The first signs of trouble were Kanchi Uttamchandani’s steep credit card bills.

It started during the pandemic when Ms. Uttamchandani, like many Canadians, was attempting to console herself. “It was a very depressing time,” she says. “I turned to food and it became a source of comfort,” recalls the 28-year-old manager of a Toronto-based woman’s non-profit.

Holed up at home and working remotely, she began ordering food through Uber Eats, justifying it to herself by reasoning that she was supporting local businesses. “It’s almost like a gamified app, like window-shopping in my area,” she says.

Ms. Uttamchandani says “sneaky” promotions and notifications popped up regularly and things spiralled. She began ordering via Uber Eats almost every day. “It was brunch, pizza, pasta,” she says. “Before long you’re racking up huge credit-card statements.”

She estimates she spent $10,000 on food delivery that year.

Gen Z has the highest usage rates for third-party delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash, with nearly 65 per cent using them regularly, according to 2024 data from Deliverect, a global food services platform.

The trend has been in the works for years. The global consultancy UNiDAYS conducted a study of more than 1,800 Gen Z students in England, the U.S. and Australia in 2017, and found 78 per cent spent most of their disposable income on restaurant deliveries.

In a typical Gen Z household, that adds up to $210 a month on food delivery – a sizeable sum for a generation starting out and struggling to save amid high housing costs, a weak labour market and an uncertain economy.

Ms. Uttamchandani finally broke her Uber Eats addiction when she developed an interest in cooking and began experimenting with different techniques at home. While she still orders the odd meal via the app, “cooking became my new hobby,” she says.

“It took me a year to fully understand the weight of my choices and turn things around,” says Ms. Uttamchandani.

“If you a rein in ordering out, you can definitely see savings.”

The impact of social media is evident among Gen Zs. Seventy-seven per cent of them say they have purchased food just because they saw it on social media, according to 2024 data from Datassential, a food and beverage intelligence platform.

“Gen Zs are trying to build their credit and deal with debt and then still have a life that is comparable to their peers,” says Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy, the chief executive officer of Money Mentors, a non-profit credit counselling and debt consolidation firm, in Calgary. “If everyone is putting out a certain image of their life on social media, then you’ve got to keep up and it’s really tough.”

Ingrid Kucera, a Toronto-based financial advisor with Assante Wealth Management, loves food and uses food delivery apps once a week.

“It’s so easy to tap on your phone instead of going to the grocery store and planning your meals,” she says.

Each meal sets her back between $30 to $50 – and if you multiply that by several times a week, it adds up quickly. She says spending $10,000 a year on food delivery isn’t uncommon among her Gen Z friends.

How to get ‘lifestyle creep’ back under control

Ms. Kucera, 25, sees the same patterns in her Gen Z clients. She believes the spending is much like the lipstick effect – where people splurge on affordable luxuries during challenging economic periods.

“With the younger generation, saving for retirement, owning a home – it feels out of reach. Ordering that food is their luxury.”

Aseel Elbaba is a Toronto-based financial therapist and the founder and CEO of Holistic Optimal Wealth. She says the convenience of ordering in meals has become a coping mechanism.

“It’s becoming a leading value system for society that is dealing with high stress from uncertainty in the economy, politics – everything that’s happening around us.”

She says the pain-free payments used by apps such as Uber Eats create a disconnect between customers and their spending. Plus, she says, the instant gratification of using apps provides pleasure. “People get trapped in this cycle of dopamine.”

While the odd Uber Eats order is fine, if it becomes a constant pattern that prevents a person from saving then it becomes harmful to their finances, says Ms. Kucera. She tells her clients to save 20 per cent of their income – ideally as soon as they get paid – and use what’s left to spend on what they see fit, including food.

Another tactic is to use gift cards for food delivery – and when they run out, forgo ordering. “With a credit card, you basically have no limit,” she says.

For those saving for a down payment, different spending decisions are essential, says Ms. Yanchuk Oleksy.