What I learned: underconsumption core

 Hello and Happy Tuesday!

I’m not on a lot of social media and so til tok trends or IG reels don’t just go straight past me but miss me entirely these days. I was finding it wasn’t good for my mental health and so I cut out everything but linked in and Pinterest (though I don’t have that on my phone even) over a year ago and it’s been a good change for me. I have a Facebook account again because one of the charities that one of my kids participated in only communicates for events through that but that’s it now.

Al that said, I completely missed that there’s apparently a trend going around called underconsumption core which is essentially the new anti-consumer culture title and I’m here for it! It’s not quite minimalism because there is an environmental aspect that isn’t present in minimalism, but the idea is to avoid making a lot of purchases and cluttering your life with a lot of in and out by appreciating what you already have and keeping your current things in good condition or even just mentally getting past that “this influencer has the perfect kitchen setup and so I must need that to be put together too”. 

I love this trend and I know it’s a new name on an old idea, but it’s so amazing to see that the environmental impact is at the forefront. I’ll keep writing about this as I explore different ways people use this trend, but for me it’s been about repairing instead of replacing and using the minimalist approach to slow down a little and focus on just the things, people, and activities that actually work for me and my family rather than what’s expected. 

I’m not perfect at this and we will definitely still decorate for seasons and such, but finding a lot of our decor second hand and then reusing year after year reduces our year on year environmental impact and also gives a feeling of change and anticipation for each part of life in our home which helps us avoid making rash decisions or feeling the need for expensive and lavish vacations. 

That’s all for today, I’m not perfect at this but it’s something that I’m working on and want to continue working toward!

💛 Jess