1 in 5 Young Adults Pretend to Have More Money. Here Is Why.

Have you ever said "I already have one" when the truth was "I can't afford one"?

You're not the only one. A brand-new survey from the Netherlands asked more than 1,100 young adults, ages 18 to 30, about money. More than one in five said they act like they have more money than they really do. And 41% said it's hard to admit when they can't afford something.

These are grown-ups with jobs and bills. If it's hard for them, it's okay that it feels tricky for you, too. Today you'll learn why people pretend, what "buy now, pay later" actually means, and a simple sentence that smart business owners use all the time.

The survey was run by Humanitas, a Dutch nonprofit, with a research company called PanelWizard. It was reported by Hart van Nederland on November 3 and by NL Times on November 9, 2026.

Here's what young adults said:

• More than one in five present their money situation as better than it really is.
• 41% find it hard to admit they can't afford something.
• 28% would rather keep money worries to themselves than talk to their parents or caregivers.
• 18% said "pay later" options made them buy something they probably wouldn't have bought otherwise.
• A quarter wished someone had talked with them about money before they turned 18.

That last one is interesting. One in four grown-ups wishes they'd had the conversation you're having right now by reading this.

There are a few big reasons.

Friends. If everyone in your group is buying the same sneakers or going to the same concert, saying "I can't" can feel like being left out.

Ads and influencers. The survey report says young adults see lots of advertising, influencers and trends that push them to spend. Videos show people unboxing new stuff every day. It starts to feel normal, even though most people don't live that way.

Embarrassment. Some people feel that not having money says something bad about them. It doesn't. Money goes up and down for everyone, including business owners.

The leader of Humanitas, Jerzy Soetekouw, said the phrase "I can't afford that" should be completely normal, not a reason for shame. He's right. It's just a fact, like "I'm hungry" or "It's raining."

You may have seen a button at an online checkout that says something like "Pay in 4." That's called buy now, pay later, or BNPL.

Here's how it works. Say a jacket costs $80. Instead of paying $80 today, you pay $20 now and $20 every two weeks until it's paid off. You get the jacket right away.

Sounds easy, right? That's the problem. It's so easy that people buy things they wouldn't buy if they had to hand over all the money at once.

A U.S. survey by Bankrate found that 49% of people who used BNPL had at least one problem with it. The most common one was spending more than they should have. For Gen Z users, who are young adults, 66% reported a problem, and 30% said they overspent.

Here's the key idea: buy now, pay later is still borrowing. You're promising future-you will pay. If future-you is short on money, missing a payment can mean late fees.

Saying "I can't afford that" is not a weakness. It's a sign that you know your numbers.

Think about it like this. If you have $30 saved and a game costs $60, you can't afford it today. That's math, not a feeling. Saying it out loud means you understand your money better than someone who pretends.

There are also friendly ways to say it:

• "That's not in my budget this month."
• "I'm saving for something else right now."
• "Let's do something free instead. Want to play at the park?"

Real business owners say these kinds of things all the time. A bakery owner might say "no" to a fancy new oven because the money is needed for flour this month. That's not failing. That's running a business well.

Here's a game you can play the next time you really want something.

Step 1: Want. Write down the thing and its price. Example: headphones, $45.

Step 2: Wait. Wait three days. Put a sticky note on your wall with the item and the date. Many wants fade after a few days.

Step 3: Worth it? After three days, answer these questions:

• Do I still want it?
• How many hours of chores, or how many sales from my business, would it take to earn $45?
• What else could that $45 do? Could it buy supplies to make more money?

If you still want it and you have the money, great. Buy it and enjoy it. If not, you just saved $45 and learned something about yourself.

Bonus round: keep a list of everything you decided not to buy. At the end of a month, add it up. Kids who try this are often surprised by the total.

If you run a lemonade stand, a bracelet table or a dog-walking business, you're already making money choices.

Should you buy a fancy sign for $25? Or spend that $25 on more cups and lemons? A business owner who pretends to have more money than they do might buy the sign and run out of lemons by noon.

That's why business owners keep a simple budget. They list what money is coming in, what money is going out, and what's left. Then they decide what to spend on first.

You can make your budget with a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a planning tool like Foundra that helps beginners break a business idea into simple steps. The tool doesn't matter much. What matters is that you write down real numbers, not wishful ones.

Remember, a quarter of young adults in the survey wished someone had talked with them about money before they turned 18. And 28% keep money worries to themselves.

In the United States, a group of government agencies called the Financial Literacy and Education Commission updated the national money education plan in 2026. One of its four main goals is helping kids and young adults build money skills early.

You can start at home. Try asking a grown-up one of these questions at dinner:

• "What's something you decided not to buy, and why?"
• "When you were my age, how did you earn money?"
• "How do you decide what to save for?"

You might be surprised by the stories you hear.

• A new survey found more than one in five young adults pretend to have more money than they do.
• 41% of them find it hard to admit they can't afford something.
• Buy now, pay later is still borrowing, and it makes it easier to overspend.
• "I can't afford that" is a smart sentence. It shows you know your numbers.
• Try the Want, Wait, Worth It game before you buy something big.
• Business owners use the same skill every day when they choose what to spend money on first.

Is it bad to want nice things? No. Wanting things is normal. The skill is choosing what to buy with the money you really have.

What is buy now, pay later? It's a way to split a purchase into smaller payments over time. You get the item now, but you still owe the rest later.

Why do people pretend to have more money? Usually because of friends, ads and social media, or because they feel embarrassed. The survey says money worries are often hidden.

How can I say no to friends without feeling awkward? Try "I'm saving for something else" or suggest a free activity instead. Good friends will understand.

What if I really want something and can't afford it? Make a savings plan or start a small business to earn the money. Waiting often makes the thing feel even better when you get it.

Who did this survey? Humanitas, a Dutch nonprofit, with the research company PanelWizard. It asked more than 1,100 people ages 18 to 30.

1. Nearly 1 in 4 young adults pretend to be better off financially than they are: Study, NL Times, November 9, 2026
2. Jongvolwassenen vinden het moeilijk om geldgebrek te bespreken, Hart van Nederland, November 3, 2026
3. About half of buy now, pay later users have experienced at least one financial problem, Bankrate, May 5, 2025
4. Treasury Applauds 2026 Update to U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy, Newsroom America