Post-Holiday Bills Bring the Blues: Survey
In the wake of the holiday season, most Americans get the blues – frequently after seeing their bank and credit card statements.
In a survey conducted by Coinstar, 62% of Americans responding said they experience post-holiday depression. And 27% of those surveyed said their deflated emotional state comes from confronting the bills they’ve built up.
Among those who admit they’ve stretched their budget during the holidays, 43% report dispensing with certain luxuries, including going out with friends, to compensate. More than one-fourth of respondents also said they grab cash from their coin jars for spending money.
Those coin jars can yield $90 in the average U.S. household, according to Alex Camara, senior vice president and general manager of worldwide coin at Coinstar.
Nearly twice as many survey participants said they were more depressed about confronting their bills than they were about returning to work (27% vs. 14%).
The survey was conducted for Coinstar by Kelton Research at the end of October via e-mail invitation and an online survey among a representative sample of 1,000 Americans aged 18 and older.
