What Are the Middle Class Eliminating to Save Money?

Rising costs are forcing middle-class families to cut back on everyday staples such as cable, dining out, travel, and new cars.

Anne Johnson

Published: 2/17/2026, 10:05:03 AM EST

What Are the Middle Class Eliminating to Save Money? — The secret to slashing your family's food bill is to cook at home. (Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock)

The middle class has been feeling a financial squeeze for the past few years. After a peak of 9.1 percent inflation in 2022, according to the U.S. Inflation Calculator, the middle class has had to cut costs to keep up with bills.

They are eliminating luxuries that were a mainstay for many years. Here are some costs middle-class families are eliminating to save money.

Cable TV Is Going by the Wayside

“Cutting the cord” has been a trend for a while and continues to grow, according to Evoca.tv. More than 80.7 million households in the United States are projected to use non-pay TV services in 2026.

Around 86.7 percent of people who reported cutting the cord did so due to high prices. The average cable bill in 2023 was $43.77, with expanded service subscribers paying $103.37, according to the Texas Select City Ratings.

Dining Out Has Decreased

According to 185 Franchise, nearly 40 percent of Americans are eating out less. Menu prices are up 3.7 percent year over year. Eighty-two percent of diners say they’ve noticed the increase.

Fast food isn’t immune to high prices. For example, according to Stacker, McDonald’s prices rose 100 percent between 2014 and 2024. Other fast-food restaurants have also increased. During the same period, Popeyes’ prices have risen 86 percent, Taco Bell 81 percent, and Jimmy John’s 62 percent.

More families are opting for cooking. This not only saves money but also is healthier.

Smaller Homes Are the Trend

Middle-class Americans are rethinking how much livable space they need and are turning toward smaller houses.

According to Home Stratosphere, in 2015, the median size of a newly built single-family home was 2,467 square feet. But by 2023, that had dropped to approximately 2,179 square feet. The only uptick in size occurred during the pandemic, when people were working and schooling from home. But by March 2022, the typical home under contract was 1,720 square feet.

More than one-third of home builders built smaller homes in 2023, and that trend is continuing.

Economic factors contributed to the downsizing. High home prices and rising mortgage rates impacted buyers’ wallets.

Other factors included demographic and lifestyle shifts. People are living alone or with just one other person. Also, sharing the household with children is at an all-time low.

Middle Class Buying Fewer New Cars

The new-vehicle demand used to be strongest among middle-income households. But the middle class is retreating from the new-car market.

In 2024, households earning less than $75,000 a year accounted for just 26 percent of new-car sales. That was down 37 percent from the previous year. But households earning more than $150,000 accounted for 43 percent of new cars sold.

Although 2025 was a solid year for new-car sales, they weren’t more affordable for everyday buyers. But new-car sales are expected to dip for the first time since 2022. Affordability has hit the wall for middle-income households that used to replace vehicles every few years.

The reason is simple: Vehicle prices are still high, and interest-rate relief has not yet become a reality.

Middle Class Taking Fewer Vacation Trips

In the past, families would take a couple of leisure trips a year. They included both weekend getaways and longer trips. But things have changed.

Vacations have become expensive for the middle class, so instead, people are spending their time catching up on sleep.

Popular getaways now cater to the wealthy while middle-class Americans rethink how they use their time off. Rising costs have been blamed for this trend.

For example, the average price per ticket at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in January 2026 is between $154 and $179 per day, according to Disney. Multiply that by four for a family of four, then add in hotel, food, and transportation. One family could end up spending thousands of dollars on a vacation.

The happiest place on earth may be out of reach for many middle-class families.

Instead of big trips, many families have downsized their summer travels into staycations or short three-day hops.

There has been a rise in “micro-vacations.” These are vacations within a few hours’ drive of the home. They require less planning, time off, and money.

Buying ‘New’ Goods From Retailers

Secondhand shopping has become the norm for middle-class families. According to The Recommerce Report, 93 percent of Americans have bought something secondhand.

Buying secondhand is now mainstream.

Roughly 70 percent of these buyers turn to secondhand when the economy is shaky, while 79 percent do it to save money.

Paying for Multiple Streaming Services

Although streaming services are still popular and have become an alternative to cable. But according to Cable TV, about one in three streaming subscribers canceled a service in the last year.

And although overload, or having too many services, is a culprit, cost is the main reason people are opting out of streaming services; 43 percent of people who canceled streaming services cited cost as the number one reason.

Middle Class Changing Buying Patterns

From buying fewer new cars to eliminating cable. The middle class has been cutting costs to survive the past economic downturn.

Although the 9.1 percent inflation is gone, the jury is still out on whether the trend toward eliminating some of these costs will continue.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. NTD does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. NTD holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.

From The Epoch Times