• by Tanya Gazdik , January 3, 2024

The holidays are in our collective rear view mirrors, but it’s full-speed ahead for the almighty New Year’s resolutions.

Whether it is to save more money, drink less alcohol, exercise more or curse less (although exercising can sometimes to lead to cursing, so careful with those two) human beings love to use Jan. 1 to mark their good intentions. 

As it turns out, we are already drinking less of one alcoholic beverage. Beer drinking in the U.S. has fallen to to the lowest level in a generation, according to NBC News, quoting industry group Beer Marketer's Insights.

Leading the decline was Anheuser Busch. 

While the Bud Light maker stirred controversy over a sponsorship agreement with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that subsequently led to a boycott among some longtime drinkers, the protest does not explain why overall beer consumption still managed to fall, says David Steinman, BMI vice president and executive editor. 

“Instead, Anheuser Busch was at the forefront of an acceleration in the long-term decline of so-called domestic-premium brands, which include Bud Light and rivals Miller Light and Coors Light,” per NBC News.

There are a lot of businesses trying to capitalize on resolutions.

"New year's resolutions provide an opportunity for brands to pitch consumers on products or services that will help them achieve their goals," per the BBC. "Companies know there's revenue potential, especially in membership-based models; many say the start of the new year is an important time to attract new users whom they hope will convert to long-term active paying customers."

But Americans’ top financial resolution for 2024 is to save more money, according to personal-finance website WalletHub, which released its report on 2024’s Best & Worst Cities for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions. This new report complements WalletHub’s list of the top New Year’s Financial Resolutions for 2024 and corresponding consumer survey.

San Francisco has the lowest share of obese adults, which is 2.5 times lower than in Akron, Ohio, the city with the highest, according to the report.

Meanwhile, Jackson, Mississippi, has the lowest prevalence of adult binge drinking, which is 2.1 times lower than in Missoula, Montana, the city with the highest. 

If you are still looking for some ideas on what to resolve to do or not to do, consider Good Housekeeping, which offers a not-so-succinct list of 65 “achievable resolutions.”

As a journalist, of course my favorite is no.57, which is “Be current about the news.”

Have a happy New Year, no matter what you resolve.