It's no secret that an exorbitant number of grills will be fired up and a massive amount of food will be consumed. Fourth of July is the marquee summer celebration, and ever since 2020, many of us want to partake in celebrations after experiencing a year when they were not possible.

Shoutout to the great folks at WalletHub, who always come through with fantastic statistical breakdowns of every major holiday. I thought I'd compile some of them with regards to the Fourth of July. Let's start with the best one: food.

Hot dogs, burgers, and brats, along with the respective buns, are already flying off grocery shelves. The good news is they won't go to waste. Roughly 150 million hot dogs will be consumed over the long weekend. More minutely, $675 million will be spent on beef alone. The next highest is chicken at $281 million, and pork comes in third at $172 million. The surprise on this list (to me, at least) are berries clocking in at #4. But I suppose the many cakes and fruit trays don't fill themselves.

Photo Credit: flySnow, Getty Stock
Photo Credit: flySnow, Getty Stock
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With my vacation in Galena just a few days a way, I plan to chow down on a few hot dogs as well. Beer and wine sales will net more than $1.4 billion nationally. I wonder what portion of that will be dedicated to Budweiser and Bud Light alone.

In total, Americans are projected to spend nearly $8 billion over the course of the weekend. That factors in personal and professional parties, food, fireworks, desserts, candy, decorations, etc. $2.4 billion will be spent on fireworks. How many miles will Americans travel? An estimated 47.9 million.

The unfortunate part of this equation is that inflation will indeed play a role into all of our celebrations, regardless of geography. 57% of Americans polled by WalletHub said that it will affect their plans — with regards to limiting travel or downsizing parties. Only 56% Americans claim to feel financially independent this Fourth of July, and 64% of Americans believe that saving money is more patriotic than spending it.

Don't let corporate America hear that (although I myself agree).

Photo Credit: SamRyley, Getty Stock
Photo Credit: SamRyley, Getty Stock
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Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst, remarked about the difference in spending habits this year:

"Around 51% of Americans say they will spend less money this summer compared to last year. That’s lower than the percentage of people who plan to spend less this 4th of July, at 66%, but it’s still substantial. As long as inflation keeps rising, we should expect people to cut back on their spending and travel plans."

I plan to take in the fireworks at Galena's Grant Park this year. For information on where to see fireworks in the Tri-States, WJOD provides an excellent resource here.

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