One way to pay more attention to your spending habits is to simply buckle down and do it. But sometimes will power isn’t enough. When it comes to changing a behavior, often an outside force is key to sustaining motivation.
A recent NerdWallet survey conducted online by The Harris Poll examines five common reasons causing Americans to pay closer attention to their finances right now.
Ramped-up attention is only the first half of the story. Thinking more about your money without taking concrete steps, even small ones, can only lead to increased anxiety. Pairing action with that attention is what really makes a difference.
1. Rising prices
More than four in five of Americans (83%) say rising prices and the cost of living has contributed to them tracking spending more closely in 2026, according to the NerdWallet study.
Those numbers may well rise in the weeks ahead. After the survey was conducted, in early May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that consumer inflation rose 3.8% year-over-year in April and 4.2% in May. That’s the highest it’s been since the tapering of the COVID-era inflation spike, in May 2023.
If you relate, here’s where to start: You’re not the first person to tackle this problem, so don’t try to re-invent a solution. Optimizing your grocery list, tracking down deals and reducing waste are just a few effective money-saving strategies you can implement. Start with one or two you can easily fit into your lifestyle.
2. Overspending
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%) say that realizing they were spending more than they thought they were, in general, has contributed to them tracking spending more closely in 2026.
If you relate, here’s where to start: If you aren’t already, start by tracking your spending for a single month. That means recording expenses manually or using an expense tracking app. The goal: Find a tracking method you can stick with. If one approach isn’t clicking, try a new one the following month. Tracking expenses helps you spot recurring purchases, like subscriptions, that you can curtail. If you already track spending but still overspend, schedule more frequent check-ins to review your past spending and plan for upcoming expenses.
3. Specific goals
Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say having a specific goal has contributed to them tracking spending more closely in 2026.
Unlike the first two entries on this list, which are reactions to challenging financial situations, creating a specific goal is proactive, in anticipation of future circumstances. Many money goals may even have a positive connotation — saving for a vacation, for example.
If you relate, here’s where to start: Knowing what you want to buy isn’t a goal — it’s a wish. To make it a goal, you’ll need a dollars-and-cents target along with a plan to reach it. Doing that isn’t a formality: It’s a very real money hack that raises the odds you’ll reach your goal. A recent NerdWallet study showed that employed Americans who have a savings goal are more likely to regularly save a portion of their income than those who don’t — 75% compared with 62%, respectively.
4. Life changes
More than two in five Americans (43%) say a major life change (e.g., buying a house, new job, starting a family) has contributed to them tracking spending more closely in 2026.
Like setting specific goals described above, life changes are another forward-looking reason to pay more attention to spending. Unlike specific goals, life changes are often described in terms of an ongoing financial reality, not a onetime expense: a house to maintain, a child to raise, a new salary to budget.
If you relate, here’s where to start: Some changes are so big that you can’t shoehorn the effects into your existing financial routine. Use these major life opportunities to review your entire financial plan.
5. Job insecurity
More than two in five Americans say concern about job loss (42%) has contributed to them tracking spending more closely in 2026.
If you relate, here’s where to start: In June, NerdWallet’s Financial Resilience Index captured this concern from another angle: Only 63% of Americans said they had enough cash on hand to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense this month. Losing a job immediately crimps cash flow, and not having a cash cushion causes problems to quickly compound. That’s why starting an emergency fund is often the first priority in a financial plan. Ideally, you’ll build savings equal to three to six months of expenses. That amount can be intimidating if you’re starting from zero, but having even a few hundred dollars available for emergencies can be clutch.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of NerdWallet from May 5-7, 2026 among 2,072 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.7 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].
