Under Consumption Core!
by Katy on July 25, 2024 · 32 comments
There’s a viral “underconsumption core” trend happening on Instagram and TikTok right now. It’s essentially non-consumerism, but rebranded for a savvy young audience. Buying fewer items, using up toiletries before buying new ones, repairing instead of replacing, buying used instead of new — essentially just being mindful of spending with an focus on sustainability.
It would be easy to dismiss underconsumption core as yet another superficial social media trend, but I see it as a reaction to the buy buy buy culture that so many were raised in. We’ve all witnessed recent examples of baffling overconsumption where people fight one another for Stanley cups, Trader Joe’s mini coolers or whatever else becomes the “it” thing to buy. It’s unsustainable and frankly, it’s crass and morally reprehensible to support this level of consumerism.
I made a decision in 2006 to stop buying anything new, and it’s about the best choice I’ve ever made. Not just financially, but also from a sustainability and minimalism standpoint. It forced me to critically think my own role as a consumer and how my personal choices effect the world I live in.
Whether you refer to it as underconsumption core, nonconsumerism or just minimalism, it’s a trend I can get behind.
#underconsumptioncore
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
Amen! I hope it lasts. There was an article about in the NYT (digital edition of course).
I’m right there with you!
It has always fell in the living below your means lifestyle. A&E made a lot of money off a TV show – Storage Wars. Yes I’m sure some locker owners were in dire straits but OMG all the “stuff”. And how a person (or their heirs) could forget about the worth moola items in a locker is hard for me to fathom.
First rule before bringing anything new into the house (purchased or free) is – do you have room to store it (or will that truck fit in your garage – you’d be surprised how much money a person who knows how to raise a garage door header can make).
I don’t care what it is called – I’m always glad to see/read/hear of mindful living.
I watched that show when it first came out and it was such a cautionary tale for me. Not that I was about to rent a storage unit, but it’s such a waste of money for most people. Delaying the difficult decisions of what to get rid of and the paying tens of thousands of dollars for your stuff to rot.
I have never seen so many storage units as I see in Florida – including multi-story buildings and new ones being built. I can understand a short-term need for one, but like many basements it is where “stuff goes to die”. Out of sight, put of mind. I have trouble even keeping track of things in my cupboards, let alone off site. I have a friend whose husband is emotionally attached to his stuff and cannot make himself sort through and cull their 2 storage units. Not only is it expensive, it’s stressful for her.
Having cleaned out a few homes, getting rid of stuff is my hobby. I have made progress, but there is always more to do.
Getting rid of stuff is my love language. I know a lot of people have unstable housing and storage units are the only way to hold onto their belongings. Also, they’re an important resource for military personnel who are deployed or moved around. However . . . we all know people whose dependence on storage units is not so necessary. Such a waste of money!
Several years ago, I stopped in at a very large yard sale. The folks who were holding the sale told me they had had several storage units full of stuff from family members’ homes after these family members had passed away. They paid on these storage units for years, and finally decided enough was enough. The yard sale was their way of starting to get rid of all the stuff. I would guess they donated whatever was left at the end, but I don’t know for sure. I bought a vintage ceramic Christmas tree from them for $3!
Perhaps there is a connection between more people being retired and more storage units? as in having moved all their stuff with them to Florida, they have no place for it in their new homes.
I had read something once about thrift stores in Phoenix or other places in Arizona that have a lot of retirees and how those stores always had a lot of good stuff. It came from families having to clear out houses after their parents died.
If you are considering buying a new kitchen gadget see if anyone you know can lend you one to try for a couple of days. You might be amazed to discover how many bread machines, slow cookers etc are sitting in cupboards unused! You might be gifted one, or able to buy a barely used one second hand, or you might discover the gadget isn’t worth the kitchen space it commands!
This is a great tip, thank you!
We have a Facebook “buy nothing” group. I’m always amazed at the things people ask for, and someone can fulfill that wish. From a kitchen gadget to a tv
I read both Katy’s post and the NYT article on the topic with the indulgent amusement felt by an older generation for a younger one just making an important discovery that it feels is new to the world. Ah, well, if it takes TikTok users to get the point across, more power to them. I only hope, along with others, that some of these young folks will stick with underconsumption instead of moving on to the next trend that comes along. (Excuse me, it’s time for my Geritol! ;-P )
The visual medium of Tiktoks and reels is so much more engaging, so I’m crossing my fingers that this trend only expands.
Yes! All the stuff ! We just moved from 1 time zone to another to be close to our son& his family. We downsized in house square footage by 1/2. We sold & gave away some things before the move, but still had too much stuff! So after the move we gave away more stuff through Buy Nothing group & donations to charity. Still working on all the stuff!
I bet that was deeply cathartic to rid yourself of excess belongings!
Underconsumption? To me, that’s just being thrifty and smart.
I imagine the bigwigs in the huge corporations and on Madison Ave. are going nuts trying to figure out how to reverse this trend! They want the young people (and everyone else) to shop ’til they drop at the malls — hopefully running up big tabs on the credit cards– since this results in more money for the corporations.
I recently read an article saying how the millionaires and billionaires (aided by certain politicians, both past and present) are really grifters and how they con the public in believing they’re there to help them, all the while they’re picking their pockets. (The rich get richer…you know the rest!) Non-consumer advocates and informed voters must be the bane of their greedy existences!
It doesn’t matter what you call it, it’s just common sense to use what you already own and be wise with your hard earned dollars!
In my family, I have found the younger 20 somethings are very frugal. Their older cousins (in their late 30’s) are extravagant in vacations, own homes, drive status cars and are not the best investors/savers. Makes me want to re-think the will…we always have a family community project and this year not a single 30 -40 yo put in actual volunteer hours, just sent money.
Send Oregon some good vibes to get all of the wildfires under control. Over 1 million acres burning right now.
I knew there were fires, but I didn’t realize it was that bad. I guess I’m out of the loop here in New York.
I love the younger generation’s full embrace of thrifting!
Aren’t the 30-40 year olds thick in career building and raising children? Maybe they have more money than time.
I was going to say the same thing. Time is a luxury in your 30’s and 40’s, when you are often working overtime to build a career plus you are dealing with young kids. Perhaps money is the only support these older cousins can manage at this point in their lives.
I have two kiddos in their mid-to-pushing late 30s. Neither overspent on their houses, cook, do charitable work (volunteer time as well as monetary donations).
This is one of my favorite things on Tik-Tok. It’s so so so refreshing to see such a movement toward less rampant consumerism. I have a very long way to go, but I’m inspired by many of these folks. @DepressionDotGov is my favorite – she talks a lot about sustainability while being very hilarious. Her name also cracks me up.
Thank for the follow suggestion, I’ve added her to my list!
I have always tried to under consume in whatever way I can. It all adds up! Stretching our resources as far as we can is a win-win for everyone.
I wonder how much the underconsumption fad is based on the secure middle class childhoods the 20 somethings had. Easy for people who’ve never gone without to make a fetish of nonconsumerism.
I have wondered how much of this very welcome trend is related to 20-somethings faced with school debt, very small places to live, and the basics of life — shelter, food, utilities, transportation — now being horrendously expensive.
Or people are thinking back to Covid and realizing some of the things they did then to deal with scarce resources also saved money, and didn’t hurt, maybe helped in the long run.
That is an excellent point. It also occurred to me that these young people would have been in elementary or middle school when the Great Recession hit. It took some families years to recover from that.
Finally I’m actually on trend! I hope this one stays around. I did a big clean and put lots of flowers around and was looking at how great the house looked. Realized almost all of my furniture is thrifted, second hand or from family. 23 yr old sofa in living room was bought new. 21 yr old leather furniture in family room was expensive and bought new. The leather couch finally started to fail. I waited and looked and waited and finally found the same exact leather sofa (newish but probably 20 yrs old, way better than mine) at a thrift store that funds exotic animal rescue and rehab. Win, win!! It was about 200.00 and the new version at the furniture store, which would not be the same quality as my old one, was a few thousand. I hope these young people have patience and realize this can actually be so much fun. Just takes time. Katy, have you seen the IG organization influencers who decant every food/drink item they purchase into clear plastic containers?? So much plastic, waste, money and it doesn’t even seem sanitary. They make me rage!!
We moved from a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house on a city lot to a 500 square foot farm house on acreage. We do have a large machine shed. After living in our little home, what I desire.in a home has probably shifted. And when we do build, it will.feel fabulously posh to us 🙂
However, currently I spend most days working either on the farm or at my straight jobs having a small home isn’t that bad. We often meet friends at the local park to socialize. I do look forward to entertaining again.
I hope that the newbies take up n.c. as a lifestyle and not just a short experiment. I read your money or your life in college as part of a class offered by a community peace organization. Been a lot of water under that bridge!!!
I saw a Facebook video short of this and it seemed like less flashy minimalism. I’m good with the rebranded name. I wish we could slow down manufacturing in our world, but doing that would have all these other impacts economically and socially. I know there’s others who can speak more on that and more clearly. I personally think if we didn’t have new production of clothes, dishes, cars, and appliances for a year everyone would be fine. Instead we could focus on the increase in production of parts for appliances and vehicles, and push for second hand sales and fixing and mending of items. It would be different, but great for the environment. Maybe a turn off button for a year every other year until we actually have scarcity of goods and then turn the engines back on again.
I could write a dystopian novel about it!!!