Discover Your Social Spending Personality

How does your social spending persona compare to others? Take this quiz to find out. Are you the most generous out there when it comes to contributing to group gifts, or do you prefer to put your cash elsewhere, like towards your own savings goals?

In typically British fashion, some are scared to decline invites and go along with expensive plans to avoid appearing rude – and this test will reveal where you fall on the scale. Questions about office leaving gifts, children’s birthday parties and splitting restaurant bills will decide whether you’re a ‘Polite Pippa’ or ‘Generous George’.

It comes after a poll of 2,000 adults, commissioned by new savings app, Spring, found Brits spend £1,025 a year on other people, including paying for hen and stag dos, colleague’s leaving gifts and children’s parties.

Half (52%) feel pressured into attending expensive social events, with an average of £207 per guest spent on weddings, £191 on milestone birthdays and an average of £150 on hen and stag dos.

Others feel obliged to attend or contribute to group meals out, baby showers and housewarmings, as well as donating to fundraisers.

Head of money for the app, Derek Sprawling, said: “Many of us feel pressure to say yes to social events that are becoming more and more expensive.

“While the quiz questions are hypothetical, it features occasions we can all relate to from the sinking feeling of seeing another wedding invite come in to dipping into savings for another person’s birthday.

“In a social media world, many people want to celebrate landmark events in style and not down the local pub, which is putting more and more pressure on budgets.

“One way consumers can manage this is by learning to say no to events they don’t want to go in a gracious way that doesn’t offend.”

The research also found 51% would rather spend their money elsewhere than on other people, with 59% of those preferring to save the cash. While 47% would opt to put it towards a holiday and 33% would rather spend on their hobbies.

Among the top events people have attended when they didn’t really want to were group meals (21%), weddings (18%) and big birthday parties (17%). And the most individuals have ever spent on an occasion which they didn’t want to partake in is £239.

Almost half (46%) have had to dip into their savings to cover the costs, resulting in delaying or putting off their own goals of travelling (36%) or buying a home (19%).

In typical British fashion, the fear of looking rude (34%), stingy (28%) or being the ‘difficult’ one (28%) made people feel obliged to contribute to or attend events.

But many have felt annoyed (22%) and irritated (29%) about social spending expectations, with 41% feeling there are too many celebratory occasions nowadays.

And the likes of gender reveal gifts (44%), overseas hen and stag dos (38%) and evenly splitting restaurant bills (18%) are seen as unnecessary spending. 

It also emerged 35% of those polled, via OnePoll, have felt stressed when they had little time to pay for something which they hadn’t pre-planned, with the ideal notice period being nine weeks before the event.

Derek added: “Given the pressure on finances these events can create, if you are going to attend, making sure your money is working as hard as possible is vital, including the interest from your savings.

“We find too many people accept a poor rate of return from their bank when they could be generating much more from a higher interest account, helping to contribute to these unexpected costs.”