The new year is a great time to create a budget and set money goals, but figuring out the right strategy can be overwhelming.
Setting money goals that you can stick to isn’t easy. Even I struggle with it, and I’ve been writing about personal finance for years. We’re barely into 2025, and already I’ve been swarmed with invites to housewarming parties, brunches and trips. I love spending time with family and friends, but saying yes to everything would wreck my budget.
That’s why I’m using loud budgeting, a social media trend that went viral last year, to make it easier to say no to expenses that don’t align with my priorities. Loud budgeting encourages you to share your money goals with your family and friends, so that they understand why you might opt out of certain events.
“I still love the loud budgeting trend because it opens us to more communication with family and friends,” said Alaina Fingal, a CNET Money expert and owner of The Organized Money.
As I focus more on paying down my student loan debt and putting extra money toward home renovations, loud budgeting helps me stay on track without feeling guilty. Here’s how.
Read more: Going on a Financial Diet? Try One of These Savings Challenges
What is loud budgeting?
Loud budgeting is a financial strategy that puts your money aspirations front and center for friends and family to see. This money technique involves clearly vocalizing why you might choose not to spend money — even if you have it. This level of accountability can help you stick to a budget without feeling guilty or experiencing FOMO, or the fear of missing out. It can also help anyone struggling to keep up with the lifestyles of influencers they see online.
“It’s not, ‘I don’t have enough,’ it’s, ‘I don’t want to spend,'” said Lukas Battle, an internet personality. “It’s about the everyday person.”
Loud budgeting doesn’t mean you can never spend money, though. Instead, it encourages you to think about the areas of your life where you want to put your money.
For example, if you feel pressure to join in on a trip this summer but you’re saving to buy a home, loud budgeting can help you feel better about passing on the invite so you can finally make your big move this year.
How to push back on the urge to spend
One big reason experts love loud budgeting is because it can help you limit how much your financial decisions are influenced by social media. Lifestyle inflation and keeping up with social trends can be costly. It’s easy to get influenced into buying just about anything today — think the infamous Stanley cup. These impulse buys can lead to guilt and other negative emotions that can put you in an unhealthy mindset when it comes to money, said Fingal.
If you’re prone to impulse spending after browsing Instagram or TikTok, posting about your loud budgeting journey online can keep you accountable. It could also help you find other accounts that are following the loud budgeting trend so you can help cheer each other on.
How to practice loud budgeting in 2025
Loud budgeting shouldn’t prevent you from spending on experiences or products if they’re important to you. But it can help you focus on where your money is going and weed out expenses you’d like to minimize. Here’s how I plan to use this trend to stay accountable:
1. Share my goals
I may not broadcast my savings goals on social media, but I will share them with friends and family as invites and expenses pop up. This can help them understand my mindset for the year and could help us brainstorm more affordable events together.
It could also help a friend or family member who’s struggling with FOMO stay on track. Opening a dialogue about money can help others share their own goals.
2. Focus on future me
The money goals I’m prioritizing — a few planned trips and renovations — will help me enjoy meaningful time with friends and family without blowing my budget. When invites pop up that might derail my goals, reminding myself and others of these priorities can help me stay on track.
For example, I was invited to go on a girls’ trip this month, which would’ve meant paying for a flight, hotel and other outings. But I’d rather save that money for new patio furniture to host friends multiple times this summer. Saying no now lets me focus on saying yes to future opportunities.
3. Make easy compromises
Does following loud budgeting mean I’ll turn down every pop-up invite this year? Of course not! If you like saying yes to spontaneous events, like dinner or drinks with friends, include a savings goal for events like these in your budget. You can also say yes to events without overspending by making small tradeoffs.
For instance, if I’m planning a night out with friends, I may decide not to drink or order an appetizer to keep my bill low. Or I might suggest a more affordable restaurant where we’ll have just as much fun.
Try ‘quiet’ budgeting instead
The biggest downside of sharing your money goals online or with family and friends is that not everyone will agree with them. This can make it even harder to stick to your plan.
“In a world where many people are driven by likability and approval from their peers, you can feel discouraged in your own spending if it doesn’t match other people around you,” said Bernadette Joy, a personal finance coach and CNET Money expert. “But that doesn’t mean you should stop.”
Instead, make sure you’re doing what’s making you happy. That involves aligning your spending with your values, instead of what social media may pressure you to spend on. It also may mean that you set your budgets and goals, but instead of loud budgeting, you do so quietly, Joy said.
