expect their partners to spend an average of $126.83 while the actual number they’ll spend is about $99.63. Women, meanwhile, expect men to spend less than what they actually will, at $110.40.
Self
Being in a long-term relationship is also no excuse to get lazy and forget Valentine’s Day altogether — those who have been together from three to five years expect their partners to spend $123.40 while those who have been together for less than a year only expect around $94.83 worth of presents.
And Yet More Expectations (Partners, Tread Carefully)
While the relationship stress that Valentine’s Day can create has been well-documented, 60.8% still said that they would feel hurt if their partner didn’t do anything at all — although, at 42.9% vs. 36%, men are less likely to feel upset about not receiving a present.
Those early years of a relationship are often the most dangerous ground, with 66.7% of people who have been coupled for one to two years said that they would feel hurt if they did not receive anything for Valentine’s Day.
A whopping 41.1% said that they would be upset if their partner spent less than they did on their presents, flowers or other Valentine’s Day celebrations. That is a situation that, as the numbers above indicate, will without a doubt materialize for a large number of couples.
As the survey shows, Valentine’s Day so often comes down to expectations of all sorts: While 86% of those in relationships believe their partner will know what they want for the holiday, only 38.4% have actually communicated what that something is.
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