A new survey gets to the heart of spending habits and relationship-killing money turnoffs.
8 Valentine’s Day Financial Truths
Starry-eyed sweethearts have more than love on their minds this Valentine’s Day, according to a new survey from personal finance site WalletHub. [1] We all know the holiday is a recipe for spending too much to prove your love, but Valentine’s Day spending habits can also telegraph your marriage potential – or lack thereof – loud and clear to your beloved.
Is Valentine’s Day worth going into debt over? And how much should you spend on a gift or expect your main squeeze to shell out for the big day? Most of all, what do your spending habits say about your relationship’s potential to flourish beyond that box of candy, wine and romantic dinner?
Click or swipe to learn 8 ways Valentine’s Day spending can make or break your relationship.
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1. Men More Likely to Rack up Valentine’s Day Debt
Men are nearly three times more likely than women to go into credit card debt to buy a Valentine’s Day gift, according to the WalletHub survey.
Around 22% of men said they were willing to rack up credit card debt in hopes of pleasing their sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, only 8% of women said they would resort to plastic to prove their love.
2. Bad Spending Habits Aren’t Sexy
You may think charging a $300 dinner when you’re already drowning in credit card debt is attractive, but your date may not agree.
Around 40% of survey respondents cited irresponsible spending as a turnoff worse than bad breath. And 46% said they’d break up with their significant other over reckless spending habits.
3. You Don’t Have to Break the Bank
Not many people expect diamonds or a new car for Valentine’s Day. In fact, only 8% of survey respondents expected a gift that cost more than $100. Most (34%) would be satisfied with a gift in the $50 to $100 range and 31% expected a gift that cost anywhere from $1 to $49. And 27% expect their date or partner to spend nothing on a gift.
4. Flowers and Candy Still Top the List
More than half (52%) of survey respondents plan to buy candy, 43% will purchase greeting cards and 37% will spring for a bouquet of flowers, according to WalletHub. Plenty of lovebirds (34%) will opt for an evening out. When it comes to other gifts, jewelry is popular (21%), along with clothing (20%). An uninspired 19% think a gift card should suffice.
5. Splitting the Check an Option for Some
Why should only one person have to pay for that fancy Valentine’s Day dinner? Believe it or not, nearly a third (31%) of women think each person in the couple should pay part of the check on Valentine’s Day. More men (38%) agree that two should foot the dinner bill.
6. Bad Credit is a Turnoff
No matter what gift you give on Valentine’s Day, having bad credit can spell the end of a relationship, or kill the passion before it even gets started. Around 37% of survey respondents said they wouldn’t date a person with bad credit. Women (44%) were less likely than men (29%) to give someone with bad credit a shot at love.
7. Poor Credit = Lousy Marriage Material
According to the WalletHub survey, 51% of respondents wouldn’t marry someone with bad credit. Women were sticklers on this sore point, with more than half (60%) refusing to head to the altar with a credit risk. Men were concerned about a partner’s credit history too, but fewer (41%) were willing to forgo marriage because of a person’s bad credit.
8. Love is Still Better than Money
Even with all their qualms about credit history, who spends what on Valentine’s Day and how much debt to rack up for the holiday, WalletHub survey respondents still believe in love. Around 86% of men and women overall said they believe that love is more important than money.
Still, getting your credit score in good shape, spending responsibly and not running up credit card debt to celebrate can help ensure your sweetheart sticks around for many Valentine’s Days to come.
This article by Deb Hipp was originally published on Debt.com.
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Published by Debt.com, LLC
