Three-quarters of Americans say they plan to trade down, forgoing more extravagant purchases in the future. For decades, the markers of success in America followed a familiar script: bigger homes, newer cars and a steady stream of conveniences. But in 2026, the latest status symbol won’t be about having more; it will be about making do with less.
Success in 2026 is shifting from what we buy to how well we make do, and frugality is quickly becoming a marker of stability. Photo credit: Depositphotos.
As households continue to feel the squeeze of inflation and rising living costs, a surprising cultural shift is taking shape. Financial counselors say the trend has been building quietly for years, accelerated first by the pandemic and now by persistent economic pressure.
A 2025 TD Bank survey found rising prices have pushed many families to simplify their spending habits, with almost half reporting they’ve cut back “in every category possible.” McKinsey’s ConsumerWise research concurs, indicating consumers plan to pull back purchasing across most nonessential categories.
A generation rethinks the meaning of enough
Inflation in food, housing, childcare and transportation continues to reshape expectations of what normal spending looks like. At the same time, wage growth has slowed, leaving many households to stretch every dollar they spend. But instead of expressing defeat, a growing number of Americans, at all income levels, reframe the shift as a lifestyle choice.
Examples of this shift show up across demographics: families repairing appliances instead of replacing them, shoppers choosing thrift and secondhand clothing and homeowners delaying remodels in favor of low-cost refreshes.
Even online, where excesses and shopping hauls have typically dominated much of the conversation around spending, the tone has changed. Social media trends such as no-buy months, pantry challenges, use-it-up cooking, lunching on leftovers and the project pan, which advocates finishing what you already own, have built large, enthusiastic followings. Suddenly not spending money is as appealing as excessively spending.
Influencers who once flaunted hauls and overspending are finding themselves deinfluencers. People don’t want closets full of clutter; they want education, real value, DIY living and ways to make smarter choices using what they already have.
The quiet appeal of enough
The trend isn’t just financial, it’s also emotional. After years of subscription creep, one-click shopping and social pressure to constantly upgrade, many people report feeling exhausted by consumerism. Living within or below one’s means offers relief from that pressure. Enough feels good for so many right now, and moving forward into the future.
This mindset shift is visible in how Americans spend their time, not just their money. More are cooking at home, gardening, mending clothes, borrowing tools from neighbors and choosing local libraries over constant streaming.
None of these behaviors is new; many are rooted in Depression-era habits that shaped an older generation in so many ways. And now those behaviors are gaining popularity with younger generations who previously associated frugality with hardship rather than freedom. Suddenly, less is more and enough at the same time.
But it’s not romantic for everyone
Despite the feel-good framing, we shouldn’t glamorize frugality; it’s a means to an end for many. People aren’t making do because it’s trendy, but because they have no other choice. Housing shortages, medical debt, childcare costs and wage stagnation continue to create real financial barriers.
This tension between choice and necessity is central to the movement’s complexity. For some, buying less feels empowering. For others, it’s simply an act of survival. In the middle is where empowerment and survival coexist, shaping what frugality can truly mean today.
A cultural reset with staying power
As 2026 arrives, it’s clear that the shift toward making do is not a fleeting trend but a recalibration of how Americans define security, comfort and success. What began as a response to rising costs is evolving into a deeper cultural reset. The recognition that stability often comes not from acquiring more, but from understanding what is truly necessary in your life.
People are reevaluating priorities and embracing thriftiness not as deprivation but as a way to regain control in an unpredictable economy. Younger generations, once raised on fast fashion and rapid upgrades, are discovering the appeal of repairing, reusing and stretching what they already have. Older generations recognize echoes of habits from decades past and embrace them once again.
For many, making do remains a matter of coping with economic pressures that show no sign of easing, and is not aspirational but a simple fact of life. The movement toward intentional spending is reshaping the national conversation around money, value and resilience. If there is a lesson in the moment, it may be that the new status symbol isn’t frugality itself, but the sense of pride and the self-determination that comes from learning to live with enough and knowing it’s enough for now.
Laura Sampson is the writer behind Little Frugal Homestead. She and her husband, Jack, are two Gen-Xers living in a 90-year-old farmhouse in Alaska. They keep chickens and honeybees, and grow a garden and small orchard; their dream is to live well within their means on their little piece of land.
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