Consumers Say They Want Budgeting Tools but Aren’t Using Them

Worried about your financial situation? You’re in good company. PYMNTS Intelligence’s Paycheck-to-Paycheck index hit a new high of 68.4% in May. Whether it’s due to persistent inflation, rising housing costs or the impact of tariffs, more Americans than ever—684 out of every 1,000—are walking a financial tightrope, watching their monthly paycheck rapidly dwindle as it’s used to cover essential payments (and splurges). What’s more, the group of people who struggle to pay their bills climbed for the third-straight month, reaching 24.2% of all consumers.

Our latest survey reveals that amid this pocketbook stress, six in ten consumers feel uncomfortable when thinking about their finances. The good news is that there’s an antidote for at least some of that angst. Specialized budgeting apps and advanced personal finance tools can’t magically send extra dollars to your bank account, but they can help consumers stay worry-free and financially stable, especially during difficult times. Yet even though they can unlock “extra” dollars currently going toward wasteful or inefficient spending, consumers woefully underutilize them.

Among the respondents with trouble making ends meet, more than half who use specialized, advanced budgeting tools, such as Intuit’s Credit Karma (which absorbed Mint last year), YNAB (You Need a Budget) or any of the dozens of others out there, said they feel financially comfortable. Meanwhile, just 12% of those who use only rudimentary personal finance tools—and almost none who don’t budget at all—indicated the same. Among the survey’s many findings: Daily budget reminders offer an easy way for people to feel happier about their financial situations.

 

These are just some of the findings detailed in “Feeling Stressed? Budgeting Works Wonders (Really),” the latest installment of the “New Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report,” a PYMNTS Intelligenceexclusive series. This edition draws on insights from a survey of 2,040 U.S. consumers conducted from May 1, 2025, to May 21, 2025.