Detty December Debt: The January Hangover, The February Reality
“I don’t even know how it happened.”
That was the statement Tunde, a 27-year-old product designer in Lagos, kept repeating as he scrolled through his bank app on January 3rd. His account balance stared back at him like an accusation of his unruly spending. In December, he had gone from concert to concert, brunch to brunch, wedding to wedding. He wore new outfits from a different designer brand every weekend. He showed up, posted on social media, and lived in the moment without considering the repercussions of his spending. Suddenly, January arrived so fast, but his salary had been assigned for loans and buy-now-pay-later plans. Now, he’s left with regret and quiet promises he made to himself that he would “figure it out later.”
The Allure of Detty December
Detty December is a cultural moment. A loud, colourful, and an “involve me” experience that every individual eyed. For many young Nigerians, especially Gen Z and IJGBs from the diaspora, it represents a reward for a break after a long year of hustling, inflation, and a bruised mental health. However, behind the Instagram stories and eye-catching reels is a daunting reality few people talk about: the financial hangover that follows the fun. January, for many, is not a fresh start. It’s a realization and a slow month that acts like karma for reckless spending.
The Illusion of Justifiable Spending in December
December spending rarely feels reckless in the moment. It comes in small and justifiable doses. An expensive concert ticket, wedding outfits for different weddings, a last-minute trip to hang out with friends, more rounds of drinks, another ride-hailing fare, and another contribution to a group plan with a dwindling savings account. By the time January arrives, many young people are shocked by how much they actually spent during that period.
An anonymous budget shared by a 25-year-old fintech user shows the breakdown clearly:
Events & concerts: ₦180,000
Clothing & grooming: ₦220,000
Transport & logistics: ₦95,000
Food, drinks & outings: ₦160,000
Gifts, aso-ebi & obligations: ₦145,000
Total: ₦800,000, spread across salary advances, BNPL services, and informal loans from friends.
What actually makes Detty December spending dangerous is that it often feels collective. Nobody wants to feel left out or like the odd one in a group. If your friends are going to a club, you want to go too. If everyone is wearing an expensive brand, you might sacrifice your savings to buy it. When the group decides to travel, you may hesitate, but in the end, you contribute.
Social pressure does not shout; it whispers the words: “Don’t be a boomer.”
The Rise of Debt-Fuelled Fun
Fintech platforms have made access to loans easier than ever. With a few taps, Gen-Z users can split payments, delay charges, or take short-term loans without the emotional weight traditionally associated with debt until payment comes knocking. For many, this ease blurs the line between affordability and availability.
“I didn’t feel like I was borrowing,” says Aisha, a 26-year-old communications executive. “It just felt like postponing payment. But by mid-January, I had four deductions coming from different loan apps.”
Buy-now-pay-later options, salary advances, and digital lending platforms are heavily used in December, especially by first-jobbers and freelancers whose income can be irregular. The problem isn’t necessarily borrowing; it’s borrowing without a repayment plan, assuming January will somehow be lighter than December, and that is never the case.
Event vendors confirm this trend. Several Lagos-based vendors say December is their busiest month, but January is when they receive follow-up messages asking for delayed payments, discounts, extensions, or even insults when asking for their full payments
“Everybody wants luxury in December,” one event decorator explained. “But in January, the tone shifts to soft mode. The negotiation of debts begins”.
January becomes a survival mode month and is often branded as a “reset month”. But for many young Nigerians, it feels more like damage control for their terrible spending in December.
Salaries touch down and immediately disappear within days as loan apps take their cuts. Some people delay their rent payments, others cut down aggressively on food, transport, and social activities just to stay afloat and struggle throughout the month. A few make nerve-racking decisions to borrow again and cover essentials while unknowingly deepening the debt cycle.
Financial educators note that this pattern isn’t about irresponsibility alone; it’s about the spending culture.
“Detty December has become performative,” says a Lagos-based financial coach. “People are spending to keep up appearances, not because they have excess. The problem is that the performance doesn’t end when the money does.”
January search trends reflect this reality. Queries around “budget,” “debt,” “financial reset,” and “how to save” spike sharply after the holidays. It’s a collective moment of financial honesty that rarely makes it to social media.
Underestimating Cumulative Spending:
The trap we fall into every new year is recurring debt that defines the Detty December hangover.
Small expenses pile up faster than expected, especially when spread across cards and apps.
Assuming future income will fix present financial mistakes. A lot of people bank on bonuses, side gigs, or “January money” that does not always work out.
After a stressful year, spending feels like self-care until it begins to turn into stress itself. Social media even pushes for this kind of “self-care,” and somehow, important future expenses are ignored.
Weddings, family events, and gifting aren’t optional, but they are rarely budgeted realistically.
Recovery doesn’t start with guilt. It starts with clarity.
Financial educators advise young people to begin January by writing down everything owed, no matter how uncomfortable the debt looks. Seeing the full picture helps people prioritize debt repayments and avoid overlapping loans with unnecessary daily calls from loan apps.
Next comes renegotiation. Many fintech platforms allow repayment adjustments, and informal lenders are often more flexible than assumed when approached early.
Budget resets in January should also be realistic. Cutting everything at once leads to burnout. Sustainable recovery means choosing what to reduce and not eliminating joy.
Some young professionals are choosing softer resets: fewer outings, outfit repeats, packed lunches, and honest conversations with friends about money boundaries. They are starting to understand that there’s life after Detty December.
“I told my friends I’m not attending anything this January,” Tunde admits. “At first, I felt embarrassed. Now I feel relieved.”
Rethinking the Culture, Not Cancelling the Fun
The conversation isn’t about ending Detty December. Celebration matters, rest matters, and joy should be included, especially in an economy that often feels draining.
But there’s a growing shift among Gen Z and young professionals toward intentional enjoyment. People are beginning to ask better questions:
Can I afford this twice? Will January still be okay? Am I doing this for myself, or for people with a better backup plan?
Some are choosing one major event instead of dragging themselves to every event. Others are setting December spending funds months in advance. A few are openly talking about debt recovery online, breaking the illusion that everyone has it all figured out.
The truth is simple, yet uncomfortable. Most people are winging it.
January may not have come with premium enjoyment, but it definitely brought honesty. It forces a pause and a reset, a reckoning with choices made in the noise of December. As February begins, perhaps a quiet reflection is the actual fresh start one needs, not a post, filter, or trendy caption.
While the joys of Detty December fades gradually, the stress of the debt doesn’t, unless conversations on these issues are held.