Lifestyle creep is defined as spending more as you earn more. Perhaps you’ve noticed that as your income rises, you may not grow your wealth, including your retirement account or that fund for the down payment on a house.
It may well be human nature that, when you get a salary hike, you decide to splash out on a fancier car lease, a bigger home, or a luxurious vacation. However, your spending may actually be outpacing your salary and even ringing up more credit card debt.
That’s lifestyle creep in action: Spending on “fun” non-essentials instead of putting that money to work for a more stable financial future. Learn more about it and how to rein it in while still enjoying the things money can buy.
Key Points
• Lifestyle creep involves increasing non-essential spending as income grows, impacting financial goals.
• Signals of lifestyle creep can include not saving more despite higher earnings, abandoning budgeting, and rising credit card debt.
• Social and psychological pressures, like keeping up with peers, can cause lifestyle creep.
• Managing lifestyle creep effectively involves creating a budget for savings, debt, and discretionary spending.
• Automating bill payments and savings contributions can help curb unnecessary spending.
What Is Lifestyle Creep?
Lifestyle creep can be a common phenomenon experienced as one progresses through their career. The meaning of lifestyle creep, sometimes known as lifestyle inflation, is the process by which discretionary expenses increase as disposable income increases.
Disposable income is income that isn’t already budgeted for necessities like housing, transportation, and food.
It could include anything from concert tickets to morning lattes to a second home— basically anything that is likely to fall more into a “want” category rather than something strictly “needed.”
Lifestyle creep can put you squarely behind the 8-ball when it comes to getting out of debt, saving for retirement, or meeting other big financial goals. And it’s one reason people can’t escape the vortex of living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Signs of Lifestyle Creep
Here are some specific signals that you may be experiencing lifestyle creep:
• Despite earning more, you are not saving more.
• You have stopped following your budget because you assume you’re earning enough not to have to worry about spending.
• You feel as if you can afford to buy whatever you want and no longer stick to previous limits (such as, say, not spending more than a certain amount on an item of clothing or a piece of furniture).
• While your salary has increased, your credit card debt has risen vs. been paid down.
What Causes Lifestyle Creep?
Graduating from the penny-pinching college life to your first full-time job is only one instance that can trigger lifestyle creep. It also can happen with any type of bump in cash flow that’s not part of your monthly budget, such as a raise, bonus, tax refund, gift, or winning a scratch-off ticket.
There are also psychological factors at play here, including the sometimes compulsive urge to keep up with the Joneses.
And before you blow it off as just envy with a lack of willpower, consider this: One landmark examination of a lottery winner’s effect on the neighborhood found that the larger reward the lucky gambler collected, the more likely their neighbors were to incur more debt and even file for bankruptcy.
The social pressure to keep up with the consumption habits of family and friends, even when it’s conspicuous, can cause real and serious financial stress.
Social media can make matters even worse, with studies showing that post envy could be causing people to live beyond their means just so their feeds can reflect their acquaintances’.
But how do you resist the urge to upgrade your 2015-era sedan when your neighbor rolls up in a shiny new SUV? The answers might be simple on paper, but switching your mindset from “Should I spend this on a shopping spree or a vacation?” to “Should I put this money into savings or invest it?” can be easier said than done.
Discerning Needs Versus Wants
First, a quick refresher on needs vs. wants: A need is something vital to survival, while a want is something that’s nice to have but strictly speaking not critical.
It’s normal to want to celebrate a new raise, but to avoid lifestyle creep, it can be important to make sure not to celebrate with something that will increase costs to the point of making the raise irrelevant.
Examples of Needs vs Wants
Here are a couple of examples of how needs and wants can compare:
• A need is clothing to wear to work, to keep you warm in cold weather, and to enable you to go about your daily life.
• A want would be those two pairs of shoes you bought not because you needed them but because they were cute and on sale.
• A need is groceries to feed your household.
• A want would be buying a pricey salad for lunch every day vs. bringing food from home or going out for a deluxe sushi dinner every Friday night to celebrate the end of the work week.
• A need is basic health care expenses and new running shoes when your old ones wear out.
• A want would be getting massages and hiring a personal trainer.
As you see, lifestyle creep could entice you to spend significant amounts on the “wants” in life because they are fun and you feel you can afford them. But allowing those purchases to increase instead of putting money toward debt reduction and longer-term aspirations can be problematic. After all, part of financial wellness is prioritizing goals such as being able to contribute to your child’s education and having a healthy retirement savings account.
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Tips for Avoiding Lifestyle Creep
Giving every extra penny of a cash windfall to a credit-card company doesn’t sound like much fun. But just knowing that lifestyle creep exists, and recognizing it in your own life, can put you ahead of the game when it comes to making better decisions with your money.
Here are a few possible ways you can avoid lifestyle creep while still enjoying the good things in life.
Celebrating Small
If you earn a raise, you should absolutely celebrate — especially if it’s higher than the average 3.7% forecast for 2025. But to outsmart lifestyle creep, you may want to take a deep breath and resist the urge to run to the store for that expensive thing you’ve had your eye on. Instead, consider a small way to congratulate yourself, like a dinner with friends.
Creating a Budget
One way to avoid lifestyle creep may be to give all income a job to do. That extra $200 a month shouldn’t just be chilling in a checking account with no purpose, like a freeloading cousin camping out on the couch.
Letting that extra money hang out in the checking account too long with nothing to do might lead to unplanned spending. If you see the money sitting idle, you might splurge on a weekend trip or that budget-busting espresso maker. Putting that money to work (earning interest in a high-yield savings account or paying down debt) could be a wise move. And if you have a solid budget in place, using money that way can be effortless.
Building a Budget to Control Lifestyle Inflation
With the advent of online banking, most people are likely equipped with everything needed to make a budget right on your phone or computer. Many financial institutions offer tools that can help with tracking of your money as it flows in and out of your accounts.
Don’t have a basic budget already? Getting a raise can be a great time to crunch the numbers and be financially stable and responsible with that money. There are many different budget techniques you can experiment with, such as the envelope system or the 50/30/20 budget rule. If there’s already a budget in place, a new raise is a great time to reconfigure the budget to make sure it still ticks all the financial boxes.
Avoiding Mindless Spending
Mindless or pointless spending might happen when there is unexpected extra cash sitting in the bank account. Much like the itch to spend that crisp, new $20 bill included in a childhood birthday card, there may be psychological and emotional temptation to spend money in the bank account without considering whether or not a new, say, brand gaming system is really needed.
Casually buying unnecessary items could indicate compulsive or impulsive spending. This in turn could mean missing an opportunity to put money to work for the future, sustainably upgrading a lifestyle by planning ahead for financial growth.
Tracking Your Spending
When it comes to managing money, losing track of expenses could not only lead to a blown budget, but also overdraft fees, returned checks, or other unnecessary fees that could put you even further behind.
Tools to Track Spending
If you really struggle with this one, there’s an app for that. As mentioned above, many financial institutions offer tools for budgeting and tracking exactly where your money is going. Start there, and see if what is available works well for you. If not, there are various third-party apps that you can explore.
Turn on the Auto-Pilot
One of the easiest ways to ensure that you’re only spending what’s in the budget is to automate as many payments and contributions as possible. After all, money you don’t have is a lot easier to not spend.
This strategy can start at work. If you get a raise, you might elect to increase your 401(k) contribution (or start one if you haven’t yet). And while it means that your take-home pay may not change, your money transferred into a retirement account can painlessly grow.
You also can automate online bill payments and savings and investment contributions, all with the intention of getting the money out of your tempted hands ASAP.
Outlining Clear Goals
What’s your endgame? Do you want to retire early with a million dollars or more in the bank? Is owning a home a part of your plan? One key to avoiding lifestyle creep is to set long-term financial goals and keep your eye on the prize.
Two financial goals that can be beneficial to almost everyone include growing a short-term emergency fund and longer-term savings plan. But from there, the sky’s the limit and your goals are entirely up to you.
You can use an online emergency fund calculator to simplify the math while accruing cash. Financial experts suggest having at least three to six months’ worth of living expenses in the account.
Avoiding New Debt
This might seem like a no-brainer, but you aren’t likely to get out of debt if you keep adding new debt to the pile. One key way to avoid debt is to use credit cards responsibly.
Minimizing your debt (and the important credit utilization ratio, which compares what you owe to your credit limit) can be a smart step when avoiding lifestyle creep.
Recommended: Money Management Guide
Getting Your Head in the Game
Lifestyle creep likely isn’t impossible to reverse, but one could argue that the further you’ve allowed yourself to fall into the luxury lifestyle, the harder it could be to pull yourself out.
One way to get your head in the game is to make lists, starting with your needs (electricity) vs. wants (electric car.) From there, you could prioritize your “wants” and start to cut from the bottom.
Are there things in your life that just exist because they can? Consider eliminating them completely or finding clever ways to save money, such as shopping consignment vs. retail or eating lunch out one day a week vs. all five.
Choosing Your Friends Wisely
Peer pressure is a powerful motivator, but the perceived wealth of your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances can be a far cry from the actual state of their finances.
If you seem to find yourself in situations where there’s pressure to overspend, including family Disney holidays with all the bells and whistles, nights out on the town, or an invite to a destination wedding, you may want to consider finding a circle of friends who share the same financial goals and lifestyle as you.
After all, it’s a lot easier to say “Let’s just cook at home to save money” to a friend who won’t pressure you to try the trendy new restaurant in town.
Spending a Raise
So what exactly should someone do with extra money after a raise? Paying more into a retirement account, paying off debts, or just putting some extra dollars towards a specific savings goal are some approaches to take. This can allow you to boost your financial wellness and meet your long-term goals vs. getting caught up in impulse buying.
Recommended: Mobile Banking Tools
The Takeaway
Lifestyle creep is defined as spending more as you progressively earn more. By spending, you miss out on the opportunity to pay down debt and save for future financial goals, such as buying a home or eliminating student loans. By being aware of lifestyle creep and minimizing it, you can stay on budget and manage your money better. Having the right banking partner can also help with that.
Interested in opening an online bank account? When you sign up for a SoFi Checking and Savings account with direct deposit, you’ll get a competitive annual percentage yield (APY), pay zero account fees, and enjoy an array of rewards, such as access to the Allpoint Network of 55,000+ fee-free ATMs globally. Qualifying accounts can even access their paycheck up to two days early.
FAQ
How does lifestyle creep impact long-term financial goals?
Lifestyle creep can make it challenging to achieve long-term financial goals. For example, if you get a raise and spend it on fun purchases, you may struggle to accrue enough money to meet long-term goals, such as saving for retirement.
How can I spend mindfully while still enjoying life?
One way to spend mindfully while still enjoying life is to have a budget that includes a small fund for “fun” spending. If you know you have some cash allocated for enjoyable activities or purchases, you may not feel deprived. You might, say, choose not to spend your “fun money” one month and then have twice as much the next month to use.
How do I recover financially after falling victim to lifestyle creep?
A budget can help you stay on track vs. falling victim to lifestyle creep. By carefully tracking your spending, you can avoid overdoing it. Also, you might consider whether social media is triggering you to overspend, or if your current group of friends typically value spending over saving and you therefore follow suit. Minimizing those influences could have a positive effect on your finances.
Can lifestyle creep impact my retirement goals?
Lifestyle creep can impact your retirement goals. If you receive raises but spend the increase in your paycheck on dining out or vacations, you may then be unable to meet your retirement goals and other long-term financial aspirations.
Are there tools to help combat lifestyle creep?
One good tool to help combat lifestyle creep is to have a budget that you can stick with. It can be worthwhile to experiment with different methods to find one that suits you. Also, using tech tools, such as spending trackers, can help you avoid lifestyle creep. They can help you keep tabs on where your money goes. Also, some financial experts advise unsubscribing from marketing emails that advertise sales and can encourage unplanned spending. Similarly, disabling one-click shopping on social media could help combat lifestyle creep.
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