# Dining out is the first thing to go when money feels tight

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/culture/dining-out-is-the-first-thing-to-go-when-money-feels-tight/

> Indexed question in Culture.

## Reading

Restaurant meals are the first line Americans cross off a tight budget: 43% say dining out is the category they cut first when money runs short, a December 2025 Verasight survey finds.

Travel comes next, the first cut for about a quarter of Americans (24%), followed by outings with friends (12%). Clothing (7%), outings with family (6%), personal care (4%) and home goods (4%) are the first to go for far smaller shares.

## Topline

When money feels tight, which category do you cut first?

Dining out is the first thing to go when money feels tight.

- Dining out: 43.0%
- Travel: 24.4%
- Out of home experiences with friends: 11.9%
- Clothing: 7.0%
- Out of home experiences with family: 6.3%
- Personal care/beauty: 3.7%
- Home goods: 3.7%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: US adults age 18+
- Field dates: 2025-12-03 → 2025-12-08
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.2%
- Module: tech_behavior
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-human-v-synthetic#cutting-priorities-when-money-is-tight](https://reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-human-v-synthetic#cutting-priorities-when-money-is-tight)

## Citation

Verasight Human/LLM Comparison Survey #2025-172, fielded December 3-8, 2025, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-human-v-synthetic#cutting-priorities-when-money-is-tight](https://reports.verasight.io/r/verasight-human-v-synthetic#cutting-priorities-when-money-is-tight)