With the Easter bank holiday days away, Nationwide data reveals the sunny weather may have pushed up more than just the vitamin D levels, as pre-summer spending also started to spike during March.
Brits have been busy spending on gardening, DIY, holidays and flights during March – things which lend themselves to warmer weather. This ‘#sunshineguilt’ spend is likely in response to the upcoming Easter break and ensure people are ready to enjoy the glorious spell of long-awaited sunshine on the first long weekend of the year.
In March, Brits increased spending across a range of areas compared to February as the weather heated up. These included:
- Gardening: up 95%
- Clothing and shoes: up 23%
- DIY and Home Improvements: up 17%
- Eating and drinking: up 18%
- Health and beauty: up 14%
- Holidays and airlines: up 15%
Mark Nalder, Nationwide’s Payments Strategy Director, said: “With 2025’s first long bank holiday fast approaching, it makes sense that we have seen a boom in ‘sunshine guilt’ spending. It’s been a long, wet, windy winter and now we all want to get out and about to buy some summer clothes, plant some bulbs and get those DIY projects started. Some of us are even booking holidays to make the most of the three bank holiday weekends now coming up within the next six weeks. Those looking to go away can make use of our FlexPlus worldwide family travel insurance which covers you and your family - one less thing to book!”
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