Beauty items, gambling, guilt foods top Aussies’ secret purchases

Nearly one in three Australians in a relationship admit to making purchases they don’t tell their partner about, according to data from comparison site, finder.com.au.

According to a study of 2,019 Australians, approximately 31 per cent of Aussies keep some transactions hidden from their partner. Fashion and beauty items, gambling, and guilt foods topped the list.

According to the study, majority (69 per cent) of those in a relationship have not hidden purchases from their partner, but 31 per cent have kept some transactions secret from their other half.

At the top of the list of secret purchases was fashion and beauty items (seven per cent), followed by gambling (six per cent) and ‘guilt’ foods (six per cent).

Alcohol (three per cent), adult entertainment (three per cent), and cigarettes (two per cent) were also identified as commonly hidden purchases.

Bessie Hassan, money expert at finder.com.au, said the decision to keep spending secret from one’s partner will depend on the nature of the relationship.

“Keeping some spending hidden from your partner isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Hassan said. “If you’re in the early stages of a relationship, it can make sense to keep some transactions to yourself.”

“However, if you’re in a long-term relationship, and you trust your partner completely, it can be smart to open up a joint account as you’ll pay fewer account-keeping fees, and you can work towards common savings goals or milestones,” she said.

Hassan said there are many reasons why people may feel obliged to keep spending under wraps.

“Some people may feel embarrassed by their spending behaviour, such as compulsive or impulse spending,” she said. “Purchases may also be kept hidden to avoid tension within the relationship if money is a common source of conflict.”

Having joint bank accounts, Hassan said, can be useful with it comes to tracking joint expenditure and paying fewer account-keeping fees.

The research found men are the worst offenders, with 33 per cent lying about purchases to their partner, compared to 30 per cent of women.

The study also revealed women were six times as likely to hide clothing and beauty purchases than men (12 per cent to two per cent), while men were four times as likely to hide gambling from their partners (nine per cent to two per cent).

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