From Chicago, a familiar New Year refrain is getting sharper focus: Americans want to save more and cut waste in 2026. The message, reported by FOX Business correspondent Kelly Saberi, lands as households weigh higher everyday costs and rethink habits that drained budgets in prior years.
Saberi summarized the top aims as follows.
“Saving more and reducing frivolous spending.”
—Kelly Saberi, reporting from Chicago
The timing matters. Families face tighter budgets after years of price jumps on groceries, rent, and services. Many are now setting clear goals to rebuild savings and trim nonessential purchases. The trend reaches from downtown Chicago to suburbs nationwide.
Why Saving Is Back On Top
Household priorities tend to swing with the economy. After the pandemic, extra savings fell while card balances grew. By 2023 and 2024, the U.S. personal saving rate hovered near the low single digits, according to Federal Reserve data. That left thinner cushions for surprise bills.
Rising borrowing costs added pressure. Bigger interest payments on cards and loans made small spending leaks feel larger. In that setting, saving more is not just a nice idea. It is damage control and a plan for stability.
How People Say They Will Cut
The targets are the usual suspects. Dining out less. Trimming subscriptions. Delaying upgrades to phones and gadgets. Switching to store brands. These small moves are easy to start and quick to measure.
Some households are turning to cash envelopes for daily spending. Others set app alerts when they cross weekly limits. A Chicago renter interviewed off-camera, Saberi noted, set a rule to wait 48 hours before any unplanned purchase. The pause helped reduce impulse buys.
Lessons From Recent Years
Past national surveys have shown consistent themes. Top goals often include paying down debt, building emergency savings, and sticking to a budget. When people pick a simple target and automate it, they tend to follow through longer.
Financial planners caution that progress stalls when goals are vague. “Save more” is hard to track. “Save $100 per paycheck” is concrete. Even a small automatic transfer, repeated over 26 pay cycles, builds momentum.
What Experts Recommend Now
Advisers often start with a short checklist. It prioritizes resilience before growth.
- Build a starter emergency fund, even $500 to $1,000.
- Pay down high-rate debt first, especially credit cards.
- Automate transfers to savings on payday.
- Review subscriptions and annual renewals.
- Set one spending rule you can keep every week.
Workers with access to employer retirement plans can add a percent or two to contributions. Many plans allow automatic annual increases. That helps savings rise without monthly effort.
Chicago As A Snapshot
Chicago offers a useful cross-section. The city has a mix of white-collar jobs, union work, and service roles. Renters, homeowners, and commuters face different cost pressures. Yet the same two goals keep coming up in Saberi’s report: save more, spend less on nonessentials.
Small businesses are seeing the shift, too. Neighborhood restaurants plan more weekday specials. Gyms are offering flexible memberships to keep sign-ups steady. Retail stores are pushing loyalty rewards over one-time discounts. Each move aims to match thriftier customers.
What Could Shift In 2026
Three forces could shape the year. First, wage growth. Bigger paychecks make saving targets easier to hit. Second, interest rates. Lower rates would ease card and loan costs. Third, prices. If inflation cools further, budgets get breathing room.
Even without perfect conditions, habits matter most. A clear plan beats guesswork. Measured progress beats big, short-lived cuts.
Saberi’s takeaway is straightforward and hard to argue with. Americans want firmer footing in 2026. That starts with cash in the bank and fewer swipes for things they do not need. The playbook is not flashy, but it works. Set a number. Automate it. Trim the extras. Then let time do its job.
Watch for updated savings rates, card balance trends, and employer match usage as the year unfolds. They will show whether these resolutions stick or fade. For now, the public mood is clear: keep more, waste less.
