Yesterday I was sitting there pondering the meaning of Valentine’s Day you know very well about me i am MBA student which always focus on MBA study, when it struck me that it must have been made up by retailers to make it through the slow winter months. Well at least here in the Northern part of the United States, it is bitterly cold and we tend to hibernate.
I saw earlier today on the National Retail Foundation website that the average person celebrating Valentine’s Day is going to shell out a whopping $126.03. Men will spend about $168.74 compared to $85.76 spent by women. L
Never mind it is the women’s holiday, I would much rather see the smile on my wife’s face from something I gave her.
Ever since we have been a one income household the dollar figure has steadily declined in the gifts that we have given to one another. When we first started dating, I was giving her a lot of jewelry but once finances became tighter that was one of the areas of excess spending that we tried to curb. Then bring on the two little kiddies and we have curbed just about all non essential spending.
In all fairness, my wife has a pretty good start to the beginning of the year. It goes for her Christmas, then her birthday near the end of January then Valentine’s Day. This period of the year sets us back a little, but we have another 10 months to regain ourselves from this.
When you are tracking your family finances and you are reviewing your budget, do you budget for holidays like this and birthday parties? Or do you have another bucket where you drop the non expected but expected events? We have been trying to put aside money for these but it is very hard on one income. Now that Mrs. MBA is working we should have no problem setting aside some for the birthday/Christmas/holiday fund.
So would you say you spend more or less than the average? I know when we were dating I spent significantly more but now I spend about the average…
Having been married for a while, I still do gifts, but below average according to the above, and that usually includes dinner as well. It doesn’t help that Valentine’s day comes right on the heels of my wife’s birthday also, so same boat there. Luckily, I haven’t had to purchase much jewelry either, she’s been pretty happy with the ring.
I was at the grocery store this afternoon. While I was there to buy a few things for supper (including chocolate dipped strawberries), the place was a zoo, with men buying flowers, candy, wine, presents.
From looking at it, I would say the stores probably love Valentine’s Day more than my wife. 😉
@CultOfMoney – sounds perfect to me. This overhyped holiday can disappear and let men show their love for their women in their own manner. Not how the stores depict what you should do and what you should buy.
@ Thad P – I was at the grocery store today too. I was picking up some chipotles, and I couldnt find them, so I asked a store clerk and he asks me if I got my flowers yet. And as we walked by the flower section, it was packed with about 10-15 guys fighting for the remaining flowers. You can’t help but chuckle to yourself.
When we were dating we went stupid with gifts. Of course we liked giving them and it felt good but we both did not need to go as overboard as we did. We are much more reasonable now that we are married. Don’t get me wrong though. We still do some awesome stuff for one another.
@Miss T – exactly when you were in the wooing stage, money wasn’t an object and finances were separate…now there are things like housing, food, and just the cost of things are more expensive.
I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day, but I sent my bf a card and he did the same. I usually do most of my spending for his birthday. I guess my aversion to V-Day is because it’s a money-making event. I have a friend who sends “surprises” all throughout the year, when his gf least expects it. If I could afford it, I would definitely do that.
@Dannielle – sure is and when you go out to dinner on Valentine’s day, they must have a buffet out back and they ship the meals out to get the quick turnover. Those fancy restaurants aren’t so fancy anymore when they are just trying to get you in and out.