I’m Following Last Year’s Loud Budgeting Trend to Hit My 2025 Money Goals

Making a New Year’s resolution focused on a money goal can be tough. We’re barely into 2025, and my friends have already invited me to housewarming parties, Galetine’s Day brunch and other trips. I love spending time with family and friends, but I can’t say “yes” to everything. 

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This year, I’m prioritizing putting my money toward a few family trips and home renovations. To stick to my financial goals, I’m implementing a money trend that went viral last year: loud budgeting.

The 2024 loud budgeting trend made it cool to tell your family and friends about your money goals and say no to purchases that didn’t align with your financial plans.

“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. 

You’ve probably seen plenty of savings challenges and budgeting strategies to help make managing your money easier in the New Year. Loud budgeting is the perfect companion to any money plan. Here’s how I’m using loud budgeting to share my goals and stay on track in 2025.

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.”

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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.

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Pushing back on social media’s pressure 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.

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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. 

Too loud? Consider ‘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. 

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