Men will spend Â£12,663 in their lives on purchases their partner knows nothing about

Researchers from ao.com, ahead of Black Friday, carried out an in-depth study of the nation's spending habits and revealed in the last 12 months the average adult has made SIX purchases behind their loved ones back with the average man having coughed up GBP201 without his wife or partner knowing. Women have spent GBP47 less on secret purchases in the last 12 months, totalling GBP154 in a year (GBP9,702 over the course of her lifetime). According to the poll, men are most likely to secretly splash out on tech (35 percent of men admit to buying tech behind their partner's back), followed by clothes (25 percent) and luxury food items (21 percent). Unsurprisingly, 43 percent of women secretly buy clothes, however nearly one in ten (8 percent) secretly splash out on things for the home. Unsurprisingly then, three in ten of couples have had arguments about 'secret spending' the poll by AO.com found. Overall, men get a bigger buzz from secret spending, 47 percent compared to just 34 percent of women, while a quarter of both men and women polled said they get all their new purchases delivered to their place of work to avoid prying eyes at home. The poll discovered a third of adults keep their secret purchases at the back of their wardrobe, but a crafty one in ten leave them at their place of work to ensure they aren't found out. Other hiding places included the loft, shed and garage. And 10 percent rely on their trusty underwear drawer to hide their wares. 58 percent said they are far more likely to make a secret purchase when the sales are on - in fact the average shopper has spent GBP223 on bargains they have bought in the sales over the last year. ao.com commissioned the research of almost 2,000 British couples in conjunction with their annual spends report ahead of Black Friday. Their Director of Customer Experience, David Atherton offered some advice, "We are all guilty of making the odd purchase and then keeping it secret. "Often we just can't resist a bargain or need a little item to cheer ourselves up. However, there is a difference between treating ourselves every now and then to hiding big purchases from our loved ones. "My advice would be to shop around together? Deals can be a great help when deciding on whether or not you want to purchase an item and agree on the things you need. By doing it this way, you're likely to stay within your budget and can then enjoy the new items, guilt free." A defensive 46 percent of respondents said they keep their purchases undercover because their partner wouldn't be interested or care and 22 percent said their other half would moan about the cost. The study showed a devious one in ten have even splashed out on a new smart phone without their partner noticing and 14 percent have kept their partner in the dark when they coughed up for a new laptop or tablet. Blokes are twice as likely to treat themselves to a top of the range watch than women were, but females were much more likely to purchase a pair of shoes on the sly, the poll found. But a quarter of Brits have had to spend money in secret because they broke, lost or damaged something they had to replace. One in five have had to spend money replacing or repairing their engagement or wedding rings and ten percent of adults have even forked out on a new TV and kept their partner in the dark.