Between tuition, rent, and groceries, college students have plenty of expenses competing for their already slim budgets. And that’s to say nothing about all the big things they’re hoping to save up for in the future: a car, a post-grad apartment, and maybe even investments for their retirement accounts. Despite all this, many young people are making room in their budgets for something a little unexpected: fun.
For many college students, financial success is no longer measured strictly by how much untouched money sits in their bank account. Instead, it’s about using that money to build a life they actually want to live. In Her Campus’s 2026 Back To College survey, when asked what they’re saving for in the 2026-2027 school year, many students pointed to experiences, including destination spring breaks, graduation trips, and music festivals.
“I’m saving up for experiences that inspire me and help me grow,” Layla*, an 18-year-old from New York, said in the survey. “I see these experiences as investments in my future.” To get more specific, 21-year-old Maisie from California named names: “I want to attend every cool event for my senior year: fall break to Vegas, Ultra Miami, Art Basel, Ibiza, Coachella, Waste Management, F1.”
On the flip side, Gen Zers are making it clear they’re over mindless money-spending (looking at you, little treats). “I want to spend less money on impulse purchases like fast fashion, random online shopping, and unnecessary food runs,” Bianca*, 21, from Indiana said — a sentiment that was shared by many. “I also want to cut back on buying things just for the moment or for trends that I won’t actually use long-term. Instead, I’m trying to be more intentional with my spending and focus on things that are actually worth it.”
This mindset doesn’t surprise Bola Sokunbi, founder of Clever Girl Finance and author of Clever Girl Millionaire. “Gen Z is redefining what financial success looks like,” she tells Her Campus. “They’re not just focused on consumerism and accumulating things. They’re thinking more about how money can support the kind of life they want to live, now and in the future.”
Enter the fun money fund: a dedicated savings account designed specifically for experiences that bring you joy and plenty of memories. While the idea may sound frivolous at first, it could actually be one of the healthiest money habits Gen Zers can utilize to reach their financial — and experiential — goals.
So, What Is A Fun Money Fund?
A fun money fund is exactly what it sounds like: a dedicated account reserved for experiences that bring you happiness and memories. The key difference between a standard savings account and a fun money fund is the intent — unlike your day-to-day expenses, this money is tucked away for a specific purpose; but unlike emergency savings, it’s meant to be spent in the near future.
“Saving for fun intentionally — naming it, planning for it, funding it — is the opposite of a bad habit.”
Tori Dunlap
And before any penny-pinchers clutch their pearls over the current state of the economy, financial experts are all in on the idea. “Saving for fun intentionally — naming it, planning for it, funding it — is the opposite of a bad habit,” financial expert and Her First 100K founder Tori Dunlap says. “It’s you in the driver’s seat. That’s not frivolous. That’s a skill.”
In fact, having a dedicated account for fun expenses can actually help prevent impulsive spending — and keep your finances in order. “The key is that you’re saving for it, not putting it on a credit card and figuring it out later,” Sokunbi explains. Then, when the time comes to use the money, you can spend it guilt-free.
The goal isn’t necessarily to spend less overall; it’s to spend more intentionally so your money goes toward the things that matter most to you. “There’s research in psychology that we get greater long-term satisfaction from experiences than material goods,” Kathleen Kingsbury, financial coach and founder of KBK Wealth Connection, says. “Generations before you have witnessed how being materialistic doesn’t make you happier.”
How To Start Your Own Fun Money Fund
Developing your own fun money fund doesn’t have to come from a major lifestyle overhaul. You actually don’t even need much to get started!
When asked how much students should put into a fun money account, Jacqueline Howard, Head of Money Wellness at Ally, says, “If you can, up to 5% or 10% of what you’re making.” That said, it all depends on what you can swing! “It’s based on the person,” Howard says. “Start small. It’s all about making the habit.”
If larger savings goals don’t feel realistic right now, any little bit helps. Sokunbi suggests setting aside $5, $10, or $20 a week, since, she says, “the amount matters less than building the habit.”
Dunlap seconds this: “You’re not trying to fund the trip today. You’re proving to yourself that you’re someone who saves for the things you love.”
The Case For Saving For Joy
But while the act of setting aside some fun money seems simple enough, there’s still the mental roadblock that many will have to overcome. How can you justify saving money for a flight to Mexico City when you could put it all toward student loans or a down payment on a house one day? There’s a lot of stigma and guilt to sift through.
“Part of using money in a healthy way is funding the things we enjoy.”
Kathleen Kingsbury
“The myth is that being ‘good with money’ means depriving yourself of everything you enjoy,” Dunlap says. “The people who are genuinely good with money aren’t the ones who never spend on themselves. They’re the ones who built joy into the system on purpose.”
Kingsbury takes this a step further. “Money is a tool,” she says. “Part of using money in a healthy way is funding the things we enjoy.”
For many students, having a fun money fund isn’t about abandoning financial responsibility; it’s about redefining it. “It’s so easy to get influenced by trends, ads, or what everyone else is posting, but a lot of those purchases don’t add real value to my life and end up being temporary,” Layla said in Her Campus’s survey. “Instead, I’m prioritizing being intentional with my money, only buying things that I truly need, will use often, or that genuinely support my lifestyle and goals!”
So whether your dream experience is a study abroad excursion, a concert featuring your favorite artist, or that random thing that’s been on your friend group’s college bucket list since freshman year, a fun money fund can help you get there — without getting you off track.
*Names have been changed for privacy.
