海角大神

Stephanie Noble hasn鈥檛 gone shopping in five months. For the social media star and self-described 鈥渟hopping addict,鈥� that鈥檚 a major milestone. It鈥檚 one she plans on extending through the holidays and into next year, from Black Friday through summer. 鈥淵ou won鈥檛 catch me slipping,鈥� she said in a TikTok video聽shared with over 82,000 followers in October. 鈥淚鈥檓 sticking with it.鈥�

With the holidays around the corner, Ms. Noble says that she鈥檚 more focused on spending time with her loved ones than on finding the perfect gift. What presents she and her family members do buy for one another, she says, will cost less than $50. She hopes that will inspire more creativity.

鈥淚鈥檓 trying ... to focus more on the memories we create vs. the things we buy,鈥� she writes to the Monitor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helping me slow down and be more present with my family.鈥�

Ms. Noble isn鈥檛 the only one who, like Charlie Brown, is trying to make Christmas less commercial. Others are turning away from the traditional hustle and bustle of holiday shopping in favor of a quieter season that鈥檚 less driven by 鈥渟tuff鈥� and more focused on community. And it鈥檚 not just for the holidays. These frugal shoppers鈥� desire for simplicity is growing out of larger movements that seek to reduce consumption to protect the environment and nurture a less materialistic culture.

Recently, a wave of TikTok users has embraced a viral trend dubbed 鈥渦nderconsumption core.鈥� In clips garnering millions of views and often set to 鈥淒on鈥檛 Know Why鈥� by Norah Jones, users narrate how they squeeze every last drop out of their personal care products, sew up old clothes, and fill their homes with secondhand furniture.

Variations on a minimalist theme

Both historically and in modern times, many people lived 鈥渦nderconsumption鈥� lifestyles long before Generation Zers and millennials made it chic by adding 鈥渃ore鈥� after the word. (They called it being 鈥渢hrifty.鈥�) Other internet trends, such as last year鈥檚 鈥渄e-influencing,鈥� have similarly encouraged social media users to buy less and reuse more.

Yet it鈥檚 ironic that TikTok would be the cradle for such a trend. The app is a major driver of online commerce. Americans spend $7 million a day on its built-in shopping section. Worldwide, TikTok generated $3.84 billion in consumer spending in 2023, according to a report by Capital One. Legions of influencers use the social media app to promote products as their full-time job.

In an age where influencers constantly push their followers to buy what鈥檚 en vogue, underconsumption core might feel like a panacea against an increasingly intrusive consumer culture.

鈥淚 actually think this new interest in minimalism is a huge reaction to social media,鈥� says Daniele Mathras, a professor at Northeastern University鈥檚 business school. 鈥淲e are constantly bombarded, all the time, with advertising. ... I think that a lot of consumers are having this almost very visceral reaction to what they鈥檙e seeing online, and they鈥檙e not wanting to be a part of it.鈥�

Videos from those using the hashtags #underconsumption or #underconsumptioncore cite economic, environmental, philosophical, and even mental health concerns as reasons they鈥檙e resisting the urge to buy. Omar Fares, a lecturer at Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, points out that high interest rates and inflation have recently crunched consumers鈥� wallets. Over the past two decades, he says, shoppers have also become more concerned about the environmental 鈥� and human 鈥� cost of their purchases.

The financial incentives may be a strong motivator for young people, who have been particularly buffeted by economic headwinds, Dr. Fares says.

Larger, generational shifts in spending habits may also be driving minimalism trends. A 2014 survey by EventBrite found that 78% of millennials would prefer to spend their money on a memorable experience or event, such as a concert, than on a physical object. Interest in the 鈥渆xperience economy鈥� has only grown since the COVID-19 pandemic.

That resonates with Ms. Noble, who says her family plans on gifting experiences rather than material things for the holidays this year. 鈥淭hat way, we鈥檙e making memories,鈥� she says.

Though those modern factors might be behind the emergence of underconsumption core, the roots of such trends reach further back in history. The Voluntary Simplicity Movement, for example, encouraged participants to only buy things that served a purpose. It became popular in the latter half of the 20th century, but existed as early as the Great Depression.

Dr. Mathras sees parallels between that movement and more recent ones. Voluntary Simplicity participants, for example, were concerned with how their purchases impacted the environment and the workers who produced goods.

鈥淲e have different words for it now,鈥� she says, pointing to terms like 鈥渕inimalism鈥� in addition to underconsumption. 鈥淏ut I think they really are some of the same things.鈥�

Spread by viral videos and packaged into easy-to-swallow challenges, ideas about the best ways to spend less find it easier to get exposure. That can also create a supportive community where people can share in each other鈥檚 triumphs.

That鈥檚 been a cornerstone for Ms. Noble, who since summer has limited herself to buying groceries and other perishables. So far, she says, she鈥檚 made one exception for a hobby. She鈥檚 gotten an outpouring of support from her followers since she started publicly posting about her no-shopping journey. 鈥淚 was shocked at how many people could relate and how many people were cheering me on,鈥� she says in an interview. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really all in this together.鈥�

鈥淜ids don鈥檛 care. They鈥檙e not thinking, 鈥極h, it wasn鈥檛 new.鈥欌��

In some ways, TikTok is the new kid on the block. Versions of 鈥渦nderconsumption鈥� have long been popular in other corners of the internet 鈥� though they might not go by that name.

Liesl Clark calls it 鈥渂uy nothing.鈥� That鈥檚 the name of the online group she co-founded with her friend in 2013. She found herself concerned about how much plastic washed ashore in her city of Bainbridge Island, Washington. Ms. Clark bills the Buy Nothing Project as 鈥渢he world鈥檚 largest network of gifting communities.鈥� United by more than 8,000 Facebook groups and an app, some 12 million participants exchange items for free.

The Buy Nothing Project aims to create a 鈥渓ocal circular economy where you don鈥檛 have to go out and buy new,鈥� Ms. Clark says. The power of that becomes especially clear during the holidays.

Ms. Clark says that the number of participants nearly doubles as people get into the holiday spirit and diligently search for gifts for their family. The platform can be especially effective for parents. That鈥檚 something she found out through personal experience.

鈥淜ids don鈥檛 care. They鈥檙e not thinking, 鈥極h, it wasn鈥檛 new,鈥欌�� she says. Over time, she adds, 鈥淲e were able to acquire incredibly wonderful and meaningful gifts for our kids, all the way through their younger years.鈥�

Potlucks are another holiday feature of Buy Nothing groups that have proven popular. Awash in leftover turkey and stuffing, participants often gather to exchange food in the days following Thanksgiving. 鈥淯sually the day after Thanksgiving is huge,鈥� Ms. Clark says. 鈥淧eople just go home with a lot of different dishes.鈥�

Ms. Noble says that for her, consuming less is partially about finding balance 鈥� and not just in her spending habits. Shopping less has been a boon for her mental health. She鈥檚 gotten time back. The pace of her life has slowed. She鈥檚 journaling more often, and making a point to check in on her own emotional needs.

鈥淚 want to be more mindful about the way I participate in capitalism and the way that I consume for the environment and things like that,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I just feel so much less anxious, and that alone is the biggest win ever.鈥�