The phrase "spent a lot of money" is correct and can be used in written English. An example usage would be: "I spent a lot of money at the store this week.".
"Malaga spent a lot of money.
"They have spent a lot of money.
"They spent a lot of money".
Believe me, people spent a lot of money on this.
It has made, and spent, a lot of money.
"We've spent a lot of money in Wisconsin.
I spent a lot of money joining a dating agency.
Ludwig does not simply clarify my doubts with English writing, it enlightens my writing with new possibilities
Simone Ivan Conte
Software Engineer at Adobe, UK