I wonder how much of this is the "spite spending" effect. We've barely had 6 months of normalcy. People are sitting on some savings. Many haven't left the house or traveled freely for 2 years. Maybe that's why they're okay spending more than they usually would - just a "f*ck it" after 2 years of isolation.

Certainly was the case for me. I certainly overpaid for a lot of things recently. But we had our big festival here this week and now I'm tapped out. Next year will be a year of sobriety - at least for me.