Generation Z is adopting an “underconsumptioncore” policy to curb spending and reduce anxiety.

The viral TikTok tag is filled with young people showing off how they’re choosing not to buy new products and instead using the ones they already have. From limiting themselves to an old Stanley water bottle to refusing to get a manicure or buy art for their home, Gen Z has avoided buying new things and instead tried to appreciate what they have.

Adeline Um, a 27-year-old musician living in Boston, has committed to using every ounce of skincare products from their bottles, as well as continuing to use her aging but still functional makeup brushes and wearing 15-year-old clothes. She’s grown tired of watching TikToks from influencers and content creators hawking the latest trending item just days before a shiny new item takes center stage.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to buy things,” Um said. Luck. “But I feel like we’re getting so saturated right now that people feel like they have to buy the latest stuff to keep up.”

Underconsumptioncore is a cousin of movement to reduce influence on TikTok, in which users persuade viewers not to buy the latest trendy item advertised to them by a slew of brand-contracted content creators. While the influencer market is expected to grow to $50 million by 2028, some young people are condemning the rampant consumerism it creates.

For a generation full of worries about their financial and environmental futures, these trends are empowering and achievable. According to Bank of America 2024 The Financial Health of Generation Z According to a report released this month, of 1,091 Gen Z adults surveyed between April and May, more than 50% of millennials believe the cost of living is their biggest financial challenge and the biggest barrier to their success.

“They are feeling the high cost of living,” said Holly O’Neill, president of retail banking at Bank of America. Luck“They know they need to budget, they know they need to find ways to cut, and they look at those budgets… to meet those priorities.”

No need for shiny new things

Underconsumptioncore, while built on a foundation of financial literacy, transcends socioeconomic status and the need to simply save money. Um and her husband have remained financially stable through career changes and the pandemic but continue to be frugal when it comes to shopping.

“I get really tired of hearing people say this is the latest thing I have to buy,” she said.

For Um, the spending intention is a relief from the trend cycles that have dominated the internet. As scrolling addiction has anxiety and depression Among young people, Generation Z is increasingly sensitive to screen time, switch to flip phone to detox digitally.

But after a year in her husband’s native England, Um discovered the quiet of the countryside. Um’s parents had immigrated to the United States from Korea, where food was scarce. To feed the family, Um’s grandmother became adept at cooking whatever was available. Spending time between her parents and grandparents, Um developed a deep appreciation for the joy of harvesting food from a small backyard garden.

“I learned to do that too,” she said. “I really don’t like throwing away food or liking it when it goes bad. I just feel so guilty about it.”

For Sabrina Pare, a 31-year-old content creator in Detroit, guilt also motivates her to be mindful of her spending. Consuming less is not a new concept in the sustainability world, which Pare has made her TikToks about. For her, it’s a continuation of Recyclingor repurposing items that could easily be thrown away but are instead given a new life. But while these trends help Pare make a living creating online content, even she admits that they can only help her address climate change to a certain extent.

“The planet is getting warmer and obviously joining underconsumptioncore isn’t going to solve the problem,” she says. “But at least it makes me feel a little more in control of the actions I’m taking.”

Even if engaging in underconsumption isn’t economically necessary for the participants, it fits with the millennial narrative of growing more acutely aware of their own financial situations, O’Neill argues. This trend aligns with O’Neill’s observations of the generation’s financial patterns, which include lower discretionary spending and spending dollars methodicalprefer buy branded or cheap branded on luxury goods.

“You don’t want to waste something you’ve invested in or bought; you want to optimize it,” she says. “That has both a budget and a sustainability impact. I mean, we all know the satisfaction of using everything you buy and not wasting it. Gen Z is very sensitive to that.”

Despite its virality, underconsumptioncore probably won’t significantly change spending trends, she said. These online trends exist because of a generation’s broader ideas about the economy, but they may not change them.

Um will be the first to admit that she’s not immune to being influenced and won’t make any promises about not buying a particular item. But TikTok trends about spending and personal finance are still welcome on her For You page.

“You don’t have to buy a new set of straighteners just because your current ones are crusty,” she says. “If it still works, it still works. For me, that’s a really great reminder.”