What do you all think about the positive side of the "underconsumption core"/ underconsumption trend? Does it help you with overconsumption, do you find this peaceful or relatable? Also what percent is your phone 🔋on? It's 11:39 p.m. and I'm on 19% 😭
Thanks for making a positive side video! I think the world needs more positivity. I do think it’s relatable. It’s kinda relieving to see how normal people live. I wish I could reuse plastic grocery store bags but Portland, Oregon has some law that prevents their use or something. But I reuse the paper bags for the recycling and to put my lunch in. BTW FIL = father in law Something that does concern me is reusing the wood from pallets for a food garden. Pallets are treated with some pretty nasty chemicals that shouldn’t be used for growing plants that you’ll be consuming. Lol my phone is at 91% but it’s 9:40 am.
@@SocialSymone thanks for your answer) For an example) from life. A lot of Russian citizens are living like the under consumption core except Moscow and maybe Sanct Petersburg. And think modern people nowadays should move their focus from buying or not buying on some othere activities) btw this is very good trend to be a little more conscious about where do your money go for. Now in Moscow we have 21:33 and my phone charged on 94 %
We need “intentionality core”. Think about what you buy. Consider what you’re decluttering. Think it through and don’t let yourself just get carried away by trends or advertising or “self care” when it’s really just ignoring mental health issues by buying.
56%! And all “underconsumption” things are regular for me, and after I watched that video I thought it maybe the thing for me because I grew up in Russia in the 90s (ifykyk), and my parents are very good about money and not being dumb with buying unnecessary things. 😊
When camping in a tent, you always put your sleeping bag on a little mat WITH an undermat. While that's mostly for insulation from the ground I can imagine something like a straw mat (like how they have tatami in Japan) could work
This. The extra cost of a bedframe is so not worth the mold and health hazard of a matress on the floor! You only need to buy a bedframe once if it is a good one.
The silicone mats are amazing. Cookies never stick, they don't tear easily like foil does, and your cookie sheet pans stay clean. We've had ours for years.
Still wild that normal (just having one or two of things) is now "underconsumption" because people are so used to seeing wild excess. So many of these habits aren't really minimalism, they're just how your parents / grandparents lived because they came up before insane online marketing.
I never felt like people were doing this to “cosplay poor” like some people have been saying. When I first saw it, I felt like it was a ✨cleanse✨ for people’s feeds considering every single short form video is sort of an ad in some way. It’s nice to see normal lives after scrolling through a bunch of curated picture-perfect rooms, wardrobes, and self-care routines! Once a trend gets big like this one has, it definitely can branch off and get misconstrued as people start participating half-heartedly to jump on the trend, but at its heart I’ve always liked this one!
I also fully support making sure you have dry goods and long-term items on hand in your pantry (if you can afford it) so that you have food in case of emergencies. I've lived in places that have earthquakes, fires, snow, etc that all shuts down infrastructure. Making sure you have food on hand that you can eat and clean water that's not from a faucet can be important.
I dont think it's overconsume if what you have is used. Some people have larger families, or like you, homemake meals consistently, so they use what they have. Also, good point to have some extra to get thru some event. We learned that in texas a few years back. We have a way to light, cook, hold water.
I think a lot of "underconsumption core" benefits from the fact that old stuff had much higher quality a decade or two ago. These days you have to shell out serious money for the kind of quality that you got in everyday items in the early 2000s or earlier. Clothes that last for years and years, appliances that don't break down after a few months, solid-wood furniture instead of glued-together cardboard.
Agreed , im in the process of moving and furnishing my new apartment. I plan on buying all my furniture 2nd hand , facebook marketplace has some real gems. Real wood desks , leather couches, and designer tables! All affordable as well :)!
My furniture and appliances are 28 years old. Unfortunately they will probably all break down at once. Kenmore washer and dryer, GE fridge, and range. I still have the wood-panel space-saver microwave, that came with my 1980 built condo, and it still works great! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! That's my motto.
How my fridge looks ✅ Reuse of takeout containers ✅ Reuse of plastic grocery bags ✅ (some grocers will recycle them ♻️ Plastic ware + napkin packaging storage solution: gallon Ziploc bags✅ YES! To the old washers. These new washers just flop wet clothes around. No agitation.🙄
Having had to clean out my Moms house after her passing I just want to remind folks you do not need to keep copies of every bill you ever received and paid....argghhhh....we had a bonfire 🔥
USE A BED-FRAME!!!! Your mattress needs to air out properly to avoid trapped moisture and eventually getting mold! Having it up off the floor helps it to air out!
We're almost there in Toronto, almost everywhere there are no more plastic bags - there are some exceptions, such as restaurants and small grocers, but there is a mandated charge for them.... we also have the bag of bags lol
This just made me not feel as wierd for living minimal or having regular spending habits. The put wayer in shampoo bottles, reusing plastic bags, reusing containers, and ect is normal feels refreshing to see people not oversumming for no reason
That's great. So many people feel social pressure to spend more than makes sense for their budget. It really helps to be in more supportive social circles.
Having resources and “under consuming” is living below your means and saving/investing money. Over consumption keeps you living paycheck to paycheck and spending it when you got it.
Really enjoying this underconsumption content Symone. There is something so beautiful to me about people carefully curating their wardrobes and homes and really cherishing those things. If more of us implemented this, the world would be better for it.
I underconsumed hugely for YEARS on end in every category in life, and then one year I went beserk and bought everything I loved without second thought. I mean high end china etc. Now I'm back to underconsumption because that's it, my wish list was fulfilled after 20 damn years, and bonus, my kids now want them as heirlooms because let's face it, the stuff is gorgeous. There are benefits to waiting. ❤ I'm the girl with a $150 pp place setting and a tub filled with old clothes that were hemmed and repurposed into handkerchiefs for the family because tissues are a waste of money. I save glass jars to store items.. I have two pairs of shoes... because balance. Healthy consumption to me means essentials only consumption in all areas and then a little overconsumption in your absolutely loved and treasured area.
23:52 I’m from Russia, and my mom washes and stores plastic tupperwares from sour cream, cheeses and etc. and then she stores leftovers in it. - I do the same thing now lol We also do everything that this girl listed under “Asian mom core” 😂 LOVE IT!!!
Canadian here, but I use glass pickle jars for so many things - keeps things better, and I can see what's in them - I also bought two larger ziplock containers a couple years ago, to go along with my old Tupperware I've been using for years - if my bf can't tell what something is, he'll never find it, so, gotta work with that. Asian mom core made me laugh
One of my biggest hacks as a broke student that still wants some makeup/skincare is to buy peoples subscription boxes. Like glossybox och ipsy boxes. Many people sell the things they don’t want in the boxes and it’s usually really cheap! I got a big eyeshadow palette, an Elisabeth Arden face cream, two full size clay masks and a mini pixi toner for like 15 dollars.
There are some products you can use after they expire (if they weren't opened before). Like yogurt, you can easily eat it if it's a few weeks after the expiring date and it's not smelly or the package looks a bit like a balloon.
RE: the Coach bag, I think people sometimes forget, that in order to under-consume, buy the best you can afford and wear it constantly, wear it out, then repair it, or thrift flip it. Love it till it falls apart on you 😂 Get that 'cost per wear' price down to pennies if you can 😊 In my case, I buy the best quality I can find secondhand! I once found a £100 raincoat for £5 in the charity shop! Have you ever heard the term 'we're too poor to buy cheap' or 'buy cheap, buy twice'? My parents drilled that into us. Whenever I hear or read the Captain Samuel Vimes 'boots theory' by a Terry Pratchett, I think of my dad 😊
2:03 for the grocery thing, as the food gets eaten and there's space in the fridge, fill that space with literally anything (ie jugs of water) to make the fridge run more efficiently. Physics is not a minimalist, but the more stuff you have in the fridge, the less the temperature drops when you open the door so the less you pay electricity to run the fridge. Of course on the other hand, there's such a thing as too full where there isn't room for the air to circulate properly, but that's a comment for the maximalists.
Corningware was/is a really reputable brand of ceramic baking/casserole dishes. She appears to have vintage sets--they have the designs. My grandma still has hers.
We have that too, but you can still sometimes get them for a 10 cent charge - I'm using up old ones we have, and then... I guess I'll go from there haha
I was given a basic genuine black coach purse for my 18th birthday when I was a broke college student in business school. While stained a bit on the inside, it is still in great overall almost 15 years later. It also is classic and always in style. Pyrex, Corelle, Corningware, and Anchor are my kitchen essentials in terms of brands. When in doubt, pyrex is always a good go-to shower, wedding, or graduation gift! Also, FIL / MIL is Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. I absolutely re-use the takeout containers from our local Italian restaurant. They are great for sending food places because you don’t care as much if you don’t get them back, but they are still nice and sturdy.
I think the name is meant to counter the other trends that are showing excessive consumption like big collections of Stanley Cups with all those accessories, restocking, luxury clothes etc.
I think it needs it for now, because the normal for at least Americans is Compulsive Consumption. Ask any of us with Boomer Parents who have piles of just stuff they refuse to get rid of. My MIL has paired down from 3 to just 1 storage unit. We haven't seen true underconsumption in this country since WW2. We tried post-Great Recession with Minimalism, but social media has accelerated consumption due to the skewed perception of what is normal. Go ahead and call it undercomsumption until we can make it the norm.
Going back to the last clip, having the ability to choose minimalism as a flex reminds me of the really old book “The Millionaire Next Door”, which focuses around how wealthy people can get wealthy because they are frugal.
That’s a great book! I’ve got a friend that doesn’t understand why people with money would want to be frugal. She considers not spending every penny to be cheap. I don’t get her rationale at all.
People usually run to declutter because they don't like how their house looks but in that case you really don't need to declutter, you need to accept that not your entire house needs to be aesthetic. Your "junk" drawer doesn't have to be aesthetic. Not even your makeup collection needs to be aesthetic. It is completely fine to have items in your house, or pieces in your wardrobe, that you only use once in a blue moon. Keep it. The same way money shouldn't be burning a hole in your pocket just because you ain't spending it, that lipgloss or ordinary not cute bowl shouldn't be itching you to get rid of it just because it don't look too cute or you don't use it often. Because you WILL be in the mood for lipgloss at some point and there WILL be a use for that bowl you don't like that much because it's not a part of your cute lil set.
If you have open shelf storage then it's possible that nothing looks aesthetic.But if things have their place, it's great to have everything in sight and accessible. I think that's one possible trap of minimalism that people try to mimic the aesthetics.
I’ve been living like this for years. Started living minimally since the pandemic and have slowly curated my home and closet to the things that bring me joy. I’ve gotten inspiration from Shelbizleee, Marie Kondo, The Minimalists, and etc. I LOVE it! Just like that last video says, I feel SUCH confidence with my life and the things that I bring into it. It gives me so much joy to live the way I do. I only buy the food I know I’ll eat. I only have one purse that I bought secondhand and I love it. I buy 99% of my clothes from secondhand shops or I get gifted from friends who want to declutter their closets. I’m a flight attendant and I pack very minimally and I love not having so much stuff with me. My small little apartment is so minimal and decorated with personal and sentimental decor and it’s my favorite place in the world! I stay off of social media to not be tempted to be influenced and I feel such peace. This is my favorite trend though!
AHHH about the washers! YES! Our last house had a new one - where you just throw everything in DRY and it fills with water and soap once its on. My husband is a landscaper... let just say we constantly felt like the clothes weren't getting clean. Our new place has an older model washer and that thing does the job! It only works on like one cycle but it works!
I used to feel guilty about all the packaged plastic cutlery I had in my house but then on a roadtrip I put a bag of them in my glove compartment. What a game changer. Now that’s where I store the extra and without a fail they get used up regularly. A win-win for me and traveling use.
Okay I went from an agitator washer to one without and the only difference is my clothes not getting MANGLED. They’re still perfectly washed but without a hoodie string wrapped around the agitator. Some people really just overload their machines.
I keep plastic forks/ napkins in my car because I sometimes forget to pack silverware for lunch, or for a picnic. And have extra napkins while you are on the go is always a good thing.
As far as it feeling like food goes bad quickly, a lot of things can be frozen in addition to meat. I have frozen thick veggies (ie, broccoli, carrots, etc.), salads (to re-purpose as the veggies in soups and other cooked dishes where a crunchy texture is not needed from the veggies), bread, cheese (again, if it’s going to be melted in a dish, the small change in texture becomes a moot point), yogurt, leftovers, etc. A lot of foods that go bad quickly can be frozen to lock in their freshness so you can use them later. The freezer is so often overlooked as a resource for reducing food waste.
Do you guys not use reuse your store bags for the next time you go shopping?? Here in the UK, they are not free, so we always reuse them and replace them when they break, lol.
In Connecticut and probably some other states bags are not free either, but while I was living there, I was forgetting mine in the car all the time. Now I use huge 2 bags from Aldi as my shopping bags, they usually hold the perfect amount of stuff, and I don’t overbuy LOL
European here too. I used to do that a long time ago, but I don't buy any plastic bags from shops, I put everything in my backpack and big sports bag. So I kinda have to buy trash bags:( But yeah it's easier to carry my stuff home that way, because I don't have a car, I walk almost everywhere
23:37 🤣🤣🤣🤣 my mom is Filipino and yeah we LOVE THESE. They are also super convenient when you need to catch a spider and send one outside like i did earlier today.
We hoard plastic store bags for daily kitty litter disposal... and mini trash can liners... we recycle the extra at the store drop off. Wal-Mart sacks are so helpful!
I love your commentary 😂 You don’t mess around but it’s never offensive. Had me giggling at the spices and then the “Mmm, I don’t like pickles, but that’s a nice jar. If you like it, then I love it.”
Silicon mats for baking are the best! Yes they do get kind of crusty looking but they are clean and last years! Ive had mine for about 5 years and they look cleaner then the ones in the video but yes love them so much
Best decision of my life was buying an espresso maker (these traditional ones you put on the stove) and making my own lattes. It's so much cheaper than buying a coffee for 7$ every day.
We've been making our coffee at home for years, and last Christmas, Santa brought my bf a coffee maker - he loves it. A container of coffee costs about $15-$30 here, and it's almost $3 for a cheap coffee at a chain coffee shop, so I figure we're doing okay :)
My family growing up was maternal side (Native American White Mixed) and my step-paternal side (Hispanic, Native American, White Mix) - We did all these things. At this point I think it is universal to every family who wasn't born into wealth.
Not even watched fully yet, but I'm so happy you've made this video ❤ seen a bunch of people hating on this trend and it's really been bumming me out. Your last video on the subject was completely fair and reasonable, but there's a whole bunch of really positive stuff to say too
Feel as if I went on this journey on my own this year. Disgusted with overconsumption, corporate greed, marketing to manipulate you to buy. Learning to be a conscious consumer and thinking more about where my money goes and learning to thrift for things I might need. Really excited for this trend to keep me motivated to keep on this journey and keep learning from others.
First off, dead over your reaction to them seasonings🤣... But also I have the green onions regrowing in my kitchen window seal I do it everytime lol. Let your husband know it works in the winter too.
I support a minimal girlie, but pls season your food to whatever taste you prefer and not to match an aesthetic, and also, if you're gonna put your bed on the floor, make sure you're regularly checking the *entire* thing for mold, wetness, or any signs of damage. I don't have a frame, but my bed came with these cool plastic platform things because, as stated by the people that installed it and gave them to me, "this bed will break on the floor and get mold too quickly". (I have a sleep number for the last 23yrs, so I recognise that air chambers are different types of beds). Husband and I's shower products consist of a shared soap, a shampoo each, and he has conditioner, I have foam to shave my legs. And yeah when CA did that ban on plastic grocery bags it was rough trying to reuse the grocery bags because they just weren't there anymore. I could keep going, and my family's been a pretty good range from very low middle class/high poverty all the way to mid-middle class, life changes fast and things don't get thrown out until they're broken. Our kitchen table was $10 at an estate sale and we still have to restain it cos it's dirty and from the 80s with that honey oak colour thing.
You can get so much inspiration from these types of videos when it comes to home decor, the "mismatched" glasses and jars were a great example. I'm just so happy to see people of tiktok finally start to realise that your stuff doesn't have to match to be ✨aesthetically pleasing✨
I support minimalism but getting a bed frame and more than two spices is not overconsumption lmfaooo please be so for real. Going that much in the opposite direction makes the movement seem nutty, not aspirational. A mattress on the floor??? Unhygienic. It needs to breathe! Some items in life have actual important uses…
6:13 last year i spent >1k on skincare...gave myself dermatitis. my skin was perfect before i started using skincare! i just got obsessed because it was fun and relaxing. my advice is don't get into skincare if you don't have specific skin concerns, stick to basics, and slowly add new products, like one a month. now i use soap, one oil and sunscreen.
Unless you're hunting overpopulated species constantly, you're better off buying meat from the grocery store then killing what remains of our native species
The best thing about underconsumption or minimalistic life style is that everything in my home has a purpose and/or was picked out with intention it's definitely refreshing from how I was raised my mom was s hoarder. It's not for everyone and people I hope are doing what works best for them but when I made the switch it was hard at first but it takes time it's not an overnight adjustment. And I'm still after 5 years and it's always a life long journey and lifestyle to not be overly attached to things that are not beneficial to your life.
In my opinion reusing containers, grocery bags, and squeezing/scraping out every drop of product isn't so much cultural. It is more related to households where every penny counted (lower middle class and below mostly). I am white & relate to all of that stuff. Heck my parents would save slivers of soap bars and pressed/reformed them into one bar before buying more soap. Nothing was wasted. It's way more common than people realize across all walks of life. Previous generations learned frugal ways due to economic hardships. The economy being what it is now is probably why this has become a "trend." It's more like a rediscovered way of living that those who lived through the great depression, war time, or being first generation immigrants without much money adapted. I like that people are aware of their consumption habits. But not sure how I feel about it being a "trend."
I grew up like this, being very frugal by necessity. My big family was low income. This trend is a return to living like our grandparents and great-grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and WWII, and I think that's why so many different cultures can relate to simple things like reusing plastic containers and glass jars. I enjoy seeing this trend become more popular but it's strange for me to see that some people are doing these things for the first time. It's overall better for our wallets, homes, mental health and natural resources.
Sewing is awesome I love being able to use a pattern I like again and again :D infinite favourite clothes. And being able to make cloth items last way longer.
You definitely don't NEED all sorts of lip glosses and lipsticks, and will totally be fine with just one Carmex until it's done for, but also, makeup can be a form of self-expression or a hobby. I'm against huge collections and hoarding, but having some stash in moderation if you're into that thing is totally fine imo. Like, I have more than one eyeshadow pallete, but it's also not a whole freaking drawer, and I use all of them, whenever I feel like having a different color or style, same with lip stains or eyeliners. You might just want to have a small variation of that in your life, and that's also fine. If you can afford it, that is.
I'm same but with clothes. Makeup I don't have much, but I love having lots of clothes and having fun with it- and I think so long as I am not using shit like Shein, that's fine.
unity between all poc for reusing tupperware/takeout, condiments, getting tissues and sugar/splendas from coffee shops for free, keeping a bag of reusable bags for groceries, and basically living the "underconsumption core" life. gotta use it through and THROUGH
I put my kitchen utensils in these huge beer steins and beer das boots from Germany. It’s just so much more practical than having them sitting around for no reason! Plus, they look awesome!
I just love your personality! Just found your content and love it! Trying to get right with our finances finally! So need to unsubsidized from content that influences me to purchase more stuff! Thanks for what you do ! Blessings!
Having mismatched glasses and mugs is the best. Everyone in the house has their favourite, and when someone new comes over, whichever cup they choose is interesting. Same for when you go to someone elses house with mismatched cups. You choose one and your friend is like "oh that one? Haha okay 😂" and you just get attached to it.
I own a few coach purses, both were given to me secondhand. My plates and bowls were all mismatched until my in-laws gave us their old, chipped matching set when they got new ones. As far as skincare, I only use a cleanser and a moisturizer, which I do get from lush, but they last ne months before I have to replace them. I haven't had to buy clothes in years because my mom (young mother who thinks she's even younger than she is) wears the same size as me and loves to shop clearance sales, but I also still have clothes I had in high school, and I'm 27 now. All of my furniture was off marketplace or donated by family who were getting rid of it. Even my bedframe was my great grandmother's
I have a theory about social media trends. Humans have evolved to be communal beings and younger generations seem physically distant from their peers. SM trends seem to be a substitute for feeling like you are part of something. It seems superficial but I really think it’s just driven by a deeper desire to relate to others.
Oh I love the silicone mats, mainly because it was so annoying trying to cut the parchment paper to fit perfectly in the cookie sheet, but I also think it make the bake more even
I feel like getting rid of things is missing the mark on the "trend" the buy/declutter cycle is nonstop online and it's so disheartening. I do "swap parties" with friends where we bring stuff/products that we have no use for anymore and we trade what we want and everything leftover goes to a local women's shelter. It's a lot of fun to "shop" friends clothing, makeup, etc!
I moved around the globe for the life I live now and one of the things I miss is being surrounded by all those things that belonged to family members. I only carry a few small pieces that connect me to my grandparents and my father as well as a few pieces of jewelry that are 150+ years old. They feel good
I have a cast iron pan that I've had since I was 4 years old, I'm 58 (I asked for it for Christmas, cause I wanted to cook with my mom, it's a little one), I also have a large one, a gift from my mom when I moved out, It's over 70 years old. Followed pretty much all the under- consumption, " normal things" in this video all my life.
We grew up with a single mom and we didnt waste anything! My grandmother rinsed out ziplock bags and we reused them. I can remember seeing them turned inside out air drying in the dish rack. We are a white family, and Im now in my 60's and can afford to over consume. I find no joy in too much stuff and peace in just things we really love and use. I am an esthetic to the bone and my home is a mix of vintage, antique and mid-century, ALL purchsed at thrift stores and yard sales or market place. I love my home! Ive filled it things I love and find no reason to over consume. More things, less peace.
A lot of countries have banned single use plastics. We haven't had plastic shopping bags for years in Australia. We get given wooden cutlery and compostable straws, food bowls and coffee lids.
A lot of these things are just chronically online people desperate for attention and content. And a lot have zero sense of who they are/aren’t interesting enough to be themselves without jumping on idiotic renames bandwagons every 3-5 business days.
I used to be really to candles, and I still have several cleaned out glass candle jars that I used to store food in and teabags in. The really pretty decorative jars with the metal lids make fantastic containers for bathroom items like Q-tips and cotton balls. I reuse plastic grocery bags whenever I’m scooping out my litter box and as trashcan liners. Instead of disposable facial cloths, I use regular glycerin soap with reusable infant bath cloths. I’ve also ditched the fancy bath washes for just plain bar soap. I refill my hand soap and use a concentrated all purpose cleaner that I haven’t even made a dent in two years. I use reusable water bottles and stainless steel drinkware that never has to be replaced. I can’t even remember the last time I bought bottled water. I avoid convenience foods, eat out about 2 to 3 times a month, and bring all my lunches to work in reusable containers with reusable silverware. Probably the biggest savings though is my house. I was tempted by the typical dream house in the nice subdivision but opted for an older bungalow in a less fancy area. My home is only about 735 ft.², but my mortgage is under $600
My husband's aunt is keeping her fridge door closed with an old tied bike tire😂😂😂 And she added 3 rooms to her house since the door broke off, but she denies buying a fridge, because "it's still doing its job"
I love your humour 😂😂 So true about growing up in an ethnic household, I could relate to everything. My mum's Colombian and I remember being a kid, shouting from the bathroom "mummmm we've run out of toothpaste!!" She would come in with a pair of scissors and show me that we absolutely had more to go 😂
I feel like this trend will lead to a lot of people throwing out 2/3 of their perfectly good stuff only to buy most of it back in 6 months once it isn't trendy
What really hit for me was when you said underconsumption looks different for everybody. That’s so true! Instead of us all having to go out and buy the same thing and look homogeneous, everyone uses the resources they have in different ways! I’m still glad it’s trending, and I hope it stays.
Sewing is GOATED. If I love a piece of clothing, I wear it for as long as I can keep it in good shape. I've been able to fix small issues with my clothes that were otherwise perfectly fine, rather than buying something new. Especially with how cheaply most clothing is made now, it's a great money saver to be able to just patch a hole, re-attach a strap that snaps off, or replace a button.
this is just common sense... My grandparents and Parents re"use things all the time... I have towels from 30 years ago maybe and jars from 60 years ago. But it also means that I can still live on my own in my family''s appartment without having a job yet. So for me undercomsumption is being lucky not to buy anything new all the time. ' Also I am from France and watching US overconsumption is just craaaaaazy)
We do not vacation, eat out or order in any food, buy coffee/tea out, and do not give gifts for any reason in our home(except children). No holiday decor either
We have the plastic mixed with silverware, reusable grocery bag full of grocery bags 😆,pots and pans passed down from family, and currently giving away baby items because we're about to have a 2 year old (time for big boy toys). It's nice to see the under (or normal) side of consumption since most of us are living normal lives. As long as it's done in a healthy manner and not like Extreme Cheapstakes on TLC.
Shelbizleee, is an OG when it comes to underconsumption, minimalism, eco living, etc. I have been following her for YEARS (on YT before tiktok was a thing). She lives her mission, very worth a follow. Also i wish the Stanley had never become a trend because i feel like i always have to defend mine. I love stanly products ive had the samenstanlybthermos for like 10+ years and the cup is perfect fore cause of the handle.
The reusable Tupperware is imo a working class thing. When you strive for every cent you reuse. My grandparents came of age during the great depression they saved EVERYTHING.
What do you all think about the positive side of the "underconsumption core"/ underconsumption trend? Does it help you with overconsumption, do you find this peaceful or relatable? Also what percent is your phone 🔋on? It's 11:39 p.m. and I'm on 19% 😭
Thanks for making a positive side video! I think the world needs more positivity. I do think it’s relatable. It’s kinda relieving to see how normal people live. I wish I could reuse plastic grocery store bags but Portland, Oregon has some law that prevents their use or something. But I reuse the paper bags for the recycling and to put my lunch in.
BTW FIL = father in law
Something that does concern me is reusing the wood from pallets for a food garden. Pallets are treated with some pretty nasty chemicals that shouldn’t be used for growing plants that you’ll be consuming.
Lol my phone is at 91% but it’s 9:40 am.
@@SocialSymone thanks for your answer) For an example) from life. A lot of Russian citizens are living like the under consumption core except Moscow and maybe Sanct Petersburg. And think modern people nowadays should move their focus from buying or not buying on some othere activities) btw this is very good trend to be a little more conscious about where do your money go for. Now in Moscow we have 21:33 and my phone charged on 94 %
We need “intentionality core”. Think about what you buy. Consider what you’re decluttering. Think it through and don’t let yourself just get carried away by trends or advertising or “self care” when it’s really just ignoring mental health issues by buying.
56%! And all “underconsumption” things are regular for me, and after I watched that video I thought it maybe the thing for me because I grew up in Russia in the 90s (ifykyk), and my parents are very good about money and not being dumb with buying unnecessary things. 😊
FIL is Father-In-Law
1:18 underconsumption core does not mean the kitchen spice cabinet no ma’am. 😂
Exactly cause ma’am absolutely not… I am calling the cops
The mattress on the floor leads to molding on the underside and on the carpet. Just get a little lifted frame and it’ll save your security deposit.
Yes. And a frame is only about $30 or $40 and they are adjustable for different bed sizes. You can keep them for decades
@@jenniferwells2291 where do you buy frames? I bought the cheapest in the area and it was 100$ and it's not adjustable at all
Yes!!! Theres always cheap ones on estate sale bidding sites. Tou can pay $30 for a bedroom set if youre patient
When camping in a tent, you always put your sleeping bag on a little mat WITH an undermat. While that's mostly for insulation from the ground I can imagine something like a straw mat (like how they have tatami in Japan) could work
This. The extra cost of a bedframe is so not worth the mold and health hazard of a matress on the floor! You only need to buy a bedframe once if it is a good one.
Honestly I hate to allow myself to search for others validation but the underconsumption core makes me feel A LOT BETTER about my living situation.
Same! I feel more relaxed showing that I’m fixing things that are broken, and using things that don’t look athletics and etc.
Dont feel bad! It always feels good to feel represented/ see representation of yourself in media
I agree HOWEVER the "core" at the end leaves a bad taste in my mouth
The silicone mats are amazing. Cookies never stick, they don't tear easily like foil does, and your cookie sheet pans stay clean. We've had ours for years.
ill be getting some.
Same! They're so handy to use
Same
I just bought three for three cents. @ DG ..
Cut one in half used for air fryer & one in roast rack… 😂😂😂🎉🎉
I use silicon baking cups, too.
Still wild that normal (just having one or two of things) is now "underconsumption" because people are so used to seeing wild excess. So many of these habits aren't really minimalism, they're just how your parents / grandparents lived because they came up before insane online marketing.
There are worse things trending on social media so I won't complain this time 😅
I never felt like people were doing this to “cosplay poor” like some people have been saying. When I first saw it, I felt like it was a ✨cleanse✨ for people’s feeds considering every single short form video is sort of an ad in some way. It’s nice to see normal lives after scrolling through a bunch of curated picture-perfect rooms, wardrobes, and self-care routines! Once a trend gets big like this one has, it definitely can branch off and get misconstrued as people start participating half-heartedly to jump on the trend, but at its heart I’ve always liked this one!
"Everything single one is a an ad" you in no Fandoms? What's that Batman edit by user Blink123 trying to sell me? Batman comics? I doubt it. 😂
@@amyaurion I mean…yes? Maybe that user won’t directly profit from you buying something but I’m referring to how all media that we see affects us.
I’m going to over consume my spice cabinet, refrigerator, and pantry just bc I cook homemade meals everyday for my family
I also fully support making sure you have dry goods and long-term items on hand in your pantry (if you can afford it) so that you have food in case of emergencies. I've lived in places that have earthquakes, fires, snow, etc that all shuts down infrastructure. Making sure you have food on hand that you can eat and clean water that's not from a faucet can be important.
I dont think it's overconsume if what you have is used. Some people have larger families, or like you, homemake meals consistently, so they use what they have. Also, good point to have some extra to get thru some event. We learned that in texas a few years back. We have a way to light, cook, hold water.
@@wickedtess9407 This. It's not overconsuming if you're buying food to cook average-sized meals for your family.
Bravo! Real upscale life--home cooking.
I think a lot of "underconsumption core" benefits from the fact that old stuff had much higher quality a decade or two ago. These days you have to shell out serious money for the kind of quality that you got in everyday items in the early 2000s or earlier. Clothes that last for years and years, appliances that don't break down after a few months, solid-wood furniture instead of glued-together cardboard.
💯
Agreed , im in the process of moving and furnishing my new apartment. I plan on buying all my furniture 2nd hand , facebook marketplace has some real gems. Real wood desks , leather couches, and designer tables! All affordable as well :)!
My sofa is second hand for 400 only six months old 2,000 new dining set 40 Facebook market painti ngs photographs my husband,took put,on canvas
My furniture and appliances are 28 years old. Unfortunately they will probably all break down at once. Kenmore washer and dryer, GE fridge, and range. I still have the wood-panel space-saver microwave, that came with my 1980 built condo, and it still works great! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! That's my motto.
How my fridge looks ✅
Reuse of takeout containers ✅
Reuse of plastic grocery bags ✅ (some grocers will recycle them ♻️
Plastic ware + napkin packaging storage solution: gallon Ziploc bags✅
YES! To the old washers. These new washers just flop wet clothes around. No agitation.🙄
Hi! You can use grocery bags for garbage. It's years and years that we've have been doing so😊
Folks, keeping your mattress on the floor isn't a good idea! It leads to mold :\
Yes. Get a product meant for the floor.
I love your bat profile pic! 🦇
@@YurinanAcquiline Yup! Or at least milk crates or a cheapo metal bed frame.
@@stephanieg2000 Thank you!!!
Waited for this comment! It will hurt your respiratory system and ruin your bed and carpet!
Having had to clean out my Moms house after her passing I just want to remind folks you do not need to keep copies of every bill you ever received and paid....argghhhh....we had a bonfire 🔥
USE A BED-FRAME!!!!
Your mattress needs to air out properly to avoid trapped moisture and eventually getting mold! Having it up off the floor helps it to air out!
I live in NJ and plastic bags are banned but I miss having my stash of plastic bags because I used to use them as trash bags too 😂
Yep. All disposable bags are illegal in California. 🙄
My first thought when plastic bags were banned in Vic Aus was, but what will I put my rubish in!
We're almost there in Toronto, almost everywhere there are no more plastic bags - there are some exceptions, such as restaurants and small grocers, but there is a mandated charge for them.... we also have the bag of bags lol
Yep Nj here too, I was just in FL for a week and hoarded plastic bags while I was there!
We have to pay an .08 cent tax per bag in WA. I still get them, use them for cat litter.
This just made me not feel as wierd for living minimal or having regular spending habits. The put wayer in shampoo bottles, reusing plastic bags, reusing containers, and ect is normal feels refreshing to see people not oversumming for no reason
That's great. So many people feel social pressure to spend more than makes sense for their budget. It really helps to be in more supportive social circles.
Having resources and “under consuming” is living below your means and saving/investing money.
Over consumption keeps you living paycheck to paycheck and spending it when you got it.
Really enjoying this underconsumption content Symone. There is something so beautiful to me about people carefully curating their wardrobes and homes and really cherishing those things. If more of us implemented this, the world would be better for it.
Hey sis !! ❤😊
FIL- father in law
Mil -mother in law
I underconsumed hugely for YEARS on end in every category in life, and then one year I went beserk and bought everything I loved without second thought. I mean high end china etc. Now I'm back to underconsumption because that's it, my wish list was fulfilled after 20 damn years, and bonus, my kids now want them as heirlooms because let's face it, the stuff is gorgeous. There are benefits to waiting. ❤
I'm the girl with a $150 pp place setting and a tub filled with old clothes that were hemmed and repurposed into handkerchiefs for the family because tissues are a waste of money. I save glass jars to store items.. I have two pairs of shoes... because balance. Healthy consumption to me means essentials only consumption in all areas and then a little overconsumption in your absolutely loved and treasured area.
23:52 I’m from Russia, and my mom washes and stores plastic tupperwares from sour cream, cheeses and etc. and then she stores leftovers in it. - I do the same thing now lol
We also do everything that this girl listed under “Asian mom core” 😂 LOVE IT!!!
Canadian here, but I use glass pickle jars for so many things - keeps things better, and I can see what's in them - I also bought two larger ziplock containers a couple years ago, to go along with my old Tupperware I've been using for years - if my bf can't tell what something is, he'll never find it, so, gotta work with that. Asian mom core made me laugh
One of my biggest hacks as a broke student that still wants some makeup/skincare is to buy peoples subscription boxes. Like glossybox och ipsy boxes. Many people sell the things they don’t want in the boxes and it’s usually really cheap! I got a big eyeshadow palette, an Elisabeth Arden face cream, two full size clay masks and a mini pixi toner for like 15 dollars.
"Ignore my nails like y'all ignore your bank statements" gir...l i just SUBSCRIBED 😂😂😂
I'm fine with it as long as we're not using expired products either way with over or under consumption
Yes! But don’t confused expired and best before. Best before means BEST before but fine after
@M_SC Fr cause I won't drink milk after the best buy date but everything else can last a fee more days, you just gotta smell it and you'll know
@@cherryj1425 Careful with meat and eggs!
There are some products you can use after they expire (if they weren't opened before). Like yogurt, you can easily eat it if it's a few weeks after the expiring date and it's not smelly or the package looks a bit like a balloon.
RE: the Coach bag, I think people sometimes forget, that in order to under-consume, buy the best you can afford and wear it constantly, wear it out, then repair it, or thrift flip it. Love it till it falls apart on you 😂 Get that 'cost per wear' price down to pennies if you can 😊 In my case, I buy the best quality I can find secondhand! I once found a £100 raincoat for £5 in the charity shop!
Have you ever heard the term 'we're too poor to buy cheap' or 'buy cheap, buy twice'? My parents drilled that into us. Whenever I hear or read the Captain Samuel Vimes 'boots theory' by a Terry Pratchett, I think of my dad 😊
Even the King of England has repaired shoes and repaired suits, etc.
2:03 for the grocery thing, as the food gets eaten and there's space in the fridge, fill that space with literally anything (ie jugs of water) to make the fridge run more efficiently. Physics is not a minimalist, but the more stuff you have in the fridge, the less the temperature drops when you open the door so the less you pay electricity to run the fridge. Of course on the other hand, there's such a thing as too full where there isn't room for the air to circulate properly, but that's a comment for the maximalists.
Corningware was/is a really reputable brand of ceramic baking/casserole dishes. She appears to have vintage sets--they have the designs. My grandma still has hers.
We have my husband's late grandmother's set of baking and casserole dishes. They are indeed the ones with the designs.
Shelbizzleee is someone I've followed for years for anticonsumerism/eco friendly zero waste/reduced waste topics!
I love her and you ❤
The key to wealth is getting to the point that you could do Dior hauls but you keep doing Dollar Tree hauls.
Maybe, but from a consumption perspective doing hauls at all is a bit much.
Extremes are bad. Quality, not quantity. Cheap don't last, but expensive doesn't necessarily means quality either.
Coach is a good brand. I'd rather have a Coach bag than a Prada or LV bag any day.
Especially since the LVMH exposé in Milan showed Dior bags cost €57 to make because they're using slave labour!
Yes. They're luxury but affordable.
I bought my coach wallet 6years ago and it’s still does the job so well
Martha Stewart uses those Silpat mats. I got one 59,000 years ago. And that boy is still giving.
Thanks for the rec!
we don't get plastic bags here anymore, it feels so wasteful to have to buy mini trash bags now 😭
We have that too, but you can still sometimes get them for a 10 cent charge - I'm using up old ones we have, and then... I guess I'll go from there haha
I was given a basic genuine black coach purse for my 18th birthday when I was a broke college student in business school. While stained a bit on the inside, it is still in great overall almost 15 years later. It also is classic and always in style.
Pyrex, Corelle, Corningware, and Anchor are my kitchen essentials in terms of brands. When in doubt, pyrex is always a good go-to shower, wedding, or graduation gift! Also, FIL / MIL is Father-in-law and Mother-in-law.
I absolutely re-use the takeout containers from our local Italian restaurant. They are great for sending food places because you don’t care as much if you don’t get them back, but they are still nice and sturdy.
Let's stop giving fancy names to what's known as normal consumption by the average person. Under consumption is a b******* name given to normal use.
I think the name is meant to counter the other trends that are showing excessive consumption like big collections of Stanley Cups with all those accessories, restocking, luxury clothes etc.
No. Because it’s a trend. A trend is different from something normal. Doing it as a trend means it should have a different name.
I think it needs it for now, because the normal for at least Americans is Compulsive Consumption. Ask any of us with Boomer Parents who have piles of just stuff they refuse to get rid of. My MIL has paired down from 3 to just 1 storage unit. We haven't seen true underconsumption in this country since WW2. We tried post-Great Recession with Minimalism, but social media has accelerated consumption due to the skewed perception of what is normal. Go ahead and call it undercomsumption until we can make it the norm.
@@MelissaEdwards86agreed!
Yesssssss!
Going back to the last clip, having the ability to choose minimalism as a flex reminds me of the really old book “The Millionaire Next Door”, which focuses around how wealthy people can get wealthy because they are frugal.
That’s a great book! I’ve got a friend that doesn’t understand why people with money would want to be frugal. She considers not spending every penny to be cheap. I don’t get her rationale at all.
I love how you draw the line at seasoning when it comes to underconsumption, you're so real for this 😂
People usually run to declutter because they don't like how their house looks but in that case you really don't need to declutter, you need to accept that not your entire house needs to be aesthetic. Your "junk" drawer doesn't have to be aesthetic. Not even your makeup collection needs to be aesthetic. It is completely fine to have items in your house, or pieces in your wardrobe, that you only use once in a blue moon. Keep it. The same way money shouldn't be burning a hole in your pocket just because you ain't spending it, that lipgloss or ordinary not cute bowl shouldn't be itching you to get rid of it just because it don't look too cute or you don't use it often.
Because you WILL be in the mood for lipgloss at some point and there WILL be a use for that bowl you don't like that much because it's not a part of your cute lil set.
If you have open shelf storage then it's possible that nothing looks aesthetic.But if things have their place, it's great to have everything in sight and accessible.
I think that's one possible trap of minimalism that people try to mimic the aesthetics.
My mom saves food containers like crazy. She says thats my inheritance.
Do we have the same mom? 😅
I’ve been living like this for years. Started living minimally since the pandemic and have slowly curated my home and closet to the things that bring me joy. I’ve gotten inspiration from Shelbizleee, Marie Kondo, The Minimalists, and etc.
I LOVE it! Just like that last video says, I feel SUCH confidence with my life and the things that I bring into it. It gives me so much joy to live the way I do. I only buy the food I know I’ll eat. I only have one purse that I bought secondhand and I love it. I buy 99% of my clothes from secondhand shops or I get gifted from friends who want to declutter their closets. I’m a flight attendant and I pack very minimally and I love not having so much stuff with me. My small little apartment is so minimal and decorated with personal and sentimental decor and it’s my favorite place in the world!
I stay off of social media to not be tempted to be influenced and I feel such peace. This is my favorite trend though!
Wow your skin is glowing. Lipbalm and water!! Solid tips 😊
AHHH about the washers! YES! Our last house had a new one - where you just throw everything in DRY and it fills with water and soap once its on. My husband is a landscaper... let just say we constantly felt like the clothes weren't getting clean. Our new place has an older model washer and that thing does the job! It only works on like one cycle but it works!
1:50 call me old fashioned but most of this is the way I been living my whole life (minus the lack of seasonings).
I like the old washers because they submerge the clothes in water. The new washers are stingy with the water.
Yeessssss!
Same with toilets, dishwashers and etc!!!
I used to feel guilty about all the packaged plastic cutlery I had in my house but then on a roadtrip I put a bag of them in my glove compartment. What a game changer. Now that’s where I store the extra and without a fail they get used up regularly. A win-win for me and traveling use.
Okay I went from an agitator washer to one without and the only difference is my clothes not getting MANGLED. They’re still perfectly washed but without a hoodie string wrapped around the agitator. Some people really just overload their machines.
I keep plastic forks/ napkins in my car because I sometimes forget to pack silverware for lunch, or for a picnic. And have extra napkins while you are on the go is always a good thing.
As far as it feeling like food goes bad quickly, a lot of things can be frozen in addition to meat. I have frozen thick veggies (ie, broccoli, carrots, etc.), salads (to re-purpose as the veggies in soups and other cooked dishes where a crunchy texture is not needed from the veggies), bread, cheese (again, if it’s going to be melted in a dish, the small change in texture becomes a moot point), yogurt, leftovers, etc. A lot of foods that go bad quickly can be frozen to lock in their freshness so you can use them later. The freezer is so often overlooked as a resource for reducing food waste.
Yep. Sales on produce in season are flavorful and cheap deals.
Do you guys not use reuse your store bags for the next time you go shopping??
Here in the UK, they are not free, so we always reuse them and replace them when they break, lol.
In Connecticut and probably some other states bags are not free either, but while I was living there, I was forgetting mine in the car all the time. Now I use huge 2 bags from Aldi as my shopping bags, they usually hold the perfect amount of stuff, and I don’t overbuy LOL
European here too. I used to do that a long time ago, but I don't buy any plastic bags from shops, I put everything in my backpack and big sports bag. So I kinda have to buy trash bags:( But yeah it's easier to carry my stuff home that way, because I don't have a car, I walk almost everywhere
Love silicone mats- mine literally survived an oven fire
23:37 🤣🤣🤣🤣 my mom is Filipino and yeah we LOVE THESE.
They are also super convenient when you need to catch a spider and send one outside like i did earlier today.
We hoard plastic store bags for daily kitty litter disposal... and mini trash can liners... we recycle the extra at the store drop off. Wal-Mart sacks are so helpful!
We do that, too!
I love your commentary 😂 You don’t mess around but it’s never offensive. Had me giggling at the spices and then the “Mmm, I don’t like pickles, but that’s a nice jar. If you like it, then I love it.”
"And if I was ashy just now just ignore it like a lot of y'all ignore your bank statements." I screamed haha
Silicon mats for baking are the best! Yes they do get kind of crusty looking but they are clean and last years! Ive had mine for about 5 years and they look cleaner then the ones in the video but yes love them so much
lol i love your personality “that coffee gone do y’all in” 😭😭😭 yup. about $2k a year
Best decision of my life was buying an espresso maker (these traditional ones you put on the stove) and making my own lattes. It's so much cheaper than buying a coffee for 7$ every day.
We've been making our coffee at home for years, and last Christmas, Santa brought my bf a coffee maker - he loves it. A container of coffee costs about $15-$30 here, and it's almost $3 for a cheap coffee at a chain coffee shop, so I figure we're doing okay :)
My family growing up was maternal side (Native American White Mixed) and my step-paternal side (Hispanic, Native American, White Mix) - We did all these things. At this point I think it is universal to every family who wasn't born into wealth.
Not even watched fully yet, but I'm so happy you've made this video ❤ seen a bunch of people hating on this trend and it's really been bumming me out. Your last video on the subject was completely fair and reasonable, but there's a whole bunch of really positive stuff to say too
Feel as if I went on this journey on my own this year. Disgusted with overconsumption, corporate greed, marketing to manipulate you to buy. Learning to be a conscious consumer and thinking more about where my money goes and learning to thrift for things I might need. Really excited for this trend to keep me motivated to keep on this journey and keep learning from others.
It’s the roasting of minimal spices for me 😂 you can do “underconsumption core” but your food doesn’t need to be bland 😂
First off, dead over your reaction to them seasonings🤣... But also I have the green onions regrowing in my kitchen window seal I do it everytime lol. Let your husband know it works in the winter too.
I support a minimal girlie, but pls season your food to whatever taste you prefer and not to match an aesthetic, and also, if you're gonna put your bed on the floor, make sure you're regularly checking the *entire* thing for mold, wetness, or any signs of damage. I don't have a frame, but my bed came with these cool plastic platform things because, as stated by the people that installed it and gave them to me, "this bed will break on the floor and get mold too quickly". (I have a sleep number for the last 23yrs, so I recognise that air chambers are different types of beds). Husband and I's shower products consist of a shared soap, a shampoo each, and he has conditioner, I have foam to shave my legs. And yeah when CA did that ban on plastic grocery bags it was rough trying to reuse the grocery bags because they just weren't there anymore. I could keep going, and my family's been a pretty good range from very low middle class/high poverty all the way to mid-middle class, life changes fast and things don't get thrown out until they're broken. Our kitchen table was $10 at an estate sale and we still have to restain it cos it's dirty and from the 80s with that honey oak colour thing.
Fil is father in law lol
@@ThisIsThunderrKatt I know that. Also I never mentioned it?
@@AerynKDesigns my bad i was trying to reply to Simone calm down
@@ThisIsThunderrKatt I'm not uncalm, I was just confused. /gen
You come across as angry and bitter @@AerynKDesigns
It’s a good day when Symone releases a video!🥳💗
You can get so much inspiration from these types of videos when it comes to home decor, the "mismatched" glasses and jars were a great example. I'm just so happy to see people of tiktok finally start to realise that your stuff doesn't have to match to be ✨aesthetically pleasing✨
I support minimalism but getting a bed frame and more than two spices is not overconsumption lmfaooo please be so for real. Going that much in the opposite direction makes the movement seem nutty, not aspirational. A mattress on the floor??? Unhygienic. It needs to breathe! Some items in life have actual important uses…
Recently found your channel and you give me so much joy! Thanks for making these videos :)
6:13 last year i spent >1k on skincare...gave myself dermatitis. my skin was perfect before i started using skincare! i just got obsessed because it was fun and relaxing. my advice is don't get into skincare if you don't have specific skin concerns, stick to basics, and slowly add new products, like one a month. now i use soap, one oil and sunscreen.
My spouse and I are gardening, canning, and learning to hunt in order to help decrease our waste.
Unless you're hunting overpopulated species constantly, you're better off buying meat from the grocery store then killing what remains of our native species
I still use blanket and pillow covers that my mother gifted me for my wedding. I have been divorced since 2003...
The best thing about underconsumption or minimalistic life style is that everything in my home has a purpose and/or was picked out with intention it's definitely refreshing from how I was raised my mom was s hoarder. It's not for everyone and people I hope are doing what works best for them but when I made the switch it was hard at first but it takes time it's not an overnight adjustment. And I'm still after 5 years and it's always a life long journey and lifestyle to not be overly attached to things that are not beneficial to your life.
In my opinion reusing containers, grocery bags, and squeezing/scraping out every drop of product isn't so much cultural. It is more related to households where every penny counted (lower middle class and below mostly). I am white & relate to all of that stuff. Heck my parents would save slivers of soap bars and pressed/reformed them into one bar before buying more soap. Nothing was wasted. It's way more common than people realize across all walks of life. Previous generations learned frugal ways due to economic hardships. The economy being what it is now is probably why this has become a "trend." It's more like a rediscovered way of living that those who lived through the great depression, war time, or being first generation immigrants without much money adapted. I like that people are aware of their consumption habits. But not sure how I feel about it being a "trend."
I grew up like this, being very frugal by necessity. My big family was low income.
This trend is a return to living like our grandparents and great-grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and WWII, and I think that's why so many different cultures can relate to simple things like reusing plastic containers and glass jars.
I enjoy seeing this trend become more popular but it's strange for me to see that some people are doing these things for the first time. It's overall better for our wallets, homes, mental health and natural resources.
Sewing is awesome I love being able to use a pattern I like again and again :D infinite favourite clothes. And being able to make cloth items last way longer.
You definitely don't NEED all sorts of lip glosses and lipsticks, and will totally be fine with just one Carmex until it's done for, but also, makeup can be a form of self-expression or a hobby. I'm against huge collections and hoarding, but having some stash in moderation if you're into that thing is totally fine imo. Like, I have more than one eyeshadow pallete, but it's also not a whole freaking drawer, and I use all of them, whenever I feel like having a different color or style, same with lip stains or eyeliners. You might just want to have a small variation of that in your life, and that's also fine. If you can afford it, that is.
I'm same but with clothes. Makeup I don't have much, but I love having lots of clothes and having fun with it- and I think so long as I am not using shit like Shein, that's fine.
unity between all poc for reusing tupperware/takeout, condiments, getting tissues and sugar/splendas from coffee shops for free, keeping a bag of reusable bags for groceries, and basically living the "underconsumption core" life. gotta use it through and THROUGH
3:02 old old electrical items concern me if they haven't been recently safety tested, they are one item I draw the line at
I put my kitchen utensils in these huge beer steins and beer das boots from Germany. It’s just so much more practical than having them sitting around for no reason! Plus, they look awesome!
Mix n match used to be called "Eclectic" and it was all the rage in the late 90s and early 2000s.
I just love your personality! Just found your content and love it! Trying to get right with our finances finally! So need to unsubsidized from content that influences me to purchase more stuff! Thanks for what you do ! Blessings!
*unsubscribe* oops.my autocorrect.
Having mismatched glasses and mugs is the best. Everyone in the house has their favourite, and when someone new comes over, whichever cup they choose is interesting. Same for when you go to someone elses house with mismatched cups. You choose one and your friend is like "oh that one? Haha okay 😂" and you just get attached to it.
I own a few coach purses, both were given to me secondhand. My plates and bowls were all mismatched until my in-laws gave us their old, chipped matching set when they got new ones. As far as skincare, I only use a cleanser and a moisturizer, which I do get from lush, but they last ne months before I have to replace them. I haven't had to buy clothes in years because my mom (young mother who thinks she's even younger than she is) wears the same size as me and loves to shop clearance sales, but I also still have clothes I had in high school, and I'm 27 now. All of my furniture was off marketplace or donated by family who were getting rid of it. Even my bedframe was my great grandmother's
When you stays said “I could but I don’t” it hit me 😂😂😂
I have a theory about social media trends. Humans have evolved to be communal beings and younger generations seem physically distant from their peers. SM trends seem to be a substitute for feeling like you are part of something. It seems superficial but I really think it’s just driven by a deeper desire to relate to others.
Oh I love the silicone mats, mainly because it was so annoying trying to cut the parchment paper to fit perfectly in the cookie sheet, but I also think it make the bake more even
I feel like getting rid of things is missing the mark on the "trend" the buy/declutter cycle is nonstop online and it's so disheartening. I do "swap parties" with friends where we bring stuff/products that we have no use for anymore and we trade what we want and everything leftover goes to a local women's shelter. It's a lot of fun to "shop" friends clothing, makeup, etc!
I moved around the globe for the life I live now and one of the things I miss is being surrounded by all those things that belonged to family members.
I only carry a few small pieces that connect me to my grandparents and my father as well as a few pieces of jewelry that are 150+ years old. They feel good
I have a cast iron pan that I've had since I was 4 years old, I'm 58 (I asked for it for Christmas, cause I wanted to cook with my mom, it's a little one), I also have a large one, a gift from my mom when I moved out, It's over 70 years old. Followed pretty much all the under- consumption, " normal things" in this video all my life.
We grew up with a single mom and we didnt waste anything! My grandmother rinsed out ziplock bags and we reused them. I can remember seeing them turned inside out air drying in the dish rack. We are a white family, and Im now in my 60's and can afford to over consume. I find no joy in too much stuff and peace in just things we really love and use. I am an esthetic to the bone and my home is a mix of vintage, antique and mid-century, ALL purchsed at thrift stores and yard sales or market place. I love my home! Ive filled it things I love and find no reason to over consume. More things, less peace.
A lot of countries have banned single use plastics. We haven't had plastic shopping bags for years in Australia. We get given wooden cutlery and compostable straws, food bowls and coffee lids.
A lot of these things are just chronically online people desperate for attention and content. And a lot have zero sense of who they are/aren’t interesting enough to be themselves without jumping on idiotic renames bandwagons every 3-5 business days.
I used to be really to candles, and I still have several cleaned out glass candle jars that I used to store food in and teabags in. The really pretty decorative jars with the metal lids make fantastic containers for bathroom items like Q-tips and cotton balls. I reuse plastic grocery bags whenever I’m scooping out my litter box and as trashcan liners. Instead of disposable facial cloths, I use regular glycerin soap with reusable infant bath cloths. I’ve also ditched the fancy bath washes for just plain bar soap. I refill my hand soap and use a concentrated all purpose cleaner that I haven’t even made a dent in two years. I use reusable water bottles and stainless steel drinkware that never has to be replaced. I can’t even remember the last time I bought bottled water. I avoid convenience foods, eat out about 2 to 3 times a month, and bring all my lunches to work in reusable containers with reusable silverware. Probably the biggest savings though is my house. I was tempted by the typical dream house in the nice subdivision but opted for an older bungalow in a less fancy area. My home is only about 735 ft.², but my mortgage is under $600
My husband's aunt is keeping her fridge door closed with an old tied bike tire😂😂😂
And she added 3 rooms to her house since the door broke off, but she denies buying a fridge, because "it's still doing its job"
I love your humour 😂😂
So true about growing up in an ethnic household, I could relate to everything. My mum's Colombian and I remember being a kid, shouting from the bathroom "mummmm we've run out of toothpaste!!" She would come in with a pair of scissors and show me that we absolutely had more to go 😂
I feel like this trend will lead to a lot of people throwing out 2/3 of their perfectly good stuff only to buy most of it back in 6 months once it isn't trendy
What really hit for me was when you said underconsumption looks different for everybody. That’s so true! Instead of us all having to go out and buy the same thing and look homogeneous, everyone uses the resources they have in different ways! I’m still glad it’s trending, and I hope it stays.
Wow I don’t have TikTok but I wish I could hop on this trend and show all the furniture I grabbed off peoples’ curbs lmao!
Sewing is GOATED. If I love a piece of clothing, I wear it for as long as I can keep it in good shape. I've been able to fix small issues with my clothes that were otherwise perfectly fine, rather than buying something new. Especially with how cheaply most clothing is made now, it's a great money saver to be able to just patch a hole, re-attach a strap that snaps off, or replace a button.
this is just common sense... My grandparents and Parents re"use things all the time... I have towels from 30 years ago maybe and jars from 60 years ago. But it also means that I can still live on my own in my family''s appartment without having a job yet. So for me undercomsumption is being lucky not to buy anything new all the time. ' Also I am from France and watching US overconsumption is just craaaaaazy)
We do not vacation, eat out or order in any food, buy coffee/tea out, and do not give gifts for any reason in our home(except children). No holiday decor either
We have the plastic mixed with silverware, reusable grocery bag full of grocery bags 😆,pots and pans passed down from family, and currently giving away baby items because we're about to have a 2 year old (time for big boy toys). It's nice to see the under (or normal) side of consumption since most of us are living normal lives. As long as it's done in a healthy manner and not like Extreme Cheapstakes on TLC.
Shelbizleee, is an OG when it comes to underconsumption, minimalism, eco living, etc. I have been following her for YEARS (on YT before tiktok was a thing). She lives her mission, very worth a follow. Also i wish the Stanley had never become a trend because i feel like i always have to defend mine. I love stanly products ive had the samenstanlybthermos for like 10+ years and the cup is perfect fore cause of the handle.
The reusable Tupperware is imo a working class thing. When you strive for every cent you reuse. My grandparents came of age during the great depression they saved EVERYTHING.
I was just today suggested to watch one of your videos and I am SO EXCITED to be here! You are AMAZING!