Duping, Dumpster Diving, and De-influencing (Issue #10)

This week’s theme is shopping - what we buy, why we buy it, and what it means for our lives.

Hi friends!

I returned from my honeymoon this week and am so happy to be home! Running around Italy with Andrew was a dream, but I missed my cats soooo much. No matter how much I love traveling, I’m always thrilled to be reunited with my sons and my comfy bed upon returning home, haha. 

As you know, each week I pack this newsletter with recommendations, things to watch, read, listen, do, and buy. So I thought for this week’s edition of “Sincerely, Celisia,” we could take a bit of a meta-exploration through the world of consumption. 

A few years after I graduated college, I adopted my own variation of the popular lifestyle trend minimalism. Now, before you let thoughts of white walls and empty, sterile rooms fill your perception of me, know that my version of minimalism was a little different. At its core, my concept was simple; I only wanted items in my house that I used, which enhanced my life somehow. Enter the deep closet clean-outs and a lot of telling my mom “I don’t need that” when she offered to buy me novelty mugs for the next holiday. 

So when I create this newsletter,  I keep this philosophy in mind. I want whatever I recommend to not just take up space in your life, but provide real, sustainable value. And now, years later, while “de-influencing” is trending on TikTok, I’m reflecting on how things can bring joy, beauty, and even meaning to our lives. That’s not to say we shouldn’t consume less, but rather if we can regain control and intentionality over our purchases, we can reduce the clutter and maximize the real value these products bring. Of course, there’s a lot more I could say, but for now, enjoy today’s curated list all about what we buy, why we buy it, and what it could all possibly say about us.

A round-up of things to watch, read, and listen to as you head into the weekend

• British Vogue: Should You Buy From A Thrift Store If You Can Afford Not To? by Sophie Benson

  • This piece examines an ongoing internet debate: is it ethical to thrift if you have the means to purchase products at full price? Benson looks at the conversation from all angles, from the environmental impact of purchasing new clothes to the undervalued labor in the resale marketplace. Whether you’re closely tuned into this conversation or not, this article is an excellent primer on the landscape of thrifting ethics.

• The New York Times: Dumpster Diving to Shame Stores and Fight Waste by Steven Kurutz

  • Depending on the corners of TikTok you frequent, you may have seen massive hauls of free products pulled from the dumpsters of big-box retailers. I remember dumpster diving trending in my own high school, eager teenagers sneaking into the bins of the nearby Hostess factory to score unopened packages of Twinkies. Now, dumpster diving has gone digital, with a number of creators sharing their finds and shaming stores for their intentionally wasteful practices. And these videos have a real influence, with some stores making commitments to change their ways. Check it out!

• BuzzFeed News: The Dupe Mindset Has Turned Everything On TikTok Into A Replica by Steffi Cao

  • Speaking of TikTok, “dupes” have taken the app by storm. Enter a slew of videos, all with savvy shoppers showing off their cheaper, off-brand alternatives to high-demand luxury items. Cao provides an interesting exploration of the topic for those deep into “dupe” culture and those on the outside.

• The Atlantic: Shoppers Are Stuck in a Dupe Loop by Amanda Mull

  • A great read if you want to dive deeper into the history of “dupes,” and how buyer attitudes toward these products have shifted with younger generations. Mull takes a broader look at the consumption landscape, and questions whether “dupe” culture is actually transforming our shopping habits at all.

• Refinery29: No-Spend Challenges Are Like A Crash Diet For Finances — They Don’t Work by Clare Seal

  • Strategically saving money and sticking to a budget is a difficult task, and there are countless philosophies out there about ~the best~ way to approach your finances. One popular approach I’ve heard making the rounds, are attempts not to spend any money for a certain period of time. Seal argues that these challenges might cause more harm than good, as they have the potential to create a disordered relationship to spending. I really liked her examination, and her comparison to diet culture felt especially resonant. 

• The Social Media Hat: The Science Behind the Effectiveness of Word of Mouth by Mike Alton

  • As a small business owner and someone who does my fair share of influencing both online and in my personal friend group, this article was fascinating to me. In it, Alton discusses the concept of real-life influencers or the people in friend groups who always have the best recommendations. And these folks have powerful advertising potential, as people tend to trust recommendations from their own friends and family more than anywhere else. 

Add some adventure to your week and check off as many as you can!

Note: Links preceded by an asterisk (*) are affiliate links that allow me to collect a small commission when you purchase something I’ve recommended. That said, I can promise that I’ll only ever share items I truly love. Buying through these links is one way to support me and my small biz. ❤️

In the spirit of The Three R’s, paired with a mother whose primary love language is gift giving, I decided to create a creative list of gifts you can make for your loved ones using items you probably already have around your house!

• Take your favorite book off the shelf and pass it along to a friend with a similar taste! To further personalize, write notes in the margins of passages you particularly liked, jokes in response to the story, and even secret love notes for them to discover when they actually read the book. If you’re hesitant about writing directly in your book, *these transparent sticky notes are a great workaround

• Create a custom collage card! This is perhaps easiest if you have old magazines lying around, but you can also get creative by repurposing images and cutting out cool shapes from everything from junk mail and clothes tags to (clean) food wrappers and cardboard. You can see some ideas to get you started here, here, and here.

• Throw it back to the days of the mixtape and create a custom playlist for your loved one! Get particular about the order so each song flows one into the next (Spotify has a cool crossfade setting that is great to use + instruct your gift receiver to enable)! Use recycled paper and/or cardboard to create a special physical reminder of the playlist, like the ones here and here.

Things to try + share in the group chat.

• I strongly believe all people deserve little luxuries, and falling on hard times should not require sacrificing things that make a person feel safe, seen, beautiful, and loved. That’s why I was thrilled to find Beauty 2 the Streetz, which follows a simple philosophy: “the lack of a home does not mean the lack of humanity.” Founded by Shirley Raines, the organization provides hot meals, showers, wigs, makeup, and hair wash + color to folks experiencing homelessness in LA. It’s a really cool org, and you can learn more, register to volunteer, and donate to support their work here, or donate to support their GoFundMe here.

• I originally recommended this organization around the holiday season, but @transsanta is good to have on your radar year-round. This social media-based mutual aid campaign “connects anonymous gift-givers with trans youth who are unhoused, in foster care, or otherwise without crucial support they need to thrive.” Applications are currently closed between holiday seasons, but you can sign-up for their newsletter, submit to volunteer, and/or donate for future gifts at transanta.com.

• *Rakuten is a browser extension I looove using. As you shop around the internet, Rakuten will alert you of cash-back rewards at various stores. All you have to do is enable Rakuten, and the money will be added to your account. It’s super easy to use, and perfect if you do any type of online shopping. 

• *Honey is another browser extension ~ a must-have ~ for online shopping. Whenever you make an online purchase, Honey will search for discount codes to help you save money at checkout! It’s super easy to use and a great way to apply discounts to your purchases without scouring the internet for deals.

Now it’s time for me to go to hug my kitties and take a long nap. I’m happy to be home, and hope your weekend is filled with abundance, joy, and plenty of little things that bring meaning.

P.S. - Reclaiming the Third Place: Ideas to Get Out of The House Without Breaking the Bank

Final thoughts, reflections, and vulnerable shares (This is an exclusive section to my paid followers. Thank you for your support!)

Have you heard of third places? It’s a sociological term coined by Ray Oldenburg, referring to a particular place that is integral to community building. If the home is the first place, and work is the second, third places are places that are neither of those things. Think of your library, local bar, park, or even a friend’s backyard.