Austerity TikTok: Influencers share things they’ve given up due to cost of living - from shampoo to bread

“I’ve cut out shampoo. Instead I just use conditioner and I don’t wash my hair as frequently so I can make stuff stretch out a bit longer. I’m embarrassed to say that because I feel like people will judge me for it.”

That’s the statement from one TikToker who has taken to her channel to reveal the list of things she has had to give up due to the cost of living crisis. The extremely sad thing is 23-year-old student Yash Jayachandran, the woman behind this shocking admission, is far from alone when it comes to giving up what many would consider to be everyday basics as the price of pretty much everything continues to go up and up. . .  and up and up.

A quick search of TikTok using hashtags such as #CostOfLiving #CuttingCosts #FrugalLiving #SavingMoney #PriceIncrease and #InflationCrisis will reveal hundreds of videos with billions of views, all of them with people worldwide discussing how they are struggling to buy the things they need.

Once upon a time, it was common for influencers to share videos of them proudly showing off their latest expensive purchases. In fact, it was a trend for people to unbox high end luxury items live on a social media video, grinning with joy as they got their hands on their shiny new product. But, now the opposite is true. People are instead filming their weekly supermarket shops and detailing the soaring cost of it and, in some cases, staring down the lens of the camera and crying as they reveal that they are struggling to survive.

Jayachandran, who is from Brisbane, Australia, and has 16,000 followers on her profile @AussiePsychStudent, has actually shared several videos about the things she has given up after the first one she uploaded went viral. Other things she has given up include fresh fruit, clothing with “crazy prints” or colour, activewear, health supplements, alcoholic drinks. She also admitted she now eats the same food on rotation as it’s much more budget friendly, and also shares the one rare takeaway coffee that she buys with a loved one so they can split the cost.

Speaking about her decision to only buy and wear neutral clothing, she said: “I know, it’s giving [thoughts of the] the Great Depression but it’s just so much more versatile. I’ve bought many more safe options that I know I’ll feel comfortable with and wear because I don’t have the money to spend.”

The Great Depression was a time in the 1920s when there was a huge economic downturn worldwide, owing to a major fall in US stock markets.

‘Being mentally unwell is what comes with the cost of living crisis’

Other heartbreaking videos show other TikTokers revealing that they have given up getting their hair cut, eating out, buying make-up and socialising with their friends and family. Some users also explained that they had been given no choice but to give up vital health services. One said she’d stopped her health insurance plan and another said she’d given up her therapy sessions.

The 24-year-old British girl who goes by the name Kim Chi online, said: “I know this is such a first world problem. Therapy is so expensive, it’s like £70. I don’t have the money for that anymore. . . to have a cry to a random person on Skype. So now, cost of living crisis and I’m mentally unwell, and that’s just what comes with it.”

Shampoo isn’t the only necessity that some people have given up as the cost of living crisis worsens. Another TikTok user said she had stopped doing her laundry until she absolutely had to. In her video, she was wearing a dressing gown because she had “nothing clean”. One mum also said she only eats one meal per day and said she “lives off hot tea”. She added: “I’m down to nit picking a little bit of food here and there”. She does, however, also budget money to look after her six cats.

One woman called Heather took to TikTok to say that she thought that the cost of living has become “outrageous” and somewhat humorously, but also painfully, quipped that her video was “part one of infinity”. She added, however, that there is an upside to seeing so many videos being shared on the topic - and that is to help her to feel that she is not “alone in the world”. She added that, in a way, it was comforting to know she was “not the only one” who had given up “simple, basic things” she used to do or have all the time but can’t afford anymore.

She went on to share with her viewers that she had given up what she called “unnecessary expensive food purchases” - which includes bread. Instead, she said she makes her own, which is “way more delicious, way cheaper”. She also advised her followers that there was another positive side effect to baking bread: “you get to knead it and punch it, and take some aggression out” - presumably she is referring to anger and upset brought on by the constant price increases which seem to have become the norm of the modern world. She also added that she no longer buys her children presents “just because” as she can’t afford to.

‘There are helpful hacks to be found too’

Thankfully, TikTok is also a place where people can share their solutions as well their stories. In and amongst the videos discussing hardship, there are also many which offer hacks which people can follow to try to reduce their everyday spending.

Among the most popular solution-based TikTok accounts is Heidi Ondrak’s Duchess of Thrift, which is followed by over 40,000 people. Ondrak, who is a 52-year-old mum from Plymouth, only joined TikTok earlier this year but her money saving tips have become so popular she’s now about to launch her first book, Thrift Your Life.

She offers advice on a variety of topics, including how to save money on universally important items such as food and clothing as well as other things which are essential for some, such as glasses. Her videos, and others like hers, aren’t all about cutting back on products or entirely giving them up either. She aims to show people how they can save money by making a few simple swaps and still then be able to treat themselves and have the things they love. For example, she’s a big advocate for buying clothing on second hand websites and also seeing what treasures can be uncovered at car boot sales.

Austerity TikTok isn’t all doom and gloom, there is also a supportive community of people who encourage each other to do the best they can with however little they have. But, it remains a stark reminder of the financially fraught times we continue to live in, in 2023.

You can pre-order Thrift Your Life on Amazon. It will be released on Thursday 12 October.