Household budgeting and everyday consumer money news
Credit Card Debt Hits New Highs in 2026
Average American credit card balances are rising in 2026, squeezing household budgets.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Private Credit Bets Big on BNPL Loans
Wall Street is backing buy-now-pay-later lenders as household debt stress worsens
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Budgeting Apps That Help Break Paycheck-to-Paycheck
USA Today reviewed dozens of budgeting apps. Here are the top picks for tight cash flow.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Student Loan IDR Apps Are Breaking As Changes Loom
Borrowers report 404 errors and miscalculations as the biggest student loan overhaul nears
BudgetBadger Editorial•
BNPL Use Has Doubled: What It Costs Families
BNPL use has more than doubled in five years. Here's what you need to know.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Food Prices Stay High After Iran War
A ceasefire did not bring grocery relief. Here is why food inflation is sticking around.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Auto Pay Gets a 1% Student Loan Rate Cut
Starting July 1, auto pay enrollment cuts federal student loan rates by a full 1 point.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
May CPI Rises to 4.2%, a Three-Year High
Headline inflation jumped on energy costs while core CPI held at 2.9% year-over-year.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
ChatGPT Bank Links Spark Privacy Concerns
OpenAI's new finance tools connect to 12,000+ institutions, but experts warn of oversharing risks.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
The Dos and Don'ts of AI Money Management
Experts outline where AI helps household budgets and where it can go wrong.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
BofA Launches Pay-Over-Time Credit Card Plans
Bank of America's Custom Pay Plan lets cardholders split purchases into 3-18 month installments.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
SAVE Student Loan Plan Ends: 7M Borrowers Must Act
Starting July 1, SAVE borrowers have 90 days to pick a new plan or face higher payments.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Rent Now, Pay Later Loans Target Squeezed Renters
New fintech products let renters split monthly payments, but risks to household budgets are real.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Degrees That Pay Off Student Loans Fastest
Investopedia ranks majors by early-career salary vs. debt to show which degrees pay off fastest.
BudgetBadger Editorial•
Fed Warns of Middle-Income Credit Card Stress
The Fed's Beige Book signals rising credit card use and financial strain among middle-income households
BudgetBadger Editorial•Want to see what BudgetBadger can do? Get started free — no credit card required.