'I had to spend £1,000 on my friend's birthday trip to Dubai - and she only gave me two weeks' notice'

While some choose to spend just one special day celebrating their birthday, many now opt to go away for a birth-weekend or birth-week.

But while there has been a rise in those choosing to go all-out for their celebrations, a lot of people are struggling to keep up with the cost of their friends’ plans.

That’s according to research released by greetings card marketplace thortful - revealing what some have had to sacrifice in order to afford birthdays - and the excuses they’ve given to back out of events.

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Lucy Ashby, from Manchester, says she was forced to fork out £200 for a birthday Airbnb trip last year – believing it was 'cheeky' for the birthday girl to expect everyone to pay so much.

The 24-year-old said: “I find my friends' birthdays expensive in general, as there’s about nine of us in the group and we’re expected to chip in around £20 per birthday for gifts, which obviously adds up.

“When it’s a month where multiple of them have birthdays, it can be so tight for money, and I often have to sacrifice personal things to be able to afford their gifts.

“Last year, one of them chose to go away to an Airbnb for their birthday, which ended up costing £200 per person overall when you factored in travel, the Airbnb, food and drink.

“Whilst it was really fun to get everyone together, I did think it was quite cheeky to expect everyone to pay, though.

“My friendship group is very understandable when it comes to a lot of things and there isn’t direct pressure, but you almost feel like you have to pay as you don’t want to be the odd one out. My friends all earn a lot more than me too, which makes it even harder to bring up money worries.”

Nata