How to navigate social media trends without derailing your budget

By ADRIANA MORGA NEW YORK AP Did you buy a new pink dress to watch the Barbie movie only to never wear it again An Oura ring because your favorite TikTok influencer had it A new pair of baggy jeans because s fashion is making a comeback Related Articles The pros and cons of job hugging Trump finds new pact targets pharmaceuticals kitchen cabinets and heavy trucks FAA allows Boeing to help certify Max and planes are safe to fly Ticker Trump moves toward deal to give US an equity stake in company progressing Nevada lithium mine vacations inspire finance pros to become excursion agents Niche trends fueled by social media can influence your shopping decisions Participating often brings selected happiness and a sense of locality but the predicament comes when you do it so often that you re not using your money to achieve your financial goals or worse you get into debt revealed Erika Rasure chief financial wellness advisor for Beyond Finance a financial services company Whether it s coastal grandma or clean girl aesthetic microtrends can take a key toll on already-strained budgets as prices rise and Gen Z struggles to pay off debt If you find yourself overspending to participate in microtrends here are particular expert recommendations Pause before purchasing Before you click buy on TikTok Shop it s best if you take specific time to reflect noted Jennifer Seitz head of instruction for Greenlight a financial literacy app for families Pausing before a purchase can help you discern if the item is something you really want or a fleeting craving Think if you want to put it in a schedule pause whether it s hours or even a couple of days if it s a larger expense Seitz revealed Participating in personal challenges can be a good way to get in the habit of making purchases more deliberate Back in Alyssa Barber participated in the no-buy year challenge where she pledged to stop buying non-essential items for a year Barber shares sustainable practices with over followers on TikTok where one of her recurrent themes is how to stop impulse buying Barber reported the challenge gave her perspective on how much she was spending on things she didn t need Since then she has changed her spending habits focusing mainly on experiences Know your spending values Taking a value-based spending approach can help you decide if you should participate in a trend you see online Rasure reported If for example you want to build an emergency fund having this goal in mind while shopping can help avoid unnecessary spending Quynh Van a -year-old UX designer from Minneapolis was surprised by the number of ads on TikTok when she created an account after a four-year break from social media And while being influenced by the ads is inevitable she believes overspending comes in part from users not having defined goals When you don t know who you are or what you like you re so driven by over-consumerism and lifestyle creep because you don t have your values in order Van commented Rasure recommends using your financial values as a guiding principle for your spending decisions If you re not sure of your values allocate certain time to map them out according to your life goals Create obstacles to spending If a purchase is one click away it can make it easier to spend large amounts of money If you consciously make it a little harder to pay for an item you can spend more mindfully Seitz reported Just that action of needing to input your payment information rather than just that simple click can help you give to really stop and think about purchases before moving ahead with them she added To add obstacles you can remove your credit card details from your computer browser or social media and disable Apple Pay on your phone Think of it as an act of self-care Finances are closely tied to emotions and often they evoke negative feelings such as shame or guilt However reframing them as an act of self-care can help you spend mindfully Rasure revealed It can help you create boundaries around what you value spending money on helps you choose intentionally and it feels more like freedom instead of restriction she commented Your spending habits in the present can help your future financial situation This mindset can inspire you when you re tempted to overspend on the newest trending electronic or fashion item Engage with trends with moderation It can be OK to engage with trends if they bring you positive feelings Rasure explained Van decided to participate in the matcha trend but with moderation For Barber physical media such as old records DVDs and cassettes is on her list of non-negotiable expenses as she loves collecting these items Trends and engaging them engaging in them really should spark that happiness or contentment not the debt that can go with them Rasure declared The Associated Press receives sponsorship from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co Inc The AP is solely responsible for its journalism