Every year, men spend on average about $218 on their significant other on Valentine’s Day.
A day that was engineered by the Romans for lovers to give one another chalky candy hearts with corny sayings written across them. A day that is perceived to be for couples to show each other how much they truly love one another.
Feb. 14, better known as Valentine’s Day, causes Americans to spend an average $3.4 billion to cook Valentine’s dinner at home, says one article from CNBC.com.
An estimated $121.31 billion has been spent for things such as dinners, chocolates, flowers, carriage rides, puppies and other kinds of gifts that people feel enticed to buy because of being “struck by Cupid.”
We see plenty of ads every year that tell you about Valentine’s Day deals, dinner for two, or roses that are on sale and other propaganda. Many people feel as if Valentine’s Day is a mandatory holiday for couples to have to spend outlandish amounts of money upon one another. In 2011, Americans spent $1.7 billion on flowers and a whopping $116.21 billion on Valentine’s Day dinners, says an article on livescience.com.
About 4 million people will be proposed to or do the proposing. The average New Yorker will spend $147 on dinner, and that’s $100 more than what the average Valentine’s Day would cost anyone else, said one survey from zagat.com. Eleven percent of people in that same zagat survey said they would be splitting the check. Sixty percent of Valentine’s Day gifts are purchased within at least five days before the actual holiday. The average person will spend $60-$80 on roses from a flower shop. The average cost of what Valentine’s Day dinner will actually cost Americans is $25-$50, according to an article on TIME.com.
Some people don’t get into celebrating Valentine’s Day as passionately as others. Maybe they’ve been wronged and now have old jewelry, watches, shoes, clothes, wedding dresses, engagement rings and many other items that may make them feel tied to their ex. In that case, there’s a way for them to have revenge, vent and profit from their past relationship.
Neverlikeditanyaway.com is an online marketplace “where once-loved gifts from once-loved partners get a second chance.” The webpage suggested it as being a “break-up bootcamp”.
No matter what you choose to do this Saturday as Valentine’s Day rolls around, we at The Pacer say have a happy and safe Valentine’s Day weekend.
Graphic credit: Nathaniel West
