What Is Revenge Saving?
Gone are the days when a dollar could actually buy you a candy bar and you didn’t need a financial advisor to afford avocado toast. Today’s landscape feels more like a funhouse mirror — prices stretch higher, wages stretch thinner and “affordable housing” has become an oxymoron. Revenge saving is a way to take back control.
Revenge saving is the financial equivalent of building a bunker, except instead of hiding from brain-eating zombies, you’re protecting yourself from economic uncertainty that seems determined to stick around like that one friend who you have to kick out when the party’s over. It’s a direct reaction to periods of overspending, financial anxiety or instability.
From Spending to Saving
Remember revenge spending? That post-pandemic spree where everyone splurged on travel, dinners and anything that got them far, far away from their couch? Sure, it was hella fun in the moment, like eating an entire cake for absolutely no reason. But then inflation and reality arrived, along with the inevitable stomachache.
Now the vibe has flipped from spending to saving. Instead of chasing the Joneses (who are probably drowning in credit card debt), people are embracing simplicity. Revenge saving is less about impressing others and more about soundly sleeping at night knowing you’ve got a comfy cushion to fall back on.
Getting Started
Ask yourself how much would make you feel secure, not impressive. Start with whatever you’ve got, even if it’s just loose change from the couch cushions (the couch is your ally again now). Every dollar saved is a tiny middle finger to the current economic circus
we’re all stuck buying tickets to.
Next, build up your emergency fund. Typically, we're told to aim for three to six months of expenses, but in today’s climate, it wouldn’t hurt to aim a wee bit higher. That stash becomes your safety net for car repairs, vet bills, sudden job shakeups or when your fridge decides to cosplay as a sauna.
Once you’ve got your base, it's time to invest. Skip the risky crypto bandwagons and go straight for boring, reliable growth, like index funds. Compound interest is the kind of slow burn that builds real wealth while you’re busy rewatching "Captain America: Civil War" for the 64th time (hello, biceps).
Peace Over Panic
Instead of chasing happiness in a cart full of stuff that’ll end up in the donation pile six months from now, revenge saving finds satisfaction in having enough. It’s about valuing peace over panic and stability over shiny distractions.
Social media will try to convince you everyone else is living their best life, while you’re counting pennies and attempting a new recipe at home instead of dining out. But you’re smart enough not to fall for that BS. You know that behind every perfect vacation post is a credit card statement that could make a grown adult cry.
The ultimate revenge is security no one can repossess. It’s knowing you can handle the unexpected without spiraling. While others stress about bills, you’ll be free to stress about life's real mysteries, like
why your phone battery dies at 20 percent or why sitcoms stopped being funny after the ’90s.