South Carolina above average in feeling stressed about inflation

U.S. Money Reserve just released a new study looking at Americans’ stress levels concerning inflation. I thought the report might be interesting to your readers.

After nearly three years of stubbornly high inflation, the rate of price increases in the U.S. finally appears to be slowing down, closer to historical norms and the Federal Reserve’s target inflation rate of 2%. However, prices continue to rise, and consumers are still feeling the cumulative effects.

These are the key takeaways from the study for South Carolina:

• $1 today has the same purchasing power as just $0.85 in January of 2021.
• In 2022, 35% of U.S. adults reported that they were doing worse off financially than 12 months prior. That figure was up from 20% in 2021 and 14% in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The latest data shows nearly half of Americans (47.9%) are very stressed about price increases now. Another 47.1% report being moderately or a little stressed.
• In South Carolina specifically, 48.5% of adults reported feeling very stressed about price increases, while 18.4% of adults are finding it difficult to cover their usual expenses.
• Additionally, 61.9% are concerned about future price increases.
• Overall, South Carolina residents are more likely to report feeling very stressed about inflation than average.

THE STUDY here.

HOLIDAY:

South Carolinians Set to Guzzle 19.9 Million Eggnogs This Holiday Season.

• And Americans are set to consume 1.2 billion eggnogs over the festive season. 
• 2:42 p.m. is considered an acceptable time to drink the first eggnog of the day.

Eggnog isn't just a festive drink; it's a holiday tradition poured into a glass. It is a velvety concoction that marries the richness of cream and milk with the warmth of sugar and the complexity of beaten eggs. To this creamy base, a whisper of nutmeg and a generous measure of vanilla extract are often added. For those inclined to spirited versions, a pour of bourbon, rum, or brandy turns the drink into a toast-worthy treat.

As we deck the halls and jingle the bells, we can't help but wonder: just how much of this creamy delight will be filling cups across America this holiday season? Are we sipping, gulping, or perhaps swimming in it?

WealthofGeeks.com carried out a study to determine this, and they surveyed 3,000 merry souls to gauge how many spiked eggnogs they typically drink over the festive season. It was found that the average American will drink 6 eggnogs this month, which equates to an astonishing 1.2 billion due to be consumed!

Given their larger population, it was found that Californians will be consuming the most eggnogs this season – a staggering 163 million. However, when weighted by population size, it was found that Vermonters will be quaffing the most, with the average adult consuming 19 eggnogs over the festive period.

South Carolinians are set to guzzle 6 eggnogs this holiday season, which as a state equates to 19,947,879 of the classic holiday alcoholic drink.

The top 3 eggnog drinking states:

Vermont: 19
Alaska: 14
Iowa/Oklahoma: 8

When it comes to drinking the very first alcoholic drink of the day, the unofficial rule is that it’s acceptable to have your first at 5 p.m. - no earlier. ’It’s five o’clock somewhere’ is a cheeky re-interpretation of when it’s acceptable to have your first drink and could be used to shake off judgements when it comes to day drinking. But when it comes to the holiday season, when traditions are typically focused on celebrating the end of the year, rules can sometimes be bent. Are morning mimosas acceptable during breakfast at 8 a.m. if it’s close to Christmas? Is eggnog considered a suitable accompaniment to pancakes, eggs and bacon? 

Wealth of Geeks asked respondents what they consider an acceptable hour to start drinking over the festive season, which revealed some very interesting results. It turns out that 2:42 p.m. is considered an acceptable time to begin drinking over the holidays. However, the survey also found that nearly 1 in 5 (18%) admit that they bend the rules and drink before lunchtime.

As delightful as eggnog is, there is the risk of drinking too many and peaking too early. Wealth of Geeks also wanted to determine at which point drinkers feel like they’ve reached this plateau of festive burnout. That is, when they’ve simply had enough of drinking and need to exercise sobriety – at least for a few days. It was discovered that the average drinker expects to reach a state of festive burnout relatively early at just 15 days into the holiday period (starting the day after Thanksgiving): by December 10th.

Despite Vermonters drinking the most eggnogs over the festive period, they are not the drunkest. A survey revealed North Dakota emerged top of the list as the drunkest state during the festive season, with the average Peace Garden State resident drinking eight alcoholic drinks per day during this period.

The list of drunkest states are:

North Dakota: 8 drinks per day
New Jersey: 6 drinks per day
Montana: 5 drinks per day
Nebraska: 5 drinks per day
Wisconsin: 5 drinks per day

As for the aftermath of festive indulgence, January 1st stands out as America's prime day for hangovers, following the exuberant toasts and countdowns of New Year's Eve. But this day is not alone in its notoriety; the survey found that the mornings after Independence Day, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, St. Patrick's Day, and Thanksgiving also rank highly for post-celebratory woes.

The worst hangover days (in order):

July 5th, following Independence Day celebrations.
December 26th, following Christmas Day.
December 25th, following Christmas Eve.
March 18th, following St Patrick’s Day.
November 27th, following Thanksgiving.

THE STUDY II here.