The details provided in this article are for general information only and are in no way deemed to be financial advice. All of the material is correct as of the publication date, but could be out-of-date by the time you read the article.
Once all the essentials have been paid for, what do you like to treat yourself to each month? We asked over 2,000 people* across the UK the same question and it’s time to find out if your habits match those of the general British public.
The top 10 things Brits treat themselves to every month (and how much they spend on each)
- Buying a new outfit: £29.05
- Buying a meal out: £25.11
- Going to the cinema: £18.39
- Getting a takeaway meal: £18.27
- Buying perfume or aftershave: £26.17
- Coffee and cake in a cafe: £11.31
- A trip to the pub: £20.34
- Buying a new mascara: £18.82
- Netflix/Amazon/Prime/Now TV subscription: £18.44
- Taking a taxi instead of public transport: £17.21
Based on research we conducted in November 2017 (2,002 UK adults surveyed in total).
Digging a little deeper…
While there are no great surprises in the top-10 list, dig a bit deeper and the research reveals some interesting trends and habits. So, just for fun, here are some of those stats…
Last orders!
- Men are much more likely to go to the pub at least twice a week (17%) than women (10.4%).
- 25-34-year-olds are most likely to go to the pub at least once a week (45.1%).
- People aged 65+ are the least likely of all age groups to go to pub at least once a week (25.2%).
Café talk
- 78.4% of us go for a coffee and cake in a café at least once a month.
- When it comes to going to the café for a coffee and cake every day, men and women are very similar (about 1 in 20).
- Edinburgh residents are more likely to make a weekly trip for coffee and cake than any other city-dwellers (36.3%).
Smell good, look good
- It’s pretty much even-steven between women and men when it comes to buying perfume or aftershave once a month (28.3% vs 27.1%).
- More than anywhere else in the UK, people in Northern Ireland (37.5%) are settled into a monthly routine of topping up on their smellies.
- Modern men: 27.7% of men buy mascara at least once a month.
It’s me time!
- 58.3% of 18-24-year-olds have a manicure at least once a month. This drops to just 10.7% for those aged 65 or over.
- 81.9% of people in the Republic of Ireland treat themselves to a spa day at least once a month; the next most relaxed area is South East England, which comes in at 45%.
- 9.8% of men say they have a spa once a week, compared with 10.7% of women.
Food, glorious food!
- More of us go out for a meal at least once a month (85.7%) than indulge in a takeaway meal (80.7%).
- 25-34-year-olds are more likely to get a takeaway at least once a week (52.2%) than any other age group.
- 45-54-year-olds are less likely than any other age group (21.4%) to treat themselves to a meal out at least once a month.
Entertain me
- It’s a pretty even split when it comes to how many men and women go to the cinema at least once a month (64.5% vs 61.7%).
- The same applies when it comes to purchasing a new app (40.7% vs 41.2%).
- 41.7% of 25-34-year-olds purchase a new app at least once a week; this drops to 2.7% for 55-64-year-olds and 0.9% for people aged 65 and over.
How did you compare?
If you are being completely frank with yourself (and you can be…no one else is listening!), when was the last time you made a quick comparison between yourself and someone else? Unless you have the willpower of a superhero, it’s human nature to make comparisons. It’s a simple and effective way to help us make decisions about a whole range of things.
*We surveyed 2,002 UK adults in November 2017.
