America Is Going to Spend Big to Celebrate Independence

When it comes to Independence Day, Americans aren't shy about spending money. We'll spend $725 million on fireworks, up from $695 million last year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. Forty-two million people will travel for the holiday, thanks to low gas prices, says AAA. We'll spend $71.23 per person on cookouts, which is $6.6 billion total, for 700 million pounds of chicken, 190 million pounds of beef and 150 million hot dogs. And to top it off, we'll spend $1 billion on beer.