F ZINE People Cam: Gen Zs And The Rise Of “Treat Culture”
Young people in Singapore are spending on little self-care treats to make it through a tough week, but is this affecting their finances? We hit the streets to find out.
What’s your go-to self-care treat?
With wellness and self-care becoming a recurring part of our everyday conversations, treating ourselves to a little pick-me-up has become a way to make it through the week. This has grown into what’s known as “treat culture”, with young people spending on small purchases, from matcha runs to mini impulse buys, as a reward system after a long day or a tough week.
While these purchases might seem small, they can quickly add up. In a time where cost of living is rising and saving for bigger milestones can feel increasingly out of reach, is treating ourselves becoming an easier way to find a little joy in the everyday?
We hit the streets to ask what Gen Zs in Singapore think of this trend, whether they consider themselves part of it, and how these little treats fit into their spending habits.
Name: Sindhu
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Her thoughts on “treat culture”: “I think it’s very healthy. I feel like practicing a reward system when you manage to achieve something is pretty healthy, though I feel like there is a fine line between overconsumption and treating yourself.”
“Treat culture” has surfaced because… “I would say it’s because of short form content on Instagram and TikTok. These content lead to microtrends, things that come in and out of style really quickly, and kind of result in mini purchases. Plus, there has been the rise of [awareness in] mental health and wellness.”
Something she used to think was worth spending money on, but not anymore: “Altering clothes. I think it’s a fun and pretty good skill to have anyways.”
The biggest money lesson she’s learned so far is… “To save my money, and I feel like that’s one huge lesson I’ve learned. Know how much to spend and how much to save.”
Name: Natalie
Age: 23
Occupation: Banker
Her thoughts on “treat culture”: “A lot of my friends do like to treat themselves once in a while, to a cute drink or matcha. I think it’s very common to spend a little bit of money and just indulge. And with friends, it’s easy to enable each other. Lowkey, I feel like that’s the little push that makes us want to give in to temptations.”
Something she used to think was worth spending money on, but not anymore: “I used to collect squishies and spend a lot on them, but not as much anymore. I feel like squishies are cheaper now. Last time, they could go up to like hundreds of dollars for the rare ones.”
The biggest money lesson she’s learned so far is… “To start investing early. I got influenced by my friends and I am now starting to learn and pick up investing.”
“What’s one self-care purchase you never used to make, but will happily spend on once you start earning adult money?” “I’ll spend on classes actually, like dance classes or aerial yoga. I’ve been wanting to pick that up and learn something new. I would say that’s self-care beyond the little small purchases like matcha or a cute latte.”
Name: Melody
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Her thoughts on “treat culture”: “I think it’s nothing too harmless and it’s a way to motivate yourself, but I feel like it can kind of lead you to make impulsive purchases sometimes. I think everything in moderation is good.”
“What’s one self-care purchase you never used to make, but now happily spend on?” “In the past, I would save on coffee or drink the instant ones, but because my school now has Luckin Coffee, I always get it to motivate myself for the day ahead.”
The biggest money lesson she’s learned so far is… “Realising that the money in my bank is not growing, and that I should be putting my money into investing and getting some interest or a form of cashback, so that my money isn’t rotting there.”
On whether she thinks her lifestyle matches her income: “I feel like I shouldn’t be spending my money on things that are not within my means, and I shouldn’t be spending my parents’ money all the time. I try to use my own pay to buy whatever I want to buy. If not, my allowance is just spent on food when I’m in school.”
Name: Clarisse
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Her thoughts on “treat culture”: “I think it’s a very Singaporean thing actually, like when you have a very stressful day, you just want to treat yourself to a [something small] at the end of the day.”
Something she used to think was worth spending money on, but not anymore: “I used to be a die-hard collector of photocards of K-pop group, NCT Dream. But as of now, not anymore, because I feel like at this current stage in life, there are better things that I can spend on. With time, your priorities change and it’s part and parcel of life. “
The biggest money lesson she’s learned so far is… “Start investing young.”
On whether she thinks her lifestyle matches her income: “I would say I think my lifestyle fits my current income because I’m not somebody who likes to spend above what I can go. One rule that I like to live by is that if I’m able to purchase multiple quantities of an item with the amount of money that I have now, then it’s a valid purchase. But if I’m not able to buy more than one of it, then I probably wouldn’t buy it. “
Name: Alyssa
Age: 32
Occupation: Social Worker
Her thoughts on “treat culture”: “I think the treat culture is fine as long as you’re not spending more than you’re actually earning.”
“Treat culture” has surfaced because… “I think it’s because Singapore as a country is not the most expressive or the most creative. We all look for joy out of the mundane things that we do, like in our everyday office life. If no one is going to reward us, we will do it ourselves.”
“What’s one self-care purchase you never used to make, but now happily spend on?” “Currently, my “treat” obsession is buying squishies. I was walking past one of the shops one day and saw them. I’ve been seeing people squishing things online and kind of want to squish things too.”
Something she used to think was worth spending money on, but not anymore: “Ride-hailing apps is one of them. I used to cab quite a fair bit, but now realise that I enjoy taking public transport more because it gives me time to just chill and take a nap.”
Name: Elena B
Age: 36
Occupation:Teacher
Her thoughts on “treat culture”: “It’s kind of like a quick dopamine [boost], which I think can be really helpful at times. However, it’s not really good for your wallet. It really depends on your lifestyle, and the sort of period that you’re going through, because sometimes we don’t have any other means to support ourselves rather than just buy something nice to feel better. Though, it can become a long-term habit.
“What’s one self-care purchase you never used to make, but now happily spend on?” “Definitely my morning coffee, and it’s actually a huge chunk of my monthly budget because I’m buying it every day, sometimes twice a day.”
The biggest money lesson she’s learned so far is… “To be very wise with your investments. Always separate whatever money you are saving and put it in different funds.”