Let’s get ready to SPENNNDDDDDD!
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I hope you read that title in your best wrestle-mania announcer voice, because that’s the level of hype economists are expecting. Get ready to hear the phrase “Revenge Spending” as we all emerge from wherever we’ve been hiding over the past year-and-a-half. After not being able to do much, there is definitely a feeling of needing to get back to FUN. We’re ready to take our revenge against the time we lost.
Airplane ticket prices are up, rental car costs are up 300%, home rental sites are hoppin’. A family friend runs an inn in Door County, WI and they shared that they hit peak capacity three weeks before they normally do. I think everyone has the same message on their mind: I deserve this. Add in the stimulus checks many households received, and we have a population foaming at the mouth to do something with the money means to do it.
The trick is going to be getting our experiences in without breaking the bank (yes, I am aware that my continuous calls for fiscal responsibility make me The Worst). As I wrote about earlier this year, the pandemic caused personal savings rates to skyrocket and credit card debt to plummet. This is a great thing! Yet — considering how high the annual net change in consumer debt levels had been in the thirty-plus years before 2020 — I’m not terribly hopeful that Americans won’t turn right back to their trusty cards.
What if my need for revenge is strong?
Let me be very clear: I absolutely believe in the power of treat yo’ self. My goal is now-and-forever-more about balancing a life you enjoy with the cash flow you have. So how do we make this happen? We start by taking a really real look at what you can afford. Don’t guess it. Once we know how much you get to spend on revenge spending, then we need to take a really real look at how much your fun is going to cost. It’s all about balancing those priorities. Will you get more enjoyment from one all-out, blow-out trip or is weekly dinner at a restaurant more your thing? You might not be able to have both. (Again, I know I’m The Worst).
I know the past 18 months have sucked; I feel it too! But remember, many great tragedies start with the need for revenge. Don’t get carried away.
What do you think? Are you excited for revenge spending? Or are you a little more cautious with your money? ➡️ Get an assessment of your spending patterns (fo’ free!) here! ⬅️
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