The generation of avocado toast is sharing its recession knowledge with the young ones.
After going through the 2008 recession, millennials are experiencing déjà vu — and fears of a pending economic upheaval are bringing them to TikTok, where they’re passing down their recession survival tips and knowledge to Gen Z.
“We don’t panic during recessions, we prepare for them,” one content creator said on the platform. “Listen to your millennial friends.”
In a video with 1.3 million views, user @itzettromero advised her followers to stock up on tuna since it’s cheap and can be used in different ways. She also pitches nabbing some Tylenol and ibuprofen and getting a first aid kit that comes with basic necessities.
She advised cancelling individual subscriptions and making “some friends” with whom to share those streaming costs. For example, share a Hulu subscription with one friend and Disney Plus with another — but be mindful of password-sharing crackdowns.
“Start making friends, start bartering, start making alliances with your neighbors,” she said, adding that shopping for groceries and home items in bulk can be cheaper when split among others in an apartment building.
In another video, user @yaptrapped, who said she graduated from college in 2011, stressed that people should “explore multiple ways to make money” and have “more than one stream of income.”
She echoed the sentiment to “make friends” as well, “because you can share a lot.”
“It’s amazing how quick one loaf of bread turns into a feast when everybody else has all the fixin’s,” she said. “We survived a long time like that.”
Additionally, she said that axing “fun” activities is “not an option,” so set up a budget to have some wiggle room for yourself and things you love doing.
“And if you can, don’t be scared. Keep moving forward, keep taking that next step,” she concluded. “And remember that sometimes in life, there are builder episodes. Not every year is a season finale.”
Financial-focused accounts chimed in, too, with one user advising people to “build up your emergency fund, you should have three to six months of living expenses saved.”
“Anything above my minimal contribution, I am diverting into my emergency fund for the foreseeable future,” another added.
Other millennials took to the comments and shared their advice.
“Cannot stress buying in bulk and buying EARLY. You don’t want to be in the stores when everyone is panicking. Get what you need to hunker down at home for a month — and then do it,” one person shared.
“We do not quit our jobs during recessions, and we always keep 6 months (4 months minimum) savings in our account. If you’re not in a recession-proof job, they fire the last ones in, so seniority matters,” another wrote.
“You gotta learn how to sew,” one person said in a video. “Sometimes your s–t breaks and you go, ‘Oh, no — now I have to buy new s–t.’ No, you don’t.”
“Get a public library card! Free everything. Books, programs, services, ebooks, etc.,” someone else advised.
Another suggested going dumpster-diving and trash-picking for goods that people throw away but are still perfectly usable.
“Rice, beans, honey, sugar, powdered milk, lentils, canned meat, canned vegetables, steel-cut oats,” another suggested.
“Stock buy on food your family will ACTUALLY eat. If you hate canned meat, don’t buy it, even [if] it’s an ‘I’ll eat if I’m starving’ type thing. Use your money where it is the most useful,” one commented.
Other tips included checking the fridge before grocery shopping, meal-prepping with what you already have, buying meat in bulk and freezing it, and working retail jobs as a side hustle.
