Influencers Hawk Underconsumption

The “underconsumption trend” — which predates the current financial rollercoaster — is taking off, as persistent inflation, confusing tariff policies, and the rising cost of living continue to weigh on Americans’ finances.

Why It Hits: Everyone is looking for hacks to save a buck, so if influencers have some legit tips for scoring deals, saving money, and maximizing wages, you can bet your bottom dollar that the views are going to rack up. It’s the era of financial doomscrolling.

Behind the Curtain: In her Equality newsletter for Bloomberg, Kelsey Butler scopes the market of the newly minted “recession influencer.”

• Michela Allocca of Break Your Budget says her top content this year has been about “foundational financial concepts” and “underconsumption suggestions.”
• @PolyPrepper has seen a boost in engagement on posts about how to stock up on essential supplies that will likely get hit with tariff-impacted price increases.
• Personal finance expert Ramit Sethi, NYT bestselling author and host of Netflix’s How to Get Rich, is telling followers that the best advice amid the tariff chaos is to build an emergency fund that can last a year.
• And in a peak vibes moment, budget influencer Katia Chesnok went viral with a post telling followers, “You don’t need more stuff. Go clean your car! Go clean your car!” — which racked up over two million views.

Checkout: It’s no surprise that people are looking for financial advice (or catharsis) right now — Citigroup says tariffs will affect pretty much everyone, and McKinsey reports that consumers of all income levels are planning on cutting their spending. But the hardest hit will be those on the lower end of the income spectrum. A Morning Consult survey found that half of those making $50,000 or less are already planning to cut down on their groceries.

Americans are really feeling that penny pinch.