Modern life is a struggle; every aspect of our lives feels more demanding, more stressful, and more expensive than it used to be. Our homes and minds are more cluttered than ever, especially if you are sharing space with children or animal companions. To respond to demand, capitalism has turned mindfulness and self care into an industry. Now we have entire aisles of expensive products and experiences to help us recover, which then perpetuates the cycle.

How much more money and time would we have if we weren’t constantly buying stuff?

For most of my life, I lived close to the poverty level. While this was highly unideal, so say the least, it had some benefits. It was easy to avoid shopping and to reuse what I had to the maximum extent when I was struggling to afford even necessities. Fast forward to a few years ago and I was lucky enough to complete the education and training to creep into the middle class. Once the larger paychecks started rolling in, the temptation increased along with my spending.

Enter underconsumption

If you have been on Tiktok and other social media platforms recently, you have probably heard of underconsumption. Hundreds of videos show us how people are intentionally making do with less instead of staying in the endless cycle of buy/discard/buy more. It is an official trend now: underconsumption core.

There are legitimate criticisms of this trend as it has manifested on social media. It is jarring to see influencers flip from Shein hauls to claims of owning and buying very little, LARPing as poor people to gain clout. While I appreciate their enthusiasm, many of us have already been living this way and don’t need tips from newbies. Nonetheless, underconsumption is a positive and necessary answer to an increasingly consumerist world. We all win when everyone consumes less, regardless of their reasons.

Why underconsume?

Embracing underconsumption allows me to live a lifestyle with less stress and more joy, connecting deeply to my community and the natural world. In general, the benefits for me have been:

• Economy: many of the habits and practices associated with underconsumption are cheaper than mainstream alternatives
• Ecofriendliness: consuming less means that fewer resources are needed to produce and transport goods while creating less waste to dispose of on a crowded planet
• Quality: if you are buying less than your usual, you can often afford higher quality when you need to make a purchase 
• Ethics: goods on the modern market are made by poorly treated workers using questionably sourced materials. When I consume less, I give less support to capitalism, colonialism, wage slavery, and other practices that I find abhorrent
• Time: although green living and minimalism can be time-consuming, modern people spend a great deal of time procuring, organizing, and otherwise caring for their belongings

Underconsumption – actual underconsumption and not merely making a few instagram reels – requires a paradigm shift. For many people, consuming less means changing hundreds of microhabits, your entire lifestyle, which is intimidating. The following roadmap will get you started on your underconsumption journey.

Step 1: Set intentional goals

You probably already know your weak areas – the things you are always decluttering, the collections that take up more space than they deserve, the purchases you regret within a week of opening the box, select one or a few that you are willing to work on. Create specific and achievable goals. You could try:

• Only buy clothing to replace items that have become unusable
• Only buy from thrift stores
• Prepare your own meals six days a week
• Spend a maximum of $50 a month, or whatever number is reasonable for you, on non-necessities
• Meal plan weekly and buy only what is needed for your menu
• Stop spending for a finite amount of time, such as a no-buy month or pantry challenge
• Stop engaging with places where you most commonly encounter temptations
• Wait 30 days before buying any non-necessity
• Think of time instead of money. A new couch may seem like a steal at $500, but how many hours of labor is that? Sometimes doing the math will help you to see the real value, or lack thereof

Regardless of the goals you set, make sure they are specific and actionable. This will allow you to track your progress and begin a journey to real lifestyle change. Be careful not to tackle too much at once. Lifestyle changes are more sustainable when they happen slowly and incrementally.

Step 2: Seek alternatives

We live in such a stuff-filled world that we often find ourselves in “need” of random things like Stanley cups, sports equipment, seasonal decorations, you name it! While you shouldn’t buy every trend that crosses your feed, you still need some belongings, right? Underconsumption does not have to mean a life of deprivation. There are ways to meet your needs, and a lot of your wants, without buying. 

• Use what you have –  you may be able to mend or repair an item you already own. If you already own something that will work, why buy another?
• Use what other people have – consensually of course! Americans are replacing their belongings so regularly that many needful things can be found free or cheap in thrift stores, garage sales, or even dumpsters. I eagerly accept hand-me-downs so my friends and relatives know I am the first stop for disposing of their unwanted clothing and housewares.
• Repurpose instead of discarding – I am currently saving shabby and unusable clothes to craft a braided rug for a room with a bare tile floor. In addition, I save any plastic that my food comes wrapped in to use again and again for leftovers and lunches. It isn’t single use plastic if you use it five times! Landfills are full of perfectly useful trash because we aren’t used to thinking creatively.
• Just do without it – a friend of mine has the cutest travel cup – a jam jar with a crocheted cover bearing the logo of her favorite band. If you get creative, you may not even miss the new cup or new pair of shoes that you are doing without. Many of us already have enough and can find a substitute for whatever it is that we think we need.

Step 3: Choose quality over quantity

If you still need something after trying the above strategies, you are thus free to buy the most ecofriendly and ethical option in your budget without guilt. When you make a purchase, focus on quality. This may be more expensive upfront but it will save money overall. Higher quality items often look and function better for a longer time, so you won’t need to replace your belongings as frequently.

Step 4: Know your triggers

Most people don’t want to spend two hours’ worth of labor on yet another coffee cup. That is why marketing is such a huge and growing field. You are being manipulated to feel you need more stuff every day. You can resist more effectively if you know which messages appeal to your lizard brain. For instance, I am more likely to think I should buy a product when it is presented as eco-friendly. This can be deceptive because many products are marketed and packaged as eco-friendly that frankly are not. In addition, most purchases, however ethically sourced, are not green compared to not consuming in the first place.

Similarly I have a weakness for crafts and books. I will never criticize someone for having an excess of books or craft supplies, but there is a limit  – and I have reached it. Several months ago, I placed a moratorium on buying new craft supplies until my current stash is depleted. I use the library and similar free resources to feed my need for new books without cutting down trees or spending.

Step 5: Foster a DIY mentality

Although you do not have to be crafty or handy to consume less, having a few basic skills will smooth your path. Before you throw anything away, ask yourself if it is fixable or if the parts can be repurposed. This is a difficult mindset to adopt, but it gets easier with time.

For me, the transition started with reusing clothing. Instead of throwing away clothing that had holes or stains, I started dyeing or mending them. A pair of jeans that became ripped beyond any practical use was turned into shorts. I made throw pillows with two stained work shirts and embroidered them with cute sayings. Instead of buying new stuffing, I repurposed the (cleaned and fluffed) stuffing from pillows I no longer used, or in one case the stuffing from an ugly pillow in a thrift store clearance bin. 

I became so used to reusing clothing that it became second nature. Then I moved on to reusing glass food containers as vases, storage containers, and decorations. This is how we make real change in the way we consume and discard of our belongings.

Craft skills have to be gradually learned so do not be discouraged if your first attempts are less than professional. Seek out friends and local groups with skills or watch youtube videos. Soon the results will be, if not worthy of a showroom, at least good enough for daily life.

Step 6: Invest in experiences and enrichment

If you are not shopping, going out to bars and restaurants, or otherwise consuming, what are you doing for fun? Many people, especially extroverts, aren’t comfortable just staying home. 

People who underconsume still go out; they simply choose options that use fewer resources. I live near amazing beaches and forests, so there are always outdoor activities waiting to be experienced. I have never seen a museum that did not beckon. I attend a lot of festivals, bringing my own drink and food containers to avoid single use packaging. Local plays and music performances are a perfect date with a partner or friend. When I can, I volunteer at events so I can attend for free or at a reduced cost. 

Instead of going to the mall with your shopping buddy, visit local thrift stores and garage sales together. Discover local restaurants and shops that align with your values that you can check out with foodie acquaintances. Host a potluck or a movie viewing in your home. There are so many ways to consume less without FOMO.

Step 7: Surround yourself with likeminded people

Last year, a friend and I were picking through a pile of free clothes at a local event and I commented that I only bought clothing at thrift stores. She replied that she doesn’t buy clothes at all – and she was serious. This wouldn’t be surprising if she looked shabby, but she never does. She always looks beautiful and has a distinctive sense of style. Obviously free clothes are out there – we were staring at a giant pile of them. After this discussion, I decided to stop buying clothing as well. I have not been perfect, but in the four months since then I have only bought two items of clothing, both of which I actually needed and got from relatively ethical sources. Because my friend group is less materialistic, it feels normal to dress without concern for brand labels or microtrends.  

Spending time with others who share your values will enhance your underconsumption journey. We tend to copy our peer groups to some extent. They may make lifestyle choices that you find inspiring and want to try for yourself. They are more likely to be down to spend time in zero consumption activities than your friends who are still running frenetically on the consumerist hamster wheel.

Luckily, many people now are at least friendly to these ideas. I was once the weird coworker bringing leftovers in a mason jar, but now more of my colleagues are bringing their own lunches. Even if they aren’t, it is no longer odd or a red flag to just not buy shit.

Reflections on Underconsumption Core

The trending nature of “underconsumption core” gives me hope. Not because I think all of the influencers are being sincere, but because our future depends on more people living this way. While an individual consumer cannot stop corporations from exploiting people and resources, there is deep satisfaction in seeing so many opt out of the system. The fact that rich people are gaining followers by showcasing what poor and working class people have been doing for millennia doesn’t bother me as much when I consider that the wealthy are the ones creating so much waste and thus the ones who really need to change. 

A few small changes are all it takes to get started on your journey. Keep growing and changing, discovering what works for you, and trying to do your part to extract yourself from a toxic and destructive system. 

I would love it if my comment section is full of your own tips for reducing consumption and reusing what you have – feel free to share below.