Three Generations Face the Same Bills and Make Different Moves

Picture three Americans staring at the same electric bill.

The retiree sighs, turns down the thermostat and makes a mental note to skip dinner out next week. The 28-year-old opens three apps on her phone —one to split the payment into installments, one to pick up a freelance shift and another to transfer spare cash into her savings account, just in case. The 45-year-old toggles between a daycare invoice and a parent’s medical bill, wondering which can wait a week. Same economy, same stubborn prices, different reflexes.

Financial stress in 2026 isn’t just about how much things cost. It’s also about how far ahead the person has to think. For some young adults, that horizon looks impossibly long. Data from PYMNTS Intelligence’s latest Generational Pulse report shows how different generations deploy different strategies to dealing with their pocketbook stress.

In general, Generation Zers are reacting; boomers are retrenching. More than one in five Gen Zers have taken four or more actions to cope with cost challenges. Only 8% of baby boomers are doing the same. That difference could have a lot to do with how people are thinking about the future.

“The young have a longer time horizon in front of them compared to the old. The longer the time horizon, the more abstract your thinking is: What are the different things that can happen to me?” Subimal Chatterjee, Ph.D., a professor of marketing at Binghamton University’s School of Management, told PYMNTS. “Abstract thinkers feel the stress more acutely than concrete thinkers.”

It’s the difference between worrying about next month’s utility bill and thinking about the next 40 years. Chatterjee added that there’s more uncertainty for younger people, predicting that managing pocketbooks on a daily basis “brings more stress” than the more concrete financial planning that older Americans are doing.

It’s worth noting that, even as consumers try to manage their finances, they’re actually paying more.

Bureau of Economic Analysis data shows that in November (the latest month on record), consumer spending rose 0.5% from the month before. That doesn’t mean shoppers are treating themselves to take-out sushi and Labubus: Retail spending has been flat. So that increase is probably coming from must-have expenses like housing and utilities.

Census Bureau data shows that renters are, on average, paying more each month. Income increased 0.1%. But that little smidgen of growth doesn’t automatically make people feel better about their finances, especially considering that in the same time period, savings fell by more than 5%, to just under $800 billion. Americans may want to save more, but the economy has other ideas.

Zoomers Versus Boomers

While Americans overall are saving less, Gen Z, also called Zoomers, is bucking the trend. Four in 10 of the individuals, the oldest now aged roughly 29, say they’ve addressed their money challenges by upping their savings. And they’re willing to make sacrifices to do it. Basically, people are chasing the American Dream from their childhood bedrooms.

“Around 40% of Gen Z adults are cutting housing expenses by living with their parents,” Ashley Weeks, a wealth strategist at TD U.S. Wealth, told PYMNTS, noting that they’re also “engaging in multiple income-producing endeavors.”

PYMNTS Intelligence’s data shows that Zoomers are three times as likely as baby boomers to say they’ve taken on more work to cope with cost-of-living challenges. They’re also leaning on their support systems to get through tough times, being nearly five times as likely to say they’ve borrowed money from family or friends.

They’re not just trying to funnel money into their bank accounts; they’re also trying to control how and when it leaves. One in four Gen Zers has tapped installment plans like buy now, pay later to deal with cost challenges. For them, that’s not about indulgence; it’s about managing cash flow.

What Zoomers aren’t doing as much of is cutting back. While three in four baby boomers and seniors say they’ve reined in their everyday spending, only 60% of Gen Zers have done the same. Similarly, 60% of baby boomers and seniors have held off on making major purchases or investments, but only 44% of Zoomers said the same.

“Baby boomers are soundly in the middle of their retirement years, and their biggest concerns seem to be preserving spending power while also fending off market volatility,” Weeks said. “Inflation is a major pain point for retirees, and we have seen older individuals curtail discretionary spending in the wake of higher costs.”

Protect this House

If Gen Z is bracing for impact, boomers are protecting what they’ve built.

Bridge Over Troubled Millennials

Bridge millennials—the cusp generation that includes older millennials and younger Gen Xers—have it particularly hard right now. They’re squeezed from both ends, and they know it. They’re the most likely of all generations to say they’re struggling to keep up with their daily living expenses (56%) and to save or plan for the future (51%).

They’re using even more coping strategies than Zoomers. For instance, they might be skipping their Starbucks latte and making coffee at home: Seven in 10 have cut back on everyday spending. They might be trying to get a couple more years out of their run-down car instead of going to the dealership: More than half (52%) have held off on major purchases or investments. Though they don’t have the energy of a 20-year-old, they’re still taking on more jobs, with 37% doing additional work.

“Millennials are in a structurally expensive phase of life. They’re managing childcare, insurance, commuting, rent or mortgage goals, often while still carrying student loans and trying to rebuild savings,” Carolina Paradas, a consumer finance expert and U.S. general manager of rewards platform ShopBack, said in an interview with PYMNTS.

Gen Xers, meanwhile, are often dealing with childcare and elder care simultaneously while trying to save for a non-work future that looms near or has already arrived.

“The financial stress isn’t just monthly,” Paradas said. “It’s multi-directional, spanning caregiving, healthcare and long-term security all at once.”

In other words, it’s not one bill. It’s all the bills. And increasingly, all the strategies consumers are marshaling to keep the pocketbook afloat.

At PYMNTS Intelligence, we work with businesses to uncover insights that fuel intelligent, data-driven discussions on changing customer expectations, a more connected economy and the strategic shifts necessary to achieve outcomes. With rigorous research methodologies and unwavering commitment to objective quality, we offer trusted data to grow your business. As our partner, you’ll have access to our diverse team of PhDs, researchers, data analysts, number crunchers, subject matter veterans and editorial experts.