Posted: 02/07/2012
(WXYZ) - Americans plan on spending more on their sweethearts this Valentine's Day.
A survey by the National Retail Federation predicts the average person plans to spend $126 on their significant other, up nearly 9% from last year.
Overall, consumers are expected to shell out $17.6 billion for Valentine's Day.
Men are expected to spend close to $169, while women will spend $86 on their partner.
The National Retail Federation says purchases of the most popular gift, jewelry are expected to hit $4 billion.
Americans are expected to spend $3.5 billion on a special evening out on the town.
Consumers will also shell out big bucks for flowers, candy, clothing and gift cards.
Copyright 2012 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Top Stories
The Michigan Supreme Court has ousted a Wayne County judge for forging her lawyer's signature on divorce papers and lying under oath.
Gov. Rick Snyder on Wednesday cut short his trade trip to Israel to return home and lobby reluctant fellow Republicans to expand Medicaid to more Michigan adults, as the clock ticked before lawmakers break for the summer.
James Gandolfini, whose portrayal of a brutal, emotionally delicate mob boss in HBO's "The Sopranos" helped create one of TV's greatest drama series and turned the mobster stereotype on its head, died Wednesday in Italy. He was 51.