Are you a secret spender? The stats say you probably are

Many Australians have a dirty secret: they’re ashamed of their purchasing habits.

According to studies by comparison site Finder.com.au, Australians are spending $11.3 billion per year on secret purchases – an average of about $2,713 per person.

One statistic might surprise you, too: women tend to hide their spending habits more often, but men spend nearly three times as much on secret purchases.

That means men could be hiding spending of  up to $4,600 per year from their partners. So how are they getting away with it?

“These secret shopaholics can be quite creative with excuses about where money is going to,” says Bessie Hassan, Finder.com.au’s money expert. Some go to extreme lengths to hide new purchases, she says.

“Some go as far as having secret credit cards to pay for it all without getting busted by their partner,” says Hassan.

It’s commonplace for women to joke about hiding new shoes or dresses in their car before sneaking them into the house, so as not to attract too much attention from their partners, then responding with “This old thing?” when he finally notices. The statistics from Finder.com.au back up this long-running joke; women were found to hide clothing purchases six times as frequently as men.

When it comes to men’s hidden spending, the big drawcards were gambling and adult entertainment.

But Hassan warns that secret spending can be a slippery slope to consistent over-spending.

The best way to avoid the habit of hiding your purchases is, of course, to be honest with yourself and with your partner. This seems to be something that younger generations are finding more difficult than older Aussies. According to the survey, Generation Y has some of the biggest secret spenders.

Baby Boomers may have the lowest average debt but they’re not completely innocent of sneaky spending, with hidden purchases amounting to more than $300 per year.

How often do you hide purchases from your partner?