US drunk spending hit almost $40 billion in last year

The amount of money Americans spend while shopping under the influence keeps rising, jumping by almost $10 billion in the last year, according to an annual survey by Finder.com.

The

"Drunk Shopping" survey

of about 2,000 American adults revealed that a little more than a quarter of Americans shop when they are drunk - and when they shop, they spend a lot of money.

Americans spent a total of $39.4 billion while drunk in the last 12 months, according to the February 2019 survey. The average amount each person spent hit $736, up almost 65 percent from the year before.

The top drunken purchases were food, shoes and clothing and cigarettes. But some people took it further than that: 12 percent of people bought pets, 14 percent vacations and 10 percent cars.

"Nothing says buzzkill like a dent in your bank account after a night of drinking," said Finder's Consumer Advocate Rachel Dix-Kessler, according to

Forbes.

Despite the increase in spending, there was a 20 percent drop in the number of drunken Americans who indulged their shopping urges. In the last survey, almost half admitted to drunken purchases, while this year, just over a quarter admitted to them.

Interestingly, the survey revealed that despite millennials consuming less alcohol than baby boomers and Gen Xers, they spent the most money while drunk. At an average of $1,047, they more than doubled the averages of the other two generations.

Men are more likely than women to shop while drunk, according to the survey. They also spend more when they do so, Forbes reports, at an average of $870 compared to $511 for women.

Finder, which aims to help users with their financial decisions, has suggestions for anyone who's worried about what they may buy while under the influence. According to Dix-Kessler, you should remove saved payment methods from apps and websites and hide your credits cards.

"Most important, if this is an ongoing problem, consider evaluating your relationship with alcohol. Nothing is worth tarnishing your personal and financial well-being," she said, according to Forbes.