E51: How to resist lifestyle creep with Clare Seal, Edoardo Moreni, and Alex Langley

Are you earning more than you were five years ago but still don't feel better off? You might be experiencing 'lifestyle creep'. The subtle way spending expands to quietly swallow every pay rise, bonus, and promotion. From Ocado upgrades and subscription sprawl to beauty routines that keep growing, lifestyle creep is surprisingly easy to fall into and remarkably hard to spot. Join our host, Philippa Lamb, and our expert panel as they discuss how to identify, resist, and even reverse lifestyle creep: Content Creator, Clare Seal; Co-Founder and CEO of Emma, Edoardo Moreni; and Head of Customer Success Team at PensionBee, Alex Langley.   Episode breakdown 01:38 What is lifestyle creep? 05:23 Trigger points and the psychology of spending more 09:41 Supermarket upgrades and the subscription trap 13:17 Being intentional and auditing your spending 16:05 The real pension cost of lifestyle creep 19:20 How to cut back without making life miserable 21:31 Building resilience and talking about money 26:12 Budgeting frameworks and tools that work   Further reading, listening and watching To learn more about lifestyle creep and how to manage your money, check out these articles, podcasts and videos from PensionBee: E37: The easiest way to retire with more money (Podcast) 50-30-20: How the budgeting 'rule of thumb' is changing in the face of the cost of living crisis (Blog) How much should I pay into my pension? (Article) Six ways to put together your emergency fund (Blog) The power of 1%: how small pension increases can make a big difference (Blog) What is compound interest? (Video) Increasing your pension contributions (Video)   Other useful resources Compound Interest Calculator (The Calculator Site) Pension Calculator (PensionBee) Subscription service statistics (Finder) The Retirement Living Standards (Pensions UK) The Cost of Disengagement (PensionBee) UK financial outlook 2026 (YouGov)   Catch up on the latest news, read our transcripts or watch on YouTube: The Pension Confident Podcast The Pension Confident Podcast on YouTube   Follow PensionBee (@PensionBee) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Threads. Follow Clare Seal (@clare.seal) on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and X. Follow Emma App (@emma_finance) on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X.   Enjoying the podcast? Tell us what you think below and give us a review or rating. As always we'd love to hear your suggestions and feedback. Send us an email: [email protected].