huffingtonpost - 10 hours ago

Empty walletEver heard of “wedding sprawl”? It’s a phenomenon that The Atlantic describes this way: “as couples strive to keep up with cultural perceptions and their friends’ lives, they can end up putting financial and logistical strain on their guests”. And according to the Financial Times, “friendflation” – the rising cost of celebrating your mates – is on the up too.They point out that the average cost of attending a wedding has risen to £450, while the mean price of attending a hen or stag weekend in the UK is a whopping £779.Now, new stats suggest an even bleaker state of affairs: it seems simply maintaining close friendships sets women back £2,414 a year on average. For men, it’s £2,994. Why has friendship gotten so expensive? In this research, conducted by Rakuten, those surveyed listed a lot of reasons. 44% said distance was a barrier: on average, respondents said they spent £586 going back and forth to see their friends. Birthday celebrations added up to a mean of £555 a year, while birthday gifts totalled £453 a year – drinks and meals, meanwhile, cost £465.No wonder 36% of people surveyed said they prefer cheaper meetups involving things like home-cooked meals and walking. Additionally, Prof Jeffrey Hall, communications studies professor at the University of Kansas and director of the Relationships and Technology lab, told the Financial Times that our lack of “third spaces” – places like parks, libraries, and shopping centres, where people can hang out without spending money – doesn’t help.“There’s no question that this public concept of the third space [is] in decline. There are very few places that you can congregate that don’t have some sort of entry fee,” he said.So, “people try to create friendship-like experiences that are expensive. So then it becomes normative to say I’m going to oblige my friends to go on this trip together”. How can I handle “friendflation”? Though just under a third (32%) of respondents to the Rakuten poll said the money they spent on their friends was completely worth it, that leaves a majority who are at least somewhat unhappy with the cost.Bola Sol, a savings expert at Rakuten, said that setting up a designated “friendship fund” to manage these costs could help and says that being honest with your mates about your financial status could help them to come to cheaper compromises. Still, that can be a tricky conversation to have – if possible, try “jumping the gun” and setting up your own lower-cost activities first.“Low-cost rituals such as walking together, sharing a meal at home, and having a long chat can be more meaningful than expensive plans. Ultimately, value connection over consumption,” Dr Jenny van Hooff, a sociologist from Manchester Metropolitan University, told Grazia.Related... I Cancelled On My Friend s Wedding. Is He Taking The P*ss With His Response? I Don t Have Time For My Friends. What Can I Do?My Best Friend And I Are Straight Married Men, And We Tell Each Other I Love You

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