When civil servant Marsha Ho began working five years ago, she began shopping to treat herself, no matter her mood. The habit evolved into scrolling mindlessly on shopping apps like Carousell for one to two hours daily. She quickly accumulated a collection of 30 pieces of apparel, shoes and bags she did not need and chucked them into what she called a “death pile”.
The 30-year-old said shopping excited her, but she “was left with an abundance of stuff and regrets” after. “I asked myself: ‘Why did I bring this item home?’ The pile was so overwhelming it gave me more anxiety and stress.” This led her to “underconsumption core”, a TikTok trend, where she focused on buying less, decluttering and using items she already had.
She is among a group of young people here participating in the viral trend that spotlights frugality and living sustainably. It encourages users to maximise using what they have and to buy only what they need. On TikTok, the hashtag #underconsumptioncore boasts more than 39 million views worldwide.
Instead of posting large hauls of clothing and beauty products, users are posting videos of their well-used everyday items and a downsized skincare collection. The rise of this trend can be linked to challenges Gen Z and millennials face today, including mounting economic pressures and environmental concerns. In Singapore, more than nine in 10 have felt the rising cost of living .
The top two ways to cope with this are keeping to a fixed budget a.