If you’ve spent any time on FinTok lately, you’ve probably come across creators gleefully sharing their “delulu spending” habits or warning others to avoid falling into the same trap.
Luxury skincare purchased in the name of self-care and $300 handbags justified as ‘investments’ are all part of this trend, which is equal parts aspirational and ironic.
But behind the jokes lies a very real risk to your financial health.
“The term ‘delulu,’ short for delusional, started in K-pop fandoms as a playful way to describe fans with wildly optimistic fantasies,” explains Fred Harrington of Vetted Prop Firms. “Now, it’s evolved into a broader internet term, used to describe everything from romantic daydreams to, increasingly, reckless financial decisions.”
The Fine Line Between Manifestation and Maxed-Out Credit Cards
At its core, delulu spending is tied to the idea of manifestation: acting as if success and wealth are already part of your life, in the hopes that they will eventually become a reality. It’s the belief that buying luxury items today will somehow help attract the lifestyle you want tomorrow.
Fred explains it this way: “It’s a mindset that turns aspirational purchases into a supposed shortcut to the lifestyle people crave.”
Need a $1,300 camera for a YouTube channel you haven’t started yet? Delulu logic says go for it. Future you is already an influencer.
Dropping money on designer clothes when rent is due? It’s fine, you’re just aligning with abundance.
The #delulu hashtag has racked up over 800,000 posts on TikTok, many of which feature creators poking fun at their own over-the-top shopping sprees.
But while the content may be tongue-in-cheek, the consequences are serious. “Many creators admit their spending habits are spiraling, masked under the delulu trend,” Fred warns.
One viral post shows a woman proudly holding shopping bags with the caption: “Just a girlie carrying the consequences of her impulsive, delusional self-care spending.”
Another jokes, “My purchase habits are delulu, but… it feels like everyone is spending delulu too.”
The humor is relatable, but it also reflects a growing culture of normalized overspending.
When ‘Delulu’ Turns Into Lifestyle Inflation
While some dismiss it as harmless fun, delulu spending is often just lifestyle inflation in disguise. That’s when your spending grows to match (or outpace) your income, leaving little room for savings or financial stability.
“Living beyond your means always starts small: upgrading your daily coffee, buying nicer ‘errands clothes,’ or convincing yourself you need the latest beauty products as part of your self-care routine,” says Fred. “But as your purchases scale up, so do your expenses, often outpacing what you actually earn.”
Take Lululemon leggings, for example. Spending $120 to run errands in style might not seem outrageous in the moment, but repeating that purchase every month could add up to over $1,400 a year. Add in monthly beauty hauls, and you’re easily burning through thousands, often without realizing it.
Fred breaks down some of the most common delulu justifications:
- Booking expensive vacations to “manifest abundance,” even if it means going into debt.
- Buying designer bags with the idea that “future me is successful.”
- Investing in pricey gear for side hustles that haven’t even started.
- Constantly upgrading your wardrobe for hypothetical events.
“It’s all framed as optimism,” Fred says, “but in the long term, the cost often means delayed savings, larger credit card bills, and living paycheck to paycheck—even if your lifestyle looks elevated online.”
We’re All in on the Joke, But Also the Debt
Unlike past trends that tried to mask excessive spending as attainable luxury, delulu culture is fully self-aware.
People know they’re being a little ridiculous but they’re leaning into it anyway. The content is funny, relatable, and aspirational all at once. But that doesn’t make it any less financially risky.
“Have you found yourself saying things like ‘I’ll be a content creator soon, so this is an investment’? In reality, without a plan, it’s just expensive procrastination,” Fred says. “What about ‘self-care is worth the debt’? Remember: stress over bills is the opposite of self-care.”
While the jokes may be viral, the financial fallout is no laughing matter. Receipts pile up just as fast as the likes do, and the glow-up can quickly fade once the credit card bill arrives.
The Bottom Line: Manifesting Won’t Fix Overspending
Fred offers this final warning: “The delulu trend may be fun, but turning your wallet into a manifestation tool is risky business. If you’re buying luxury items thinking, ‘I’ll be rich someday, so who cares?’ you’re setting yourself up for financial stress, not success.”
He adds, “Manifesting wealth doesn’t mean spending like you already have it. Real financial growth comes from building solid habits today: saving consistently, budgeting for fun purchases, and making sure your future success isn’t built on the back of current debt.”
So yes, go ahead and dream big….but make sure your money habits are backing those dreams, not sabotaging them.
The delulu mindset might feel empowering in the moment, but pairing it with financial discipline is the only way to truly create the life you’re trying to manifest.
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