In 2025, some of the biggest influences on how Americans saved money didn’t come from economists or financial planners — they came from social media feeds. In fact, a recent Chime survey found that 59% of respondents tried a money-saving trend this past year.
Short videos promising life-changing savings hacks, viral challenges, and aesthetic budgeting trends pushed certain strategies into the spotlight almost overnight. While some of these ideas helped people save more intentionally, others oversimplified complex financial decisions or encouraged habits that don’t hold up in real life.
As financial advice becomes more algorithm-driven than ever, let’s look back on the savings trends that truly helped in 2025, and the ones that went viral for the wrong reasons.
Savings strategies are not one-size-fits-all. The best trends to follow are the ones that actually work for you. That said, these were the top three savings trends of the past year that can be effective and work for many people.
No-spend challenges took the internet by storm this year. For some, it was a statement against overconsumption. For others, savings challenges presented a creative way to manage rapidly rising prices.
Participants in no-spend challenges commit to eliminating spending on certain categories, such as eating out or shopping — or cutting out discretionary spending completely — for a set period of time, whether it’s a week, a month, or even longer.
These challenges can be incredibly effective, especially if you’re the type of person who is motivated by gamifying your savings strategy. Plus, no-spend challenges can be easily tailored to fit your personal goals and timeline, making your chances of success much higher.
Read more: I went on a one-week spending freeze and saved $200. Here’s how you can too.
In many circles, discussing your finances can be taboo. However, in 2025, many savers reversed that narrative by adopting “loud budgeting.” This financial strategy encourages savers to openly talk about their money boundaries instead of quietly opting out or making excuses.
For example, say you’re invited to a fancy dinner with friends, but you’re not in the financial position to shell out for a pricey restaurant meal. Instead of saying “I’m busy” or “Maybe next time,” someone practicing loud budgeting might say “That’s not in my budget right now” or “I’m prioritizing saving, so I’m skipping expensive plans.”
Instead of going along with the crowd or making up reasons for opting out of social events that don’t align with your financial goals, loud budgeting removes the pressure to spend money just to fit in.
Working a side hustle isn’t a new concept by any means, but it was a particularly trendy activity in 2025 — especially in light of inflation and a tough job market. According to a survey by Self Financial, 45% of people currently have a side hustle. And 34% of those with one said they rely on the extra money to cover basic costs.
A side hustle can help you explore professional opportunities outside of your nine-to-five while providing additional income to help you reach your savings goals faster. Plus, when you’re less dependent on a single paycheck, it can help alleviate financial stress.
But that doesn’t mean you have to take on a second full-time job to be financially secure. According to the survey, the highest proportion of side hustlers (36%) spend just five to 10 hours per week on their side business.
Read more: How to make more money with a side gig: 6 tips for success
We’re not here to judge, but some of this year’s viral trends may not be expert-approved. These included:
Cash stuffing was a particularly popular savings strategy among Gen Z. Many financial content creators appeared on TikTok and YouTube with videos of themselves organizing cash into color-coded envelopes and binders, turning the mundane task of budgeting into a trendy and even soothing ritual.
Cash stuffing can be an effective way to get your budget under control if you struggle with overspending. But it’s not an effective way to grow your savings over time. Ultimately, if your cash is sitting in an envelope rather than earning interest in a high-yield account or investment, you are losing money due to inflation.
This strategy isn’t a total flop. But in order for it to be truly effective long-term, consider replacing physical envelopes with a high-yield savings account that offers digital envelopes or savings buckets.
Read more: 6 Gen Z savings strategies that can work for anyone
If you spent an extra $20 on an online order to qualify for free shipping, you actually saved money…right? Girl math says yes, but it’s not that simple.
This humorous trend was certainly entertaining and highlighted the mental gymnastics we often perform to justify questionable financial decisions. But too much “girl math” can throw your savings off track. Not to mention, even when used ironically, the term can perpetuate the idea that women are bad with money or emotionally driven spenders.
The truth is, girl math just doesn’t add up. It makes it easier to rationalize spending outside of your plan rather than adjusting the plan itself.
Read more: Are men or women better at saving money? Here’s what the data says.
Manifesting wealth — the idea that you can attract money and success just by thinking hard enough about it (and maybe creating a vision board) — was a strategy touted by some of 2025’s biggest finfluencers.
Of course, a positive mindset is a key ingredient to achieving your goals. But it’s certainly not the only one.
“While optimism is valuable, this trend has encouraged people to ignore concrete financial planning in favor of mystical thinking,” said Tyler End, CFP, CEO and co-founder of Retirable. “You cannot manifest your way out of credit card debt or into a down payment.”
End explained that financial security comes from financial literacy and disciplined action. Relying on manifestation alone has a dangerous side effect: “People justify overspending because they’re ‘investing in themselves’ or ‘trusting the universe’ instead of creating budgets, building emergency funds, or negotiating higher salaries,” he said.
As we head into a new year, it’s important to take a breath and get back to basics.
There are many tried-and-true ways to grow your savings. These strategies may be boring compared to the latest savings trends flooding your feeds, but they work. And that’s what matters.
Create a budget you can actually stick to. Saving money starts with understanding where your money is coming from and going. Whether you use the 50/20/30 method, a zero-based budget, or any other strategy, having some kind of plan can serve as a basis for all of your financial decisions and ensure that they’re all working for you in support of your goals and not against you.
Automate your savings. When it comes to saving money, consistency is key. Even if you can’t save a substantial amount of money each month, automating your savings ensures that you’re making progress throughout the year.
Whether you set up an automatic transfer from your checking to savings account, or have savings automatically deducted from your paycheck, this practice removes some of the psychological barriers that may hold you back from saving consistently.
Read more: Behavioral Finance 101: 7 ways your brain can sabotage your finances
Trim unnecessary costs. New year, new budget. As we head into 2026, it’s a great time to review your spending and cut expenses that aren’t serving you. Think: forgotten subscriptions, unused memberships, and unnecessary bank fees. If it’s not bringing you joy, get rid of that extra expense and redirect those funds toward your savings account.
