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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Business
Oreoluwa Adeyoola and Rachel Obordo

How gen Z is rewriting money rules: ‘I thrift, I splurge, I save 25%’

A chaotic illustration of various activities and objects, including young people dancing, drinking, playing video games, traveling, reading, walking dogs, and engaging in creative or leisure pursuits, all clustered together in a dynamic, swirling composition.
‘Gen Z is more likely to spend money on subscriptions, from meal kits to Spotify.’ Illustration: Dongyan Xu/The Guardian

From no-buy-years to second-hand shopping, gen Z seems to have its own unique spending habits. A global rise in the cost of living combined with a highly competitive job market means that 69% of gen Z use some sort of budget to manage their finances.

Their priorities, and what they choose to save for, are different from their boomer counterparts. Gen Z is more likely to spend money on subscriptions, from meal kits to Spotify. There’s also the trend of “doom spending”, which is purchasing non-essential items to cope with either personal or wider political issues.

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