Nibud: Holidays too expensive for many people
Again, more than a quarter of the Dutch do not go on holiday. 64 percent of them think holidays are too expensive. Last year, 54 percent did not go on holiday for that reason. This is evident from the Holiday Money Survey 2019 of the National Institute for Budget Information (Nibud).
The holiday pay is still used most often by most people for what it is intended for: paying for the holiday. Since 2015, Nibud has seen a slight increase in the use of holiday pay to pay off debts or payment arrears.
Four years ago, 12 percent of people spent their holiday money on this, now it is 18 percent. This is more common among people with a below-average income than among other income groups. They also spend the holiday money more often on household expenses.
People with an above-average income are more likely to save from their holiday money. They do this mainly to be able to absorb unexpected expenses. 52 percent of people with a below-average income do not go on holiday. Single people most often stay at home. More than a fifth of the families do not go.
Hard to get by
People who have difficulty making ends meet calculate more often than others whether they can afford the holiday if they can go on holiday. They book well in advance and more often reserve an amount that they can spend. People with fluctuating incomes (temporary and on-call workers, entrepreneurs and self-employed persons without employees) more often earn below average and more often have difficulty making ends meet than people with stable incomes (long-term contracts). Nevertheless, they go on holiday just as often.
Of the people who do go, half expect to spend more on the longest holiday and the other half less than 2.000 euros. Last year the median was 1.500 euros. In most cases, people pay for their holiday from savings and holiday money.
Budget
In 2019, 59 percent reserve an amount that they can spend per day, per week or during the entire holiday. That is more than two years ago, when half of the holidaymakers did. 45 percent spend more during the holidays than they planned in advance. This is because they want to be able to enjoy their holiday, do everything they can and buy extra stuff. Items also often turn out to be more expensive than planned or there are unexpected extra costs.
People who reserve an amount for the entire holiday and do not calculate with an amount per day or per week often come out best. They think carefully about their holiday budget and stick to the budget that they have determined in advance. A fifth have money left over, they budget their holidays generously and pay close attention to their expenses.
Extra
Most people (67 percent) who receive holiday pay every year see it as a nice extra. Of the people who receive the holiday allowance monthly, 40 percent count the holiday allowance as fixed income. 27 percent of people who receive the holiday pay in one go do so. Employees who receive it annually save more often from the holiday allowance than salaried employees who receive it monthly.
There will certainly be people who need to save, and not go on vacation, because they may have too little income, or too many debts that deserve priority in terms of payment.
Unfortunately, what is not clear from such studies is how these people deal with their money, and why they were actually forced to incur certain debts.
If one were to conduct an investigation into what people understand by a normal life, it would become clear that there are enormous differences in the way of wish representations.
Representations of possessions, which many do not consider necessary at all, or buy first if there is any money for it at all, while the other cannot wait a day and immediately wants to satisfy his consumption delusion with a credit.
Not only the materialistic delusions that some see as the most normal right, also the further purchases of foodstuffs are far apart in terms of normality and necessity.
One finds about 200 Euro P/M for their tobacco consumption the most normal thing, while the other, who wants to live a slightly healthier life, likes to spend this 2400 Euro P/Y on a holiday.
And so there are numerous examples, that with a little thought, and even healthier living, you can save a lot for other expenses.
Not that I want to generalize, but the old teaching, that you can't spend a quarter if you only have a dime at your disposal, has become a bit out of hand for many in this consumer world.
Dear John there you say something. We are talking about the Netherlands, one of the most prosperous countries if we are to believe the cabinet. If you take the average salaries at face value and therefore speak of average, it is difficult to make ends meet. That group is having a hard time on the housing market and is also appreciated by the tax authorities (as a large group), etc. The fact that the spending pattern also plays a role and that there is little discipline can also be called known. Loans and expensive expenses such as an I Phone 10 (new) are the minimum you need. People want to participate and certainly not be inferior and lose face. I'm still amazed at all that unnecessary spending on luxury. You see it happening everywhere. I always check whether a product is worth it to me and I soon have to say no to that. You can only spend your euro once. So I don't buy this and it doesn't give me headaches. However, it is a sign on the wall that there are many pensioners in Thailand who can barely make ends meet and it is still so cheap here according to many. We now know better and it has become a hassle to demonstrate the entry requirement to the immigration police in Thailand. At the moment already 1877 euros net for 65.000 baht. Yes, we are doing a good job on this globe making life difficult for each other. But yes, as long as we can close one hole with another, there is still a form of survival and we will have to make do with that. Incidentally, in the 50s and 2s things were worse in the Netherlands in terms of incomes and holidays. We were happy with going to a bungalow park in the Netherlands for XNUMX weeks once every four years. I haven't gotten any worse, but I appreciate it much more than the kids do today.