17 March 2006
People in the UK are throwing caution to the wind when their birthday comes round, with the country spending £1.6 billion a year on birthday celebrations, according to a survey.
Author of the report Mint financial services says that the nation is using credit cards to help fund the festivities.
Jerry Toher, managing director of Mint, said: "In our survey, close to a third of people said they used their birthday as an excuse to celebrate and it's clear they're looking for something more than a cake and a few candles these days.
"But far from being extravagant in their spending, people are planning months rather than days in advance. In doing so, they are carefully managing short term expenditure over a period of time using clever means, such as credit cards, to do this."
The study found that 77% of the nation celebrate their birthday, with the older generation getting in on the act as 67% of the over-50s mark the occasion with a party.
A total of 14% of those asked said that they planned their birthday bash a month in advance. For 23% of those people, these preparations involved buying a new outfit, while 11% of women said that they would have a manicure or hit the sun bed beforehand.
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