3 Terrible Shopping Habits Quietly Costing Young Professionals $5,700 a Year
Young professionals in 2026 face a variety of financial headwinds, but many can get ahead simply by tweaking their spending habits across a few key categories. The result can be thousands of dollars left over every year to invest or save without suffering a diminished lifestyle through spartan budget-cutting.
The tactics omit big-ticket purchases and major costs such as housing. Instead, it focuses on shopping styles and everyday spending in just two major categories, over which the average shopper has enormous discretion and control over the final bill. Young professionals who break these common and costly shopping habits stand to save nearly $5,700 per year — $5,658, to be exact.
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Food Delivery and the Exorbitant Cost of Convenience
The global research data and analytics firm YouGov found that Gen Zers are the most likely by far to rely on food delivery apps to satisfy their cravings. Nearly 4 in 10 report paying for the convenience at least once per week — and the cost of that convenience is high.
Internal data from personal finance software provider SavePoint shows that in-app delivery markups typically range from 69% to 92%, pushing the cost of a $10 in-store meal to $17 to $19.
The average weekly delivery spending is $37, which comes out to $1,924 per year.
Grocery Shopping for Status Instead of Savings
Picking up take-out is more cost-effective than ordering delivery through an app. However, the biggest food-based savings of all are found at the grocery store — and it matters where you shop.
Young professionals might be tempted to follow TikTok trends and spring for prestige buys at bougie, big-budget grocery stores. The smart ones, however, shop at no-frills warehouse clubs — in bulk, when possible.
A 2026 Consumer Reports study of nearly three dozen national supermarket chains found that high-end outlets like Whole Foods can cost nearly 40% more than average for nearly identical products, with Walmart serving as the baseline. At the other end of the spectrum were Costco and BJ’s, which charge more than 20% below average.
GroceriesTracker reports that the average individual U.S. adult between 19 and 50 spends $441 per month on groceries. Going by the Consumer Reports percentages, $441 at Walmart is $616 at Whole Foods and $347 at Costco.
Splurging on Name-Brand Clothing
The most recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows that the average household spends $2,001 per year on apparel and related services. That’s probably a conservative estimate for young professionals, as a separate YouGov study found that Gen Z shops for clothing more frequently than the broader population and is less likely to be concerned with price and value.
But even with $2,000 as the baseline, those who buy name brands are unnecessarily adding four figures to their apparel budgets every year.
According to 2026 reports from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) and MarkNtel Advisors, generic, store-brand, and private-label products — including clothing and accessories — are experiencing enormous surges in popularity as shoppers seek discounts on comparable-quality items. Brand-name markups for nearly identical clothing products typically range from 50% to 75% — $6 to $9 versus $25 to $40 for a three-pack of basic T-shirts, for example. With average savings of 62.5%, that’s $1,250 shaved off the typical annual apparel spending.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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