You Probably Spend More Money ‘Treating Yourself’ Than You Ever Would Have Imagined

money flying out of wallet

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During the fourth season of Parks and Recreation, Donna introduced Tom to the idea of a therapeutic”Treat Yo Self Day” where you briefly stop pretending to care about how you should handle your personal finances and ball out on things you probably don’t need. It’s certainly not the worst idea in the world to occasionally have a day where you pretend money doesn’t exist, but unfortunately, many people have ignored the whole “day” part and used the motto to justify dropping way too much money on things they don’t really have to have in their life.

If you’ve ever checked your credit card statement and were brave enough to calculate how much money you dropped on excessive brunches and unnecessary Uber rides then you probably have an idea of how much treating yourself can cost you in the long run. However, there’s actually a concrete number, and it might make you rethink your spending habits.

Eventbrite teamed up with OnePoll to conduct a survey to get a better idea of just how much people drop on luxuries including concerts, meals, self-treatment, and non-essential items. They discovered the average person spends $199 a month (or 22% of their disposable income) when it comes to treating themselves.

The survey found people are aware they probably overspend and feel guilty about some purchases in hindsight. This was especially true when it came to the social events that have become essentially mandatory in the Instagram Age:

The data indicates that this may be because experiences are more closely tied to personal identity and fulfilment: two-thirds said they’d rather be known for experiences they’ve enjoyed (over the things they own). In the same manner, nearly half (48%) agree that the events and experiences they attend say more about who they are than the clothes that they wear.

If you really want to put things in perspective, the study revealed the average person will spend $143,280 by treating themselves over the course of their lives. A picture might be worth 1,000 words but it might be time to start thinking about how much money it’s actually worth.

Connor Toole avatar and headshot for BroBible
Connor Toole is the Deputy Editor at BroBible. He is a New England native who went to Boston College and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Frequently described as "freakishly tall," he once used his 6'10" frame to sneak in the NBA Draft and convince people he was a member of the Utah Jazz.