Marketplace · Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Some consumers, like Katrina Lyndon, are prioritizing spending on experiences such as music festivals and travel, using credit cards to finance these purchases while carrying a balance. This trend suggests a shift away from saving for homeownership, deemed out of reach, towards immediate gratification.
“She bought tickets to the music festivals Coachella and Bottle Rock. She went skiing, she went camping. So just putting more towards like the larger experiences.”
“Lyndon used credit cards to pay for that travel. She makes at least the minimum payment on each of her cards every month, though she does carry a balance. But she says, being able to do the things she wants to do is worth it.”
“It's clear that like home ownership is out of reach for me, at least in the time being, so I'm trying to move away from saving for a future that might not even be possible and spending more on immediate experiences.”