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Simone Biles might be the most decorated gymnast of all time, but even those gold medals didn’t prepare her for the bill she received for one night on the town.
Her recent TikTok (1) went viral after revealing her tab for hair, makeup and styling at a recent red carpet event. The grand total: $22,000.
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“If that’s the new norm, y’all can have it,” she said. “Y’all will never see me at another event.”
Biles said she understood “prices these days have gone up,” but asked other influencers and athletes for their input in the comments. “I just need to know if this is normal,” she said.
Her candid reaction cut through because it touched on something many high earners quietly wrestle with: the creeping sense that their “new normal” has become very, very expensive.
This is lifestyle creep in action, and it can be hard for people to talk about without feeling guilty.
Lifestyle creep, also called lifestyle inflation, is what happens when your spending rises alongside your income — often without a conscious decision to spend more (2).
A promotion leads to a nicer apartment, a bonus funds a new car or maybe the cash from that side hustle disappears into a new streaming service and more dining out.
The numbers back up this phenomenon: In 2024, 32% of adults said their family’s monthly income increased from the prior year, while a higher percentage (37%) said their spending increased over the same period (3), according to a Federal Reserve survey.
This was the third consecutive year that spending outpaced income growth.
The savings rates tell a similar story. In March 2026, Americans had an average personal savings rate of 3.6% of their disposable income, compared to 5.1% in March 2025 (4).
And here’s the counterintuitive part: Higher earners aren’t immune to this trend. Nearly 1 in 3 individuals earning six figures say they’re “stretched, struggling, or drowning financially” (5) — a sign that higher income doesn’t guarantee insulation from rising prices.
Simone Biles is worth an estimated $25 million (6), and yet, she still felt the sting of an unexpectedly large bill.
That’s the thing about lifestyle creep — your sense of “normal” spending expands with your income. Even if you have the assets of a celebrated world-class athlete, it’s worth asking whether what you’re spending makes sense.
One way to track your spending is simply to use an app that can give you real-time data on your budget.
For instance, an app like Monarch Money makes managing your finances easier than ever by putting your money under one roof, from your banking statements to your investments. You can also add separate or joint accounts to your dashboard, which can be great for tracking grocery runs for couples or helping your child get used to big-picture financial planning as parents.
If you’re wondering what others are saying about it, the app is very well reviewed. Forbes ranked Monarch Money as their best budgeting app for 2025, as did The Wall Street Journal.
And the best part? Monarch Money offers a seven-day free trial so you can see if it’s right for you. If you like what you see, you could then snag 50% off your first year with code WISE50.
Fans of the TV series Arrested Development likely remember Jessica Walter’s iconic line: “It’s one banana, Michael, how much could it cost? 10 dollars?”
While humorous, it highlights exactly how lifestyle creep gets the better of us. There’s nothing wrong with small rewards as your income increases, but it’s important to be intentional about where your money goes.
Biles, for her part, ended her TikTok by saying she’d keep herself “right here [at home] where it’s free (1).” Staying at home is probably not a realistic long-term plan for her — or for most of us. But the instinct is worth paying attention to: It’s important to occasionally stop and look at where your money is going.
Here are some ways to keep lifestyle creep in check.
Caring about where your money goes also includes which bank account it goes to. If you want a place where your unspent cash can make real money for you, consider opening an account with Wealthfront.
A high-yield account like a Wealthfront Cash Account can be a great place to grow your uninvested cash, offering both competitive interest rates and easy access to your money when you need it.
A Wealthfront Cash Account currently offers a base APY of 3.30% through program banks, and new clients can get an extra 0.75% boost during their first three months on up to $150,000 for a total variable APY of 4.05%.
That’s ten times the national deposit savings rate, according to the FDIC’s March report.
Additionally, Wealthfront is offering new clients who enable direct deposit ($1,000/mo minimum) to their Cash Account and open and fund a new investment account an additional 0.25% APY increase with no expiration date or balance limit, meaning your APY could be as high as 4.30%.
With no minimum balances or account fees, as well as 24/7 withdrawals and free domestic wire transfers, your funds remain accessible at all times. Plus, you get access to up to $8M FDIC Insurance eligibility through program banks.
When your income goes up, decide in advance how much you’ll save and how much you’ll spend — say, 50% toward lifestyle and 50% to savings.
It’s not just the one-time splurges that get you into trouble — it’s the ongoing costs like subscription food services, car payments or monthly rent that contribute the most to lifestyle creep.
And sometimes you forget they are even there: According to CNET’s 2025 survey of subscription use in the U.S., the average American spends over $1,000 per year on subscriptions — $200 of which is spent on ones they aren’t even using (7).
In addition to forgotten subscriptions, you could also look for hidden fixed costs, since they aren’t all obvious at first. For example, if you buy a nicer car outright, you won’t have a car payment, but you may find your insurance goes up. In other cases, moving to a nicer neighborhood might come with additional parking fees or higher property taxes. Those can add up over time.
However, there are ways to bring down these fixed costs — by investing a little time into shopping around for a better deal. Although apps like Monarch Money can help identify these areas, there’s also the legwork of hunting down better savings.
Using a comparison platform like Insurify, you can instantly view quotes from top-rated providers to ensure you aren’t paying a hidden “loyalty tax” to your current insurer.
Just answer a few basic questions, and Insurify will show you the most affordable deals in as little as 3 minutes.
Not only is the process 100% free, but you could also save up to 15% by bundling your car and home insurance.
Bonuses, inheritances, tax refunds and other one-time payments won’t last forever. Try planning to save most of those windfalls, so you don’t end up with fixed costs you can’t actually afford.
If you think lifestyle creep is already impacting your financial life, you could compare a few months of bank and credit card statements from this year to statements from before your income rose.
Keep in mind that while it's okay to spend more on things that matter to you, there’s always a chance you’re still wasting funds on things that aren’t important.
In other words, it’s a good idea to make sure that if you’re paying more, it’s in areas that feel valuable.
The best budget isn’t the one that’s the most ruthlessly practical — sometimes it’s the one that gives you the most bang for your buck, including allowing you to have fun when the right occasion arises.
Everyone needs a holiday now and then, and with Dollar Flight Club, you can save up to 90% on your next flight.
So, whether you’re looking to soak in the culture in major cities like London, Paris or Tokyo, or want to get away from it all in Hawaii, Bali or Cancun, Dollar Flight Club offers a simple sign-up process and instant $1,000+ in savings with perks and discounts from the top travel brands.
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We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
@simonebilesowens (1); Investopedia (2); Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (3); Bureau of Economic Analysis (4); The Harris Poll (5); Celebrity Net Worth (6); CNET (7)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.