Gen Z spending habits: Fearing about the recession, we switched to fast food trading, dumpster diving and CHATGPT in our Gen Z without breaking the bank

The end of the Z generation’s “doomsday expenditure”
As the recession approaches, Gen Z is getting rid of spontaneous purchases and looking for innovative means to save. Those young people with “doom” have ended up among short-lived comforts such as instant pleasures like pets, fashion and holidays, because they have never adopted thrift as they used to.
Generation Z turns to chatgpt for treatment to save money
Shockingly, one of the ongoing financial exchange rate shifts in Generation Z is to bypass expensive treatment courses, resorting to AI-generated, without cost chatbots like Chatgpt, like Fortune.
For example, according to the Wall Street Journal, 25-year-old digital marketing expert Aeyrn Briscoe replaced her human therapist with Chatgpt.
Briscoe told the Wall Street Journal, “Treatment is expensive. No one has $200 to talk to someone.”
The emergence of “No Purchase List” that reduces spending
On social media platforms like Tiktok, young people are sharing their “no buy list”, a creative way to work hard to reduce unnecessary spending. According to Fortune, Clothing, Beauty Therapy, Salon Visits and Home Decor is no longer on the shopping list. “There’s a lot of economic uncertainty right now,” said one of her usernames @whatshesaves in a video, adding that she’s worth $9,000 in debt. The user even mentioned: “In fact, I’m trying to do this journey to eliminate my life and live more intentionally than just shopping,’’
Extreme measures to cut spending
Her Tiktok videos got sick, with 2.6 million views and 14,500 comments, and many other users commented on their thrift hacks, such as the Burger King investigation rewards, eating kids’ meals as adults, and the necessities for trash bin diving.
Generation Z’s Challenge in the Workforce
According to the report, Generation Z is the most vulnerable in the workforce, with the lowest wages and an increase in student loan burden. With the unstable job market with little savings, many young people will do their best to prevent a recessional life.
According to a 2025 bank report, nearly 47% of Gen Z have no contingency funds, while 27% have debts that outweigh their savings. A recent report by Glassdoor found that only 43% of people are positive about the prospects of employers’ business in the next six months. According to Fortune, this is the lowest number and weakest confidence in data collection since its start in 2016.
“Enterprise workers have less job security because they see these economic headwinds on the horizon, and one can understand that they may be the first to lose their jobs in the recession, or jobs that will be forgotten when trying to find a new job,” said Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor.
FAQ
Why did Generation Z change its spending habits?
Gen Z is getting rid of unnecessary spending and finding ways to save based on wealth due to concerns about recession and debt increases debt.
How does Gen Z share their money-saving tips?
Through Tiktok and other platforms, Gen Z will share frugal hacks, such as rewarding at Burger King or eating kids’ meals to save money.