More Than Half Of U.S. Consumers Now Routinely End The Month Short

Coming up short isn’t an uncommon experience anymore

For years, many household budgets operated on the assumption that there was some wiggle room. A slightly higher electric bill one month could be absorbed by a slightly cheaper grocery run the next. That cushion is now gone for most U.S. consumers, and the blame seems to lie with costs that families can’t opt out of.

A new Credit One Bank survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers found that 57% now routinely end the month with less money than expected, with over a quarter saying it happens almost every month and nearly 3 in 10 (29%) saying it happens more often than not. Coming up short isn’t an uncommon experience anymore.

More than 8 in 10 (83%) respondents say the cost of living has grown at least somewhat harder to manage over the past two years, leaving only 17% who feel their situation is about the same or better. What follows is a look at which bills are the biggest pain points and what people are changing to keep up.

Key Findings:

• 83% of U.S. consumers say managing the cost of living has become at least somewhat harder over the past two years.
• 40% name groceries and household staples as the single biggest strain on their budget, nearly double the share who point to rent or mortgage.
• 57% regularly end the month with less money than expected.
• 79% of Gen Z have delayed or rethought at least one major life milestone because of rising costs.
• 44% say housing costs are either preventing them from saving or are their single biggest financial stressor.
• 45% say financial stress affects their mental health on a daily or regular basis.
• 55% describe their ability to get ahead as either completely impossible or treading water.

The Majority Feel The Financial Squeeze

The affordability issue has been in headlines and campaign speeches for a while now, but this survey data shows just how personal it really is. A combined 83% of U.S. consumers say their household budget has gotten harder to manage over the past two years. Within that group, nearly a quarter (23%) say keeping up is now almost impossible, and another quarter (26%) say things are significantly harder and they’re barely managing.

But the pressure isn’t distributed evenly. Among households earning less than $25,000, 38% say keeping up is nearly impossible, compared with just 7% of those earning between $100,000 and $249,000. Women report the most severe strain more often than men, with more than 26% choosing “nearly impossible” against 19% of men.

Families are left weighing their priorities and the cost of essentials, from groceries to utilities. United Way of Metropolitan Dallas reported that local energy costs jumped nearly 19% over the past year, while one in four Dallas County children faces food insecurity. The survey suggests those tradeoffs are a national story, not just a regional one.

Grocery Costs Challenge Household Budgets

Ask U.S. consumers to name the cost that hurts the most and the answer won’t be their mortgage — it’ll be the grocery bill. Household staples and groceries were cited as the top budget strain by 40% of respondents, which is nearly twice the share who name rent or mortgage payments at 23%.

The generational split is sharp. Half of baby boomers (50%) name groceries as their biggest pressure, compared with 29% of Gen Z. The youngest adults feel housing more acutely instead, with 29% of Gen Z citing rent or mortgage as their top strain — nearly double the baby boomer rate of 16%.

Groceries stand out partly because they’re visible and frequent, but another problem lies in the essential bills that unexpectedly go up in cost. The New York Post reported area electric bills climbing as much as 20% and water rates rising for a third straight year, with the local power authority pointing to record cold weather and higher fuel costs. One resident described utilities as bills “you have no choice but to pay.” These are costs that a family can’t coupon its way out of.

8 in 10 Gen Z Are Skipping Traditional Milestones

Younger adults aren’t just trimming discretionary spending — they’re moving back the milestones that used to define adulthood. Nearly 8 in 10 (79%) of Gen Z have delayed, rethought, or abandoned at least one major life plan because of cost pressure. Only 21% say none of their plans have changed, against 59% of baby boomers and 54% of Gen X.

The data reveals a generation putting life on hold. Among Gen Z:

• 35% have delayed buying a home
• 33% have deferred additional education or job training
• 29% have delayed having a child
• 24% have postponed marriage
• 22% have given up on starting a business

Older U.S. consumers are feeling a different version of the same force. Rather than delaying the start of adult life, 27% of baby boomers and 24% of Gen X report that rising costs have pushed back their planned retirement date. Younger adults are postponing the milestones that mark the beginning of adulthood, while older adults are postponing the one that marks its next chapter. The same cost pressure appears to be stretching the timeline at both ends.

Housing Costs Get In The Way Of Savings Goals

Beyond the monthly strain, survey responses suggest housing is doing structural damage to the ability to save at all. A combined 44% of U.S. consumers say housing costs are either preventing them from building any savings (23%) or are their single biggest financial stressor (21%).

Among Gen Z, more than a third (36%) say housing costs alone are blocking them from saving anything, which is the highest share of any generation. Without savings, there’s no buffer, which may explain why approximately half of Gen Z carries a credit card balance at least once a year.

Data suggests that older homeowners report experiencing less housing-related pressure. Among baby boomers, nearly 30% say they manage even though housing can be a strain. Another 15% report that housing isn’t a pressure point since they own their homes outright.

The result is a widening divide between U.S. consumers who bought before the market tightened and those still trying to get in, with the safety net available mostly to the group that already has one. For households still trying to build that cushion, setting up a budget that prioritizes an emergency fund can be the first step back toward stability.

Tight Budgets Affect Mental And Physical Health

Budgets aren’t the only thing feeling strained right now. A total of 45% of U.S. consumers say financial stress affects their mental health on a daily or regular basis, split between 20% who call it a daily struggle and 26% who regularly feel anxious or depressed over money. Only 15% say their mental health hasn’t been affected at all.

Women and low-income households carry the heaviest load. Among women, 21% describe a daily mental health struggle, compared with 17% of men. For households earning under $25,000, the daily-struggle rate climbs to 29%. Adding in regular anxiety, the combined rate for the lowest earners is just over half (51%).

Cost pressure is also pushing people to trade away care. A combined 57% of U.S. consumers have taken at least one cost-driven healthcare action in the past year.

• 28% delayed or avoided a doctor’s visit to save money
• 17% skipped filling a prescription because of the cost
• 17% asked a doctor for a cheaper alternative medication
• 16% chose a lower-cost health insurance plan with worse coverage
• 14% went without health insurance because they could not afford premiums
• 10% rationed or split pills to make a prescription last longer

That behavior lines up with what is happening in local markets. A March 2026 AARP New York survey found older New Yorkers cutting back on prescriptions and medical care to keep up with utility bills. And the Missouri Independent reported that some residents expected to go uninsured in 2026 as enhanced federal subsidies were set to expire. With fixed costs going up, it isn’t surprising that something else has to give. Increasingly, that something may be healthcare.

More Than Half Can’t Get Ahead

Another impact of the financial pressure being felt is a sense of lost momentum. Over half (55%) of U.S. consumers describe their ability to get ahead as either completely impossible or treading water. Another 27% say getting ahead feels completely impossible and they are just trying not to fall further behind, while 28% say they are surviving without making real progress. Only 7% feel they are in a better position than they were two years ago.

The gender gap widens here. Among women, 31% say forward progress feels completely impossible compared to 20% of men. For households earning under $25,000, 62% land in either the “impossible” or “treading water” category, underscoring just how unattainable financial mobility feels to lower-income households.

A month that ends short can feel like a temporary setback. But a string of them, without progress on savings or milestones, can feel like an inescapable situation. For many U.S. consumers, getting a budget back on track may seem like more of a starting point than a solution.

Summary

This data doesn’t tell the story of one particular type of expenses. It reveals what happens when essential costs all increase at once. Groceries, utilities, rent, insurance, and healthcare all take a toll, especially for those who have the least wiggle room in their budget.

Altogether, the survey findings suggest that many U.S. consumers are adjusting their lives around rising essential expenses that can be difficult to avoid. Many households report that making the numbers add up is getting harder and harder.

Find the full survey and responses here.

Methodology

To understand how U.S. consumers are managing the rising cost of everyday living, Credit One Bank surveyed 1,000 adults across the country. Participants answered questions about how rising costs have affected their household budgets, their use of credit, their savings and coping strategies, their major life plans, their housing and healthcare decisions, and their mental and emotional wellbeing. Responses were analyzed by demographic groups, including age, gender, household income, and education, to identify trends and disparities. Generational labels reflect Gen Z (18–29), millennials (30–45), Gen X (46–61), and baby boomers (62+). Survey findings reflect the opinions and experiences of respondents and may not be representative of all U.S. consumers.