Why are Aussies still wasting money on this stupid tradition: 'Literal and financial nausea'
How much you need to spend to attend a hen's parties has long been debated, but with the cost of living rising, are these extravagant celebrations finally going to cool their jets? With Aussies being served rental increases left and right, and mortgage repayments soaring at rapid rates, we’ve got less disposable income than ever.
When budgets get pinched, we’re forced to reprioritise where our money goes. Frankly drinking warm rosé on a boat with 12 girls I don’t know isn’t the best use of my money right now.
And I’m not alone in that thinking. Of 1500 respondents polled in my social media community, 80 per cent said they were willing to pay a little less (33 per cent) or substantially less (47 per cent) to attend a hens party than they were 12 months ago.
But it doesn’t look like brides are getting the memo.
Out of 1,000 people polled who had been invited to a hen's party in recent months, 70 per cent reported the costs being higher than last year, though some of this may be accounted for by rising costs across the board.
RELATED
-
The side hustles no Aussies should waste time on: 'No easy money here'
-
Tradie warns people wanting to make easy money as a FIFO miner: 'Everything has a price'
Nonetheless, it doesn’t appear that the broader norms around hen's celebrations are showing any sign of tapering to more modest alternatives.
Hen's over a holiday
Writing about money online often positions me as a receptacle for hen's horror stories; my inbox often pinging with tales of blown-out budgets and ritzy boat trips that incite literal and financial nausea.
But as the cost of living crisis rages on, I’m hearing from people that are spending more on attending hens parties than on their own personal leisure budget. Just recently a hen's invitee told me they were having to pay hundreds of dollars they didn’t want to spend just to “save face”.
After all, nobody wants to be seen as the cheap one – even if we’re all thinking the same thing. We’ve made so much progress with breaking the taboo of talking about money, yet hens party planning remains one area we still feel unable to speak up.
I completely understand wanting to have a hen's party celebration when you’re getting married – but if people are spending more on attending a destination hens than on a holiday for themselves, have we gone too far?
Pricey hen's events create resentment
You only have to look to Reddit to find an endless supply of disgruntled hens recalling instances when they’ve been asked to shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars on hen's celebrations.