Roughly 37 million people in the United States, or about 11.1 percent of the population, were living in poverty as of early 2025, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to JP Morgan, the chances of a recession in the U.S. jumped from 40 percent to 60 percent this year, and as concerns about the economy continue to rise and a growing number of Americans turn to short-term loans to cover essential expenses, a trend has emerged on TikTok where creators aim to provide a solution to financial stresses: budget meals.
The content consists of series like “a week of dinners for under $60,” “$50 grocery haul” or “30 days of family dinners on a budget,” all of which show people from various walks of life trying to budget and navigate economic stress through lower-cost meals.
Newsweek spoke to experts on the economy and TikTok creators to find out more about the trend and what it reflects about the current state of the American economy.
What Are Budget Meals And Why Are They Popular?
Budget meal recipes are recipes that are cheap to create, with the content often including exact prices, either the price for a meal itself, the price of a trip to the store or the cost of creating a week of dinners. There is often a strong focus on feeding families in the content, with videos showing parents creating affordable meals for their families.
And people are increasingly interested in this content; according to TikTok, the hashtag #budgemeals saw 64.3K posts, a 20 percent jump from March 16 through April 15. The videos themselves can garner hundreds of thousands of views and likes, as people increasingly look to social media for inspiration in creating affordable meals.
“Budget friendly meals were key to helping us to spend less and save more,” TikTok creator Caz Mooney, who has amassed more than 70,000 followers on the platform, told Newsweek. “Money was tight, and I had to learn how to make sauces from scratch, or make our own version of a takeaway [takeout] favorite.”
Mooney said that she started sharing “budget friendly meals” as a way “to inspire people who are in the situation that we were in.” She added that the response to her budget meals has been “phenomenal.”
@irishbudgeting Saving time & money, for the week ahead! The next few days are busy in our house, so to make life a little easier, and to help us save money we are going to prep ahead! Just a couple of meals, some extra veg and snacks will make life so much easier, future me will be delighted! I made: – Roasted courgettes & broccoli – Roasted carrots & parsnips – Flapjacks (recipe on my page) – bolognaise sauce for spag bol – Beef hotpot with the other half of the sauce – Cashew nut butter #mealprep #batchcooking #savingmoney #timesaving #budgeting ♬ original sound – Caz Mooney
“People reach out daily from all over the world,” she said. “I get messages from people saying that they first started creating the meals as they like me were financially struggling, but that they have since became more confident in the kitchen, and make all of their sauces from scratch, and their family is as a result is eating healthier. I get messages from all ages, careers and situations, everyone from students to doctors.
“Food is an essential expense in every home, that cost is rising, and we are all feeling the pinch. One of the ways we can negotiate that expense is to look online at budget friendly meals.
“Making budget meals and switching the way you shop can often lead to people drastically reducing the cost of their food shop. With these benefits, combined with increased cost of living, I am not surprised to see a rise in budget meal ideas being shared online.”
Michael Della Penna, the chief strategy officer at InMarket echoed this: “It’s no surprise that #BudgetMeals are now trending on TikTok,” he told Newsweek by email. “Consumers are navigating a triple threat of economic challenges, between soaring inflation, rising unemployment and persistent tariff uncertainty.”
As for the success of the creators making content about this? Relatability plays an important role in their success, according to Penna.
“TikTok trends gain popularity and grow viral in large part due to the relatability of the content and the creator,” he said. “As many TikToks of a similar nature layer upon one another to fuel global trends, consumers and brands alike can definitely use moments like this as an informal indicator of economic sentiment.”
What Are The Economic Implications Of The Trend?
So, what does the trend reflect about the current state of the economy and people’s concerns about it?
Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate, told Newsweek: “Consumer sentiment, as measured by organizations such as the University of Michigan and the Conference Board, has been downbeat for several years [it hasn’t recovered from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as those worries quickly pivoted to concerns about higher prices]. The cumulative effects of inflation have been significant. For example, food prices rose 24 percent from 2020 to 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index.
“Grocery prices have only risen 2.4 percent over the past 12 months, which isn’t that bad, but the cumulative toll is what people are feeling. Many have dipped into savings and taken on debt. Across our lives, we’re paying more for things, and we have been for a while, so a lot of consumers are feeling pretty tapped out.”
Penna told Newsweek that the recent InMarket data found that “consumers are making significant changes in their grocery shopping habits—shifting to private-label items, buying at a discount, and even changing where they shop to dollar and club stores.
“With costs climbing across the board from travel to entertainment, consumers are under more pressure than ever to make every dollar count—and mealtime is one of the most common places that individuals are locking in to save money.”
Andy Smith, executive director of financial planning at Edelman Financial Engines, told Newsweek: “This shift in consumer habits reflects a desire to regain a sense of financial control in today’s rapidly evolving economic environment, and that’s what we’re seeing in the content creation.”
However, he noted: “Social media thrives on immediacy and emotion, not long-term strategy. Trend cycles are fleeting, while investment cycles span years. Making financial decisions out of anxiety from the influx of ‘budget-friendly’ social media trends can lead to overcorrections that set you back in the long-term. Instead, try to tune out the noise, and stay grounded in your long-term financial plan which is designed to weather financial uncertainty.”
What Happens Next
“No one can predict exactly how the future might unfold,” Smith said, adding that “proactive planning can help mitigate risk and strengthen overall financial stability.”
Penna said: “As we approach the summer, a time when travel typically increases and individuals tend to be more frivolous with their spending, we’re seeing consumers remain a bit more conservative this year due to the economic climate.
“A cost-savings trend like #BudgetMeals further emphasizes that uncertainty is impacting not just discretionary spending like travel, but it’s continuing to impact buying habits on essentials.”
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