Consumers looking to cut costs, stay home during Super Bowl

House parties and a focus on saving money are shaping up to be the trademarks of Super Bowl parties this year as consumers continue to manage their debts.

According to a new survey released this week by the Nielsen, a majority on U.S. households said they were planning on emphasizing debt consolidation over big spending on Super Bowl Sunday.

Seventy-one percent of respondents said they were expecting to spend the same amount of money on festivities for the big game that they had the year prior, while only 5 percent expected to increase their costs.

The survey also found that bars were no longer the go-to spot to watch the Super Bowl, as 77 percent of respondents said they would be watching the game at home with friends or family and 14 percent said they would watch the game at a friend’s house.

"Staying in is the new ‘night out’ and we see this trend continue to play out with the Super Bowl," said Nick Lake, vice president, group client director, Beverage Alcohol at Nielsen. "Consumers continue to rein in spending and while this ‘new normal’ provides challenges for restaurant and bar owners, it presents opportunities for consumer packaged goods retailers and manufacturers."
Only 3 percent of respondents said they would be going out to a restaurant for the night.