They\u2019re known as “DINKS” (dual-income, no kids) and “SINKS” (single-income, no kids). They are changing the way Americans spend and how businesses market to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want more flexibility with our time and finances,\u201d Miguel Rivera said.<\/p>\n
For Rivera and his wife, Bea San Jose, being “DINKS” means more financial freedom. The couple from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, stopped in Arizona after a trip to Las Vegas, making the most of life without parenting responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love going to festivals,\u201d San Jose said. \u201cWe\u2019re both nurses, so we love spending our free time with activities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pew Research Center<\/a> finds the number of “DINK” married couples in their 30s and 40s grew from 8% in 2013 to 12% in 2023.<\/p>\n Fertility rates in the United States are also dropping to historic lows, year after year. The latest CDC<\/a> data shows the general fertility rate decreased by another 1% from 2024 to 2025. Long-term, the rate has decreased 23% since its peak in 2007.<\/p>\n It means shifting financial priorities for childless families.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love to travel, so that’s where most of our money is going,\u201d San Jose said.<\/p>\n \u201cA quarter of our budget we put in savings or investments as well,\u201d Rivera added. \u201cWe don’t have extra expenses or any surprise expenses. Everything we account for in our budget.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s one more priority, too.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did get a puppy,\u201d Rivera said. \u201cEspecially now, like a lot of people prefer just having a dog than kids.\u201d<\/p>\n The addition of golden retriever Bonnie makes them “DINKWADS” (dual income, no kids, with a dog).<\/p>\n \u201cMillennials, they are transforming this trend,\u201d Julie Lejeune with Datcha.Dog<\/a> said. \u201cReally, this booming of ‘DINKWAD’ and ‘SINKWAD’ is not a trend, because demographically it’s becoming more and more tangible.\u201d<\/p>\n An industry expert, and also a “DINKWAD” with pup Datcha, Lejeune says some countries are now selling more strollers for pets than babies \u2014 Italy, South Korea, and Japan among them.<\/p>\n \u201cFor Americans, it’s around $2,500 per year they’re spending on their dog, like an average household, and when it comes to the luxury segment, it’s more than $10,000 per year,\u201d Lejeune said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is this kind of conversation that people are having with their friends, saying, ‘we are leaving the big city to live in the countryside for the dog,’\u201d Lejeune added. \u201cFor a long time, it was for kids. Which says a lot about how the dog transforms the lifestyle of those people.\u201d<\/p>\n As more adults center their finances around their pets, Lejeune says hotels, restaurants, and travel companies are being pushed to adapt and consider these consumers with more discretionary income, but different priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s becoming very challenging for the hospitality industry to understand those typologies of people, their expectations, their needs, and to actually adapt,\u201d Lejeune said. \u201cThe ones that will seize the opportunity\u2026will win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a shift that Lejeune says the hospitality industry went through a decade ago when it came to accommodating kids.<\/p>\n Datcha.Dog<\/a> data shows dog owners who feel welcome at hotels stay 20% longer, spend 30% more on related services, and come back 75% more often.<\/p>\n \u201cThe loyalty part is 75%, which is huge,\u201d Lejeune said. \u201cBecause you know that once your dog is welcome, and everyone around is super happy that you are here with your dog, you keep coming back.\u201d<\/p>\n It’s one example of an opportunity, Lejeune says, for industries to avoid revenue leakage and tap into a demographic with big spending power.<\/p>\n \u201cThe surprise is that despite all the financial pressures the last few years, of high inflation, high interest rates, people are still spending aggressively on travel, dining, concerts, sporting events,\u201d Ted Rossman, Bankrate<\/a> Principal Analyst,\u00a0said. \u201cI do think that meshes nicely with this trend we’re talking about, about the ‘SINKS’ and the ‘DINKS.’\u201d<\/p>\n Yet flexibility doesn\u2019t always mean financial security.<\/p>\n Are you a Smart Shopper? What are your go-to saving tips and tricks? <\/p>\n![\"Null\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755948023_355_making-ends-meet-1200x200.jpg\")
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