3 Common Money Regrets Americans Faced Last Year and How To Avoid Them in 2026

Last year, did you splurge on a pair of shoes you couldn’t afford or fail to open an IRA even though you told yourself you would? If so, you’re not alone.

A Credit Karma survey of more than 1,000 Americans found that the top financial regrets for 2025 were not saving enough money (38%), making impulse purchases (28%), not saving for retirement (14%), and overspending due to pressure from a romantic partner or friends (14%).

As you draft your financial plans for 2026, here’s what you can do to avoid some of these common money regrets.

Avoiding Impulse Purchases Based On Emotion

Many of us have found ourselves shopping out of boredom or stress—buying new clothes or other things we don’t need to cope with a tough day or stave off monotony. While it might work temporarily, it can do real damage to your finances if you’re not careful.

Kelly Reddy-Heffner, a certified financial therapist and owner of Steel City Wealth Collaborative, suggests that people put some “friction” in the shopping process to make it harder to buy things.

This could mean not saving your payment info online or limiting yourself to in-person purchases only.

Reddy-Heffner also recommends building a go-to list of free mood boosters to reach for before resorting to your credit card.

“What’s an alternative to get that feeling of a dopamine rush?” Reddy-Heffner said.

Tackling Overspending Due to Social Pressures

Maintaining friendships and relationships can involve spending a lot of money, whether it’s going on a cabin trip with your college buddies or having a date night with your partner.

But you don’t have to torch your budget to maintain a social life.

If you find yourself in a social situation where you’ll need to spend money you don’t have, Reddy-Heffner suggests that you come up with an alternative and be honest about how much you can spend.

“If it’s someone [you know] casually, you could be succinct, ‘Hey, I’m not available to do that, but I could do this on whatever date’,” Reddy-Heffner said. “As the relationship becomes more substantial, hopefully, it becomes more comfortable to have those conversations.”

With a romantic partner, she emphasized the importance of being fully transparent.

“It is an act of bravery to have these conversations, but the more you have them, it helps cut down on friction in the long term,” Reddy-Heffner said.

Kick-Start Your Retirement Saving

If you didn’t save for retirement last year, it’s not too late to start. If you have access to a 401(k), check to see if your employer offers a match and try to contribute enough to receive the match, as it’s essentially free money.

“Some companies offer dollar-for-dollar matching. Some companies offer 50 cents on the dollar matching,” said Byrke Sestok, a certified financial planner and partner at MONECO Advisors.

If you got a pay raise in the new year, Sestok suggests allocating part of it straight to your 401(k). If you don’t have a workplace retirement plan, you can put the extra in an individual retirement account.

“If you get a 3% raise, increase your 401(k) contributions by 1% and enjoy the other 2%,” Sestok said. “That way, you’re making a positive step each year.”