If you ask a 26-year-old what they are saving for, the answer is more likely to be a trek in Spiti or a concert ticket than a sofa set. It can look like carelessness to an older eye, but it is closer to a reordering of priorities, and it has some very practical reasons behind it. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Dr Chandni Tugnait, MD, psychotherapist, life alchemist, coach and healer, founder and director of Gateway of Healing, explained what drives this shift.
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Access has replaced ownership
According to Dr Chandni, music, films, cabs, even homes and wardrobes can now be rented or streamed, so owning something no longer carries the weight it once did. A rented flat or a subscription gives you the use of a thing without the loan, the storage or the upkeep. “When access is this easy, spending on something you can only live through starts to feel like the better deal,” said Dr Chandni. It also explains why owning a lot of things can start to feel like a burden instead of an achievement.
Someday feels too far away
Many young people watched parents save carefully for decades and postpone trips and treats until later. Some of those someday plans arrived late, when energy, health, or time had already shrunk. Having seen that, this generation prefers to take the trek or the long weekend while the body and the calendar still allow it.
Experiences build real community
{{/usCountry}}Many young people watched parents save carefully for decades and postpone trips and treats until later. Some of those someday plans arrived late, when energy, health, or time had already shrunk. Having seen that, this generation prefers to take the trek or the long weekend while the body and the calendar still allow it.
Experiences build real community
{{/usCountry}}Many young professionals live in cities far from home, where friends do not come built in. A running club, a gig, a group trip or a weekend workshop puts people in the same room doing something together, and friendships follow. A new gadget rarely introduces you to anyone. Dr Chandni explained that shared memories like these tend to be retold for years, which turns a one time purchase into a long running thread between people.
Small doses fit tight budgets
A house or a car needs a large lump sum and years of commitment. A weekend away or a single ticket can be bought with one month's savings. When incomes feel stretched, experiences are one of the few ways to feel richer today without waiting a decade.
None of this means young Indians have stopped dreaming of owning a home or a car. Many still plan to, eventually. The shift is about order, not rejection, and about deciding that the life they want to remember cannot be postponed until everything else is paid off.