This Is Why A Record Number Of Americans Are Fat & Broke

Fast food and takeout are anathema to the 'clean eating' lifestyle trend that has swept the US - and much of the developed world - over the past 10 years. But while spending on gym memberships and boutique fitness classes has risen significantly over the past ten years, recent studies show that over-spending on takeout was the biggest financial mistake made by younger Americans in 2018, according to a MarketWatch report that cited data from a recent study published by Principal.

According to the data, nearly one in three Americans - 29%, up from 26% in 2018 - said dining out was this year’s top budget buster for them, followed closely by spending on groceries (which is ironic given the proliferation of low-cost grocers like Aldi that have sprouted up in recent years).

But that's not all: In a separate study, Fidelity found that the No. 1 small financial mistake that most Americans admit to is dining out too much, something that 36% of respondents said they'd done in the past year.

Americans spent roughly $3,500 a year on dining out in 2018, according to government data. That's a new record high, and a 2.8% improvement from the prior year. Sales are projected to hit a record high of $863 billion this year, according to the National Restaurant Association.

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