"Loud budgeting" is the new personal finance trend that celebrates spending less

Jan 9 2024, 11:01 pm

You’ve heard of “quiet luxury,” now get ready for a new personal finance trend that is a lot more accessible for the everyday person — “loud budgeting.”

Saving money and cutting costs is a common New Year resolution, but one TikToker is encouraging people to be louder about spending less.

The term “loud budgeting” was coined by Lukas Battle in several TikToks that have amassed over a million views.

He first mentioned the concept in a video highlighting his ins and outs for 2024.

@lukasbattle #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Lukas Battle

“Out? Quiet luxury. In? Loud budgeting,” said Battle. “Sorry, I can’t go out to dinner, I’ve got $7 a day to live on.”

People resonated with the concept so much that the TikToker had to create a whole other video delving into what “loud budgeting” looks like.

“Loud budgeting has the same feeling as sneaking candy into a movie theatre,” he explained.

“You feel like you got away with something, you feel like you’re on an adventure, you feel like you’re coming out of the situation winning.”

He clarified that it doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have enough money, but that you’re making a conscious decision say no to frivolous spending.

“If your friend texts you ‘I want to hang out,’ you say ‘I don’t want to spend gas money on coming to you to hear you talk about your ex for three hours,'” he said as an example.

@lukasbattle Replying to @operelly ♬ original sound – Lukas Battle

People flooded the comments with their own examples of “loud budgeting.”

“Loud budgeting is buying the travel size conditioner,” commented one person.

“Me box dying my hair, doing my own nails and wearing $20 dresses… not cuz im broke 💅🏼 Cuz I why would I spend my money? 😂” added another.

“Loud budgeting… me at old navy when someone rang up a shirt $3 more than marked. Employee was annoyed. I was like… I’ve saved $50 the last month for incorrect mark ups,” wrote a commenter.

Okay, you don’t have to be as blunt as that, but you get his point. It’s about being unashamed and voicing your boundaries about your personal finances.

In addition to that, Battle says he wants the trend to “send a message to corporations” about inflation and the cost of living crisis plaguing the US and Canada.

“Let’s take a stand!” he said.

The TikToker also aims to challenge “quiet luxury” and how it puts celebrities on a pedestal.

For those who missed the trend, it’s a concept usually used in fashion. Glamour describes it as “certain privileged folk (read: super rich people) are adopters of a subtle dress code that exudes luxury without the obvious markers, such as excessive logos, big name brands and the trending shapes and styles that everyone else is wearing.”

“Celebrities are entertainers, they’re here to entertain us — they’re clowns, really,” he said.

“Think about it, medieval peasants didn’t ask the jester with a bum knee for a photo after their court room fart”

What do you think about “loud budgeting” and how might you implement it into your day-to-day life? Let us know in the comments.

Isabelle DoctoIsabelle Docto

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