A few months ago, a conversation about the difference between influencers and content creators shook TikTok. The consensus: influencers are the trendsetters, defining what’s “IT” and what’s not. Consider yourself officially influenced when you add something to your shopping cart because your favorite TikToker swears it’s the best thing ever. The more we engage with this kind of content—clicking, reposting, favoriting—the more of it we see. As a result, many of us have an influx of stuff we don’t need and a smaller bank account. But with the app’s latest trend, “underconsumption core,” people are breaking up with excessiveness, trading consumerist habits for minimalistic ones to save money.

@livewithoutloans #underconsumption ♬ pink and white frank ocean – sped up sounds

What Is Underconsumption?

“Underconsumption” essentially means living a more sustainable and frugal lifestyle, aligning with the recent deinfluencing movement. It’s the realization that maybe you don’t necessarily need to transfer your spices to aesthetically pleasing labeled jars or buy something from every Le Creuset sale. A quick search of the hashtag on TikTok surfaces millions of videos of people sharing hacks for spending less, like repurposing yogurt containers as Tupperware, sourcing furniture from the thrift store, and still wearing clothes from college.

As the name suggests, it’s about consuming less. It takes the old (and widespread) practice of using what you already have until the last drop and repackages it into a shiny, trendy label. The point is to avoid falling into consumerism’s trap by resisting the urge to buy something new, which is ultimately financially beneficial and better for the planet. If nothing else, its popularity encourages people to take a closer look at how much stuff they own, leading some to donate the undesirables of their closet clean-outs to charity.

Is Underconsumption Going Too Far?

Despite its positives, some people aren’t sold on the trend, arguing that romanticizing the “less is more” lifestyle isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and curbing shopping addiction is harder than just saying no. Furthermore, “underconsumption core” portrays sustainability as a fad, which detracts from its importance as a necessity for environmental preservation. Whether or not this trend is worth the hype depends on the person, but in this economy, who wouldn’t want to save a few dollars?