By The Daily Wire (World News) | Created at 2026-08-12 18:40:56 | Updated at 2026-08-12 21:54:37
8 hours ago
Eating out, entertainment, and vacations are among the first items on the chopping block for Americans looking to save money as prices remain high amid lingering inflation and the ongoing war in Iran.
People are also scrambling for ways to save on household necessities and extracurricular activities. Over 75% of Americans are attempting DIY projects instead of relying on expensive professionals. The most popular projects include painting, flooring, landscaping, and bathroom remodeling. The majority of Americans say saving money is their number one reason for attempting DIY projects. Others are diving into projects themselves in hopes of boosting their homes’ resale value.
“It absolutely still makes sense to pay for some things, but you just have to be a lot more deliberate,” Lydia Royce, a 38-year-old mother of two in Norman, Oklahoma, told The Washington Post.
Royce said she’s learning how to install a French drain rather than outsourcing to a landscaping team.
Some Americans are putting in extra effort to find cheaper groceries. Sarah Bailey, 43, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, said she switched her family from seafood to pork for a cheaper protein. She’s also planning out her routes to ensure she takes the most fuel-efficient way for work, errands, and picking up her kids.
“I’m just moving through life a bit differently,” she told the Post.
Some have coined these penny-pinching practices “revenge saving,” as Americans who participate go to extreme measures to save and avoid all unnecessary purchases. One of the approaches is a challenge to go 24 hours without spending money.
“The beauty of revenge saving is that the minute you start saving, the thrill begins and will continue. The benefits grow as the savings increase through contributions, and, if money is invested well, through powerful compound growth,” said Bobbi Rebell, a personal finance expert at CardRates.com.
Another trend is “loud budgeting,” a practice that has become popular among Gen Z in which people tell their friends and families how much they are able to spend on activities for the month to help normalize saving money.
“Loud budgeting helps take an element of shame away from feeling like you don’t have enough money,” a financial educator told NerdWallet.
Emma Edwards, the founder of the Broke Generation, said that loud budgeting goes against current norms.
“We have this belief that our financial situation shouldn’t have to be an inconvenience to others, or we shouldn’t reveal ourselves as being on a budget,” she said.
Edwards describes loud budgeting as being upfront when something doesn’t align with a person’s financial goals, values, or capacity.
