10-08-2025
Is it sexy to be financially responsible?
NEW YORK, Aug 8 (Reuters) - This was originally published in the On The Money newsletter, where we share U.S. personal finance tips and insights every other week. Sign up here to receive it for free.
Who knew that it is sexy to be fiscally responsible?
Many Gen Z adults in the United States – those currently in their teens and 20s – are frugal daters these days as they contend with higher living costs, according to a new Bank of America survey.
More than 50% of respondents spent no money at all on dating, according to a poll of more than 900 people between the ages of 18 and 28. Among those who did, 25% of men and 30% of women spent less than $100 a month, the survey showed.
So where is their money going? More than half of the survey respondents said they are shoring up savings, while 24% are paying down debt as a way to improve their finances.
I posted this data on LinkedIn and asked readers to send me cheap-date suggestions. I got some great responses, including 'Make lasagna,' from Heather Boneparth, co-author of the forthcoming book 'Money Together, opens new tab' with her husband Douglas, who is a New York-based financial adviser.
'When Douglas and I were young in the city and earning what felt like negative money, making a lasagna took time and care and the reward was delicious,' she writes. 'It was much cheaper than a fancy night out, and we could have the leftovers for a week.'
Maureen Carrig, a public relations consultant, offers up these summer ideas:
I'd throw free concerts into the mix, too! Grab a picnic blanket, some wine and snacks! Any other suggestions? Write to me at the email address below.
Not my cheese
While I have not written about tariffs in a while, recent news that cheese from Switzerland is destined to get hit by an import tax caught my eye, especially since my sandwich today includes … Swiss cheese! In addition, my most favorite cheese on the planet is called Alp Blossom, opens new tab.
Alas, Switzerland was reeling this week from news of a 39% tariff - the Swiss government thought it had clinched a deal for a lower level of duties.
And here is a fun fact: The United States is a key market for Swiss cheese, buying 11% of Swiss cheese exports like Gruyere and Emmentaler last year, according to Swiss customs data.
You can read more here.
Read, watch, listen
Wary of sticker shock, retailers clash with brands on price hikes
Trump firing of data expert rocks the foundations of economics, opens new tab
You aren't rich until you fly private, opens new tab (WSJ)
McDonald's global sales top estimates as affordable meal options boost demand
Easy to lose, hard to restore: US data trust on the line
Stressed US low-income shoppers hunt for smaller packs, restaurant meals under $5
Pets fall victim to Trump immigration crackdown, opens new tab
Fed's Daly says time is nearing for rate cuts, may need more than two
It's time for that often-dreaded task: Buying back-to-school supplies, opens new tab (NYT)
Wells Fargo downgrades US small-cap equities to 'unfavourable'
Tuition tango
Parents are draining money from retirement savings and home equity to pay for college. Indeed, the average amount taken out in home-equity loans, retirement withdrawals and credit cards to pay for college tuition all jumped in 2025, opens new tab. And total household debt levels are on the upswing, too.
That is alarming for a number of reasons, including the financial sting of withdrawal penalties and high interest rates. A big problem is due to a lack of awareness about my favorite college-savings tool, 529s.
As a journalist who works in the realm of personal finance, it will come as no surprise that I have been saving for college since my son was born. Every month, I stash money in New York's College Savings Program, opens new tab, which also provides a nice state tax break.
Instead of buying molded plastic toys for birthdays and holidays, I opened up 529 savings accounts for all four of my nieces and nephews, putting money into them each quarter.
But now my son is entering his final semester at a private college. (He is graduating early!) We've managed to get this far without taking out a loan. This week I emptied out what was left in his 529 – along with my savings account – to pay fall tuition.
Ouch.
How are you navigating college tuition payments? Write to me at the email address below.
