Once upon a time, consumerism was in vogue, and some young people advocated instant pleasures.
Today, there are more and more young people who are "sober in the world" and consume rationally. They cross the consumption trap and vicious circle of "buy, buy, buy, throw and throw". The "extremely frugal" realm of "money" has become a cool clan who refuses to be cut off by consumerism.
"Moonlight Clan" Becomes "Piggy Bank"
In the biggest dark horse movie "Love Myth" in the New Year's Eve last year, the protagonist Lao Bai, played by Xu Zheng, went to the temporary store to buy discounted goods before inviting his girlfriend to eat at home. At this time, the camera swept through, and there were still many young faces in the store. Shop here.
When many people still take it for granted that young people are "moonlight people" who can't live a life, this group of young people has already lived a clear life - they refuse to be the leeks of consumerism, and are not tempted by the unreachable exquisite life , and began to live a "extremely frugal" life within the limits of his ability.
A reporter from Banyuetan found in the "Crazy Saving Money Group" of an online platform that 50,000 to 600,000 people participated.
They affectionately call each other "piggy bank" and share money-saving tips online, such as buying second-hand, comparing prices on various platforms, motivating and supervising each other, sharing the experience of saving money, and committing to becoming a person with savings and a sense of security together. .
The cool clan, which has emerged quietly, has carried forward this trend.
The word "cool" comes from English Coolcarl. They are proud of dressing simply, ashamed of blind comparisons; proud of making the best use of things, and ashamed of extravagance and waste.
This is a social group that advocates saving and pursues a simple and natural way of life.
The combination of traditional frugality and modern fashion thinking makes them live like a duck to water.
The cool clan, who quietly emerged and played in a low-key manner, played with various means of saving money.
For example, they usually buy things online, they like to accumulate points for consumption, use financial software to keep accounts, bring their own lunch boxes to work, buy energy-saving electrical appliances, choose public transportation as much as possible, make full use of libraries and used book markets, and advocate not spending money can enjoy.
However, the Kudu people do not consider themselves to be misers, and they interpret the word "pull" as another meaning, namely shrewd and rational consumption.
They live their lives carefully, in order to pursue a simpler and healthier life, and achieve the best effect of allocating money by shifting the focus of consumption.
These cool people and their thrifty living concept and money-saving lifestyle are changing people's stereotypes about young people.
A set of data released by Ant Wealth even shocked the middle-aged generation. According to its research, the growth rate of saving money after 1995 is 8 times that of other groups.
Why does saving money become "sweet"
In fact, behind the excessive consumption is the accumulated anxiety and panic of consumers.
More and more young people find that although the salary has risen a lot compared to when they first debuted, the speed of the salary level cannot keep up with the speed of the brand premium.
At the same time, living pressures such as rent and mortgages are increasing, and various factors have prompted the younger generation to save money early.
"The feeling of asking your parents for money with your palms up is far less comfortable than making money yourself with your palms down." "It's good to live without comparing and doing what you can. I don't want to be a leek of capital, I just want to be my own hero. "You only know the meaning of saving money after an epidemic, and now we are more determined that saving money is the kingly way."
The voice of the new generation of young people is so simple and straightforward.
The life of the "Moonlight Clan" has already made many young people feel powerless.
Although there are short-lived pleasures after each purchase, the chores and anxieties of life can quickly wipe out those pleasures.
In a world of increasing uncertainty, the balance in the bank card is the only thing that is certain and will not betray you.
Compared with the short-term pleasure brought by previous consumption, avoiding the torment of material desires can allow young people to calm down and do what they like.
The concept of extreme frugality + minimalism is popular, and saving money has become more "sweet" for this group of young people.
Some young people are making passive choices - the economic growth is slowing down, the epidemic continues, it is difficult to earn money, and they are facing the risk of layoffs. The sense of crisis has generally increased, but the sense of security brought by saving money is unprecedented stability.
There are also some young people who are actively choosing, they have faded away from the consumption frenzy and began to make rational choices about future plans.
It's not about saving money, it's about not spending money
It’s not that the Kupu people have no spending power, but they don’t want to fall into the trap of consumerism and act as leeks harvesting capital; they’re not reluctant to spend money, but they know better than ever how to spend money where it should be used; not The poor save money, but do not want to waste money.
While pursuing a refined life, they will never be extravagant, simple but not simple, fashionable but not luxurious, self-controlled but not autistic.
From a sociological perspective, the cool lifestyle reflects a more rational consumption consciousness.
The so-called "pulling" is not exactly the same as "saving" in the general sense. Most of the Kupu people do not "pull" in all the details of life, they just deliberately omit some dispensable consumption in life. .
In sync with this rational consumption concept, they practice a healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle, as well as a scientific and reasonable financial management concept.
More and more young people are gradually realizing that rational consumption is not about restraining consumption, but about purposeful and planned consumption and doing what is within your means.
The original intention of consumption is to improve the quality of one's life, not to compare and show off; consumption is to satisfy needs and necessities, not to satisfy unbridled desires and greed.
"Pay for yourself, and let me be rich and frugal", only buy the items you really need, not the dispensable items.
The new generation of young people emphasizes self-discipline in consumption. They basically do not participate in the shopping spree of artificial festivals such as Double 11 and 618. They refuse to buy things on a whim or hoard things, but buy them now.
They develop bookkeeping habits, curb useless consumption, learn financial management, prepare budgets and consumption lists, develop part-time channels, invest in personal growth for life, and use the coolest frugal model to maintain a quality life.
At present, more and more people support the cool lifestyle, which is expected to lead a new wave of new consumption trends.
Source: "Ban Yue Tan Internal Edition" 2022 Issue No. 6 Original title: "Cool Clan Appears, Refuses to Be the Leek of Consumerism"
Ban Yue Tan Reporter: Li Xiaoling | Editor: You Li