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What is Deinfluencing? A New Word for Well-Known Good Habits.

Ellen Goodwin, Artifcts
April 16, 2025

We wrote today’s ARTIcles story months ago to save for a rainy day or lightning bolt of inspiration that would say now is when the Arti Community needs it most. As we now watch the mayhem of all things trade tariffs unfold, and we wonder about the future cost of our favorite electronics, sneakers, cars, toys, and 1000s of other products, we seem to have arrived at the perfect moment to take a hard look at our buying habits and reconsider how we spend those hard earned dollars. We hope this exploration of the concept of deinfluencing inspires you.

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Last weekend my husband trekked to IKEA of his own volition to buy an abundance of clear plastic bins with lids to use in our garage. As far as “love languages” go, this is one of his love languages in action.

Our garage is a mishmash of random bins of various materials and colors, cardboard boxes—a no-no in Texas because the many evil bugs here like to eat them—and uncontained stuff overflowing onto shelves. Being in our garage for more than a few minutes causes me something akin to physical pain, and it’s not just because it feels like it’s a 120-degree sauna 9 months of the year. The visual chaos overwhelms me.

Why Buy Storage Bins Instead of Getting Rid of Stuff?

Storage bins are a consumer product phenomenon of concern for many who worry that the more bins we buy, the more stuff we give ourselves permission to keep. And maybe with these bins we even lessen our need to routinely declutter if items are “out of sight, out of mind.” Arguably there’s less social pressure to declutter, too, if visitors to your home won’t even notice. Right?

Maybe. Maybe not. 

My husband certainly trimmed down and cleaned out his stuff as he filled the bins. And the clear bins he bought will happily end the visual chaos that bothers me. Plus, in this case, they are extremely practical. My husband spends a lot of time in the garage building his bikes—road, mountain, and cyclocross—as well as tinkering with his golf clubs and more. He even has as t-shirt, "I'll be in the garage." Knowing what he has in his inventory and easily spotting things he needs matters. 

Continue reading as we explore our reliance on bins from a different point of view: “deinfluencing.” Have you heard of it? Deinfluencers are out there in the social media sphere and want you to buy less stuff and put less pressure on the planet when you change your mind, forget you even bought it, or trends fade. While it may be a popular social media hashtag and buzzword we think it has valuable lessons to offer as we all take a fresh look at what we collect, accumulate, and inherit. Before you store it in those bins, before you even buy it, ask yourself: What is it, why does it matter, and what will I do with it next?

Deinfluencing Defined

The general idea of deinfluencing is to consciously choose to buy less and to better educate ourselves on the products we purchase. For many, this might include an eye toward more sustainable and ethical supply chains. For others it could be about product testing and safety above all else. Priorities vary.

The deinfluencing concept has apparently been dictionary-worthy for at least 5 years and may be just what saves you from your own worst buying habits. Or that’s the promise of it, I suppose.

Dictionary definition of deinfluencing

The deinfluencing concept only went viral in early 2023, with an especially large presence in all things beauty and lifestyle.

According to a December 2023 article by Vogue, “TikTok content creator  @sadgrlswag  helped to catapult the term into virality in January 2023, posting a video in which she railed against a long list of trendy accessories, devices, and even books. ‘I’m here to deinfluence you. Do not get the Ugg minis. Do not get the Dyson Airwrap. Do not get the Charlotte Tilbury Wand. Do not get the Stanley cup. Do not get Colleen Hoover’s books. Do not get the AirPods Pro Max.’”

Even mainstream media like Vogue, Time, NPR, The Today Show, and Business Insider picked it up from TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and elsewhere and broadcast to the likes of me, who tends to shun social media.

As I pondered this deinfluencing concept and the dilemma of plastic bins and my own buying habits, I asked my 14-year-old daughter, “Have you heard of deinfluencing?” And I got an immediate, “Yeah. You mean videos like, ‘Deinfluencing a Girl’s Favorite Products?’”

Yup, that’s EXACTLY what I mean.

Deinfluencing is Just a New Word for Well-Known Smart Habits

Deinfluencing is a concept that should transcend generations and sociodemographics, because it fits right in with a lot of smart habits as well as new year “new you” type goals:

      • Want to avoid overspending and/or stick to your budget? 
      • Find it challenging to control impulse buying?  
      • Feeling guilty about your own consumerism? 
      • Seeking to become a more conscious consumer?  
      • Skeptical of influencers, which added up to be a $16B industry in 2022, and perhaps think everything about influencers is artificial?

These are the underpinnings for the “deinfluencing.”

Ready to “Deinfluence” Yourself? Check Your Vulnerabilities First!

Try to deinfluence yourself by being more aware of what drives you to buy new bins, new stuff, or even hold onto the old stuff. And if any of the following resonates with you, grab a sticky note, and pop a note onto your laptop, tablet, or other obvious spot in your workspace, to help remind you of what traps you’d need to avoid when making your next purchase.

AESTHETICS SWAY YOU

You follow a certain well known interior designer, organizer, or other lifestyle guru, and love the fresh look they achieve with just a few new products. If you are going for a certain look, and this means swapping out old for new or just adding more, you’ve likely fallen into a consumer trap.

Now, as mentioned, sometimes containers are not doing their job well and create risks. In other cases, like the pain you might feel like I do when I’m in my garage, some sprucing up may make the space more usable and is well worth the conscious, well-considered choice you make to update or upgrade. 

COMFORT IN INVENTORY

How much inventory of anything do you actually need? We all got spooked by COVID and its disruption of usual supply chains but move back to thinking more practically. Maybe you only need one at a time and can replace it when it’s gone. Inventory can also be risky if the item has a limited shelf life. This risk factor applies to everything from plastic components of bikes to cosmetics. Even my 3M hooks are now trash because the sticky foam lost its stickiness before I used the whole pack. 

DRAWN TO "COLLECTIBLE" AND "LIMITED EDITION"

Watch out for those special editions and collector sets, brilliant marketing strategies because they work. Just ask Taylor Swift and her many iterations on the releases of her albums, some of which if combined create art for your wall. But if you’re trying to control spending on ‘stuff’ you really don’t need, claims from companies that something is an instant collectible or must-have limited edition may lead you astray. Make both no-gos or at least see a flashing yellow light in your mind to slow down and think again before purchasing.

“NEW!" IS ENTICING

I recently met a woman who told me that in her family, they have made buying secondhand as well as clever upcycling into a game. It’s a challenge. There’s no pride to be had in simply going online and buying it new. They scour locally at estate sales, consignment shops, and vintage stores as well as online in common marketplaces like eBay, Etsy, and Facebook Marketplace.

And here, I feel them. I recently bought salvaged industrial signs from a shop on Etsy and genuinely loved my purchase and felt happy that those signs didn’t just go into a landfill.

When In Doubt, Check Your Clutter

If you’re doubtful you fall into these clutter trappings, common fashion and beauty targets of influencers are not your thing, here’s one final strategy that might work for you: Scan your home to see what’s literally taking up space. And do not skip over the storage bins tucked in a closet or sideboard or out in the open on display on an overflowing shelf.

Let’s pick on candles. Popular enough that some people buy them like candy. And shops know it. You can now find small candles in under $5 sections as well as in the traditional candy section of checkout lanes. Being small, consumable, and available at a relatively low price point, candles are an easy add-on to your tab. Suddenly your collection is 20, 30, 40 strong, you never get to the bottom of any of those soy-based, take you back to Hawaii, feel-the-calm candles, and collectively they take up a lot of space!

Don’t scoff if you think your collections are somehow more valuable, less frivolous than candles. At least they help you get your om on! Last week at the airport, we overheard a man on a call saying, “I have a Redskins jersey. That’s going to be worth some money someday.” How many of you collect random stuff with this idea that one day it might be worth money?

Check your clutter, check your collections. All of it stands to be sneaky and consumes space and money.

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Ready to rethink your space and what's taking up room in it? We think these ARTIcles by Artifcts can help.

108 Objects to Declutter From Your Home

Collections of Dubious Value

So Much 'Stuff:' How They Suck Us In and How We Can Resist!

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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A Family History in Five Artifcts

It’s family history month, and if you had to, could you tell your family history in five Artifcts or less? Sound impossible? We weren’t sure, so we decided to put it to the test. 

We reached out to one of our super Artifcters, @Grandmom and asked her, if she had to choose just five Artifcts to tell her story, could she? And if she could, what five would she choose?  

Thankfully, @Grandmom was up for the challenge, although she did preface it by saying “Are you sure, just five? That’s all I get?” Yep, that all you get, at least for this ARTIcles story. “Well, good thing I have my timeline, at least I know where to start!”

Over to you @Grandmom to walk us through your family history, Artifct by Artifct. (The below excerpts are from an interview we did with Grandmom; the words in quotes are direct from the source!)

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GRANDMOM'S FAMILY HISTORY IN JUST 5 ARTIFCTS

Artifct #1: The Beginning

The Milking Chair My Grandfather Built

“Well, I guess I better start at the beginning, sometime in the 1860s. One of my oldest Artifcts is the milking chair my father’s father made his wife. They lived on a farm in southern Georgia. He built it for her because she was so short, that none of the regular chairs were a good fit. He built it right after the Civil War, I don’t think he used a single nail, only pegs. You don’t see that these days.” 

 

Artifct #2: Childhood in Rural Georgia

Mother's and Grandmother's Wash Boards

Next up? “Well, that would have to be Mother’s and Grandmother’s wash boards. I still have them after all my moves. We grew up in rural Georgia, and we didn’t have much back then, but Mother always made sure we were well dressed and presentable. I still remember her using these boards to do our laundry. I even used them when I was younger! It’s just what you did back then. I can’t imagine what the kids would do today if they had to use washboards. I can tell you; they probably wouldn’t do laundry!”   

Artifct #3: Traveling Far Far Away

Snake Tales

“The next one is one of my favorites—my snakeskin! I still remember [my friend] Shirley’s reaction, ‘I’m not going to do it Martha, you do it, you shoot the snakes!’” What makes the snakeskin so special? “It reminds me of all the crazy adventures and travels that Bobby [my husband] and I had when we were first married. I never could have imagined living overseas, or going on safari, or doing all the crazy things we used to do. I was telling [my granddaughter] about what we did back then, and she didn’t believe me at first. I had to show her the pictures AND the snakeskin. I was something back then!” For the record, we still think you’re something @Grandmom!   

Old photo of a group of people standing around a large dead snake

 
 

Artifct #4: Family Time

Our Trusty Station Wagon

“I guess my next Artifct would be our old station wagon, and the photo of the three boys [our sons] in the back. [It's a private Artifct.] Back then we didn’t use seatbelts; I’m not even sure if we had them in the way back! But man, those boys loved that station wagon; Bobby and I did too! We took it everywhere—Brazil, Europe. I still remember I once got a speeding ticket in Rio while driving the station wagon. I had never gotten a ticket before in my life! So many memories. I can still hear Bobby yelling at the boys to quiet down back there or else. The boys remember too!”  

Feeling inspired? Create a new Artifct!

Not a member yet? No problem! Sign up free to start Artifcting.

 

Artifct #5: Small Momentos of a Life Well Lived

International Spoon Collection

Sounds like travel and all your adventures overseas are a big part of your family history and story @Grandmom? “It was our life back then. We didn’t think twice about it when we were doing it, but it was what our family did. It’s what our boys remember. Living overseas teaches you so much. So, I guess my last Artifct would have to be my spoon collection.

I have one from every place I’ve ever lived or visited! I have at least two hundred! The one spoon I didn’t have until recently was Monrovia. I couldn’t find one when we were living there, but then Joy [my daughter-in-law] found one on Ebay and now my collection is complete! It’s amazing to think that had life been different, we could have stayed in Georgia. I know my boys are thankful we did not do that.” 

Souvenir spoons hanging on a wooden display rack

 
 
One of these is not like the other. Is that a spork in the spoon collection?

And there you have it! Five Artifcts; five stories; five memories of a life well lived and well-traveled. If you had to choose, what five objects would you Artifct to tell your story? You can write to us at editor@artifcts.com and let us know, we’d love to hear from you! 

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A very special thank you to @Grandmom for sharing her Artifcts and story with us. For those of you curious about this amazing woman, she lived to be 85, had three grown sons, 10 mostly-grown grandchildren, and had lived in six countries and traveled to well over 50. She was married to the “love of her life” for over 40 years and was proud to be her family’s keeper. Why did she Artifct? “To tell the histories and stories behind all my stuff. If I don’t the boys will have no way of knowing what is what.”

We thank @Grandmom's family for letting us reprint this ARTIcle (which originally ran in 2023) as a special tribute to her and the amazing life she lived.

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Estate Planning of Things

Over the last several years, there has been a movement in technology called the “Internet of Things.” This is the growing interconnection, via the internet, of computing devices embedded in everyday objects. At some point in the future, all our home and business technology are expected to be seamless and interconnected.  

In the past, estate planning has been solely or almost completely concerned about passing a person’s assets at death. It has not been connected to other parts of life and especially not connected to the parts of all our lives that have no monetary value: family history, legacy, values, etc. If the IRS does not value it, we often ignore it in estate planning.  

If the IRS does not value it, we often ignore it in estate planning

We need to start thinking about Interconnected Estate Planning to make estate planning more wholistically connected with our lives. Especially in this age of downsizing and decluttering, we need to start thinking about how we plan to transfer our things to our children, families, and friends in a way that transfers not just the title and ownership, but also transfers the “Why” so those people and others will understand the importance and the stories behind those assets. We also can think about making those transfers during life when we have the chance to assure the best stewardship of the items for the future.  

 
 
 
 
You can watch the full episode of Evenings with Artifcts: Modern Estate Planning here.

How do we start Interconnected Estate Planning? Many of us are paralyzed or overwhelmed and do not start estate planning until late in life, or – at worst – when it is too late. Among the negative thoughts I have heard are: 

  •  “I’ll just leave this to be handled after I am gone.” 
  • “My children/grandchildren/friends/family all know what I want and they will divide everything fairly.” 
  • “I do not want to make any decisions that might make people mad after I am gone.” 
  • “I don’t want to dwell on my own death.” 

In my experience, it is much better to make a plan than to leave the disposition of your estate to chance. Many estate planning attorneys, accountants, insurance professionals, and others who help to manage assets for estates have stories of families broken apart because the person who died was not clear about disposition. There are lawsuits that have dragged on literally for decades where beneficiaries argue about these assets… and not always the most expensive items. 

 In my experience, it is much better to make a plan than to leave the disposition of your estate to chance

Fortunately, there is a solution. Creating an interconnected plan can start with considering just a few items, and without even going to an attorney. By considering these items, you have the chance to answer the most important question your beneficiaries will have after you are gone: Why? Why are these items important? Why did she save that? Why does it matter? 

In one of the episodes of Evening with Artifcts, Jeff Greenwald said, “When you are giving an object away, it motivates you to tell the story. Stories don’t take up much space at all.” So, start with a small list of items you value. Title the list “Personal Property Memorandum” and state at the start that you intend this to be included in your current or any future Will, and date it. Make the list and consider why you think those items are worth giving away, what they mean to you, name the beneficiary, and describe what the item might mean to the beneficiary.  

Artifcts can be a great way to start organizing your thoughts. Once you have the items in Artifcts, you could print out the items, and use the printout as part of your Memorandum. With Artifcts, you can also write directly in the "In the Future” field that the object in question is to be given to a particular person.  

By considering who should get the items, you can decide whether to wait to give it away now, or make it part of your estate. As you make these decisions, just update your Memorandum (and Artifcts!) at any time. 

This is a simple way to pass along items with the most meaning in your life to those who can most benefit. 

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Looking for additional tips to help you tackle the estate planning of things? You might also enjoy:

Estate Planning & The Art of Artifcts

Insider's Look at What It Means to Clean Out an Estate

How Well Managed Is Your Family History Estate?

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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When Insurance Isn't Enough: Preserving What Truly Matters

Across the US, homeowners are watching their insurance premiums skyrocket. According to an analysis of insurance industry reports, average premiums have risen over 20% in the last year alone, with no signs of slowing. And when disaster strikes — from hurricanes and wildfires to floods and theft — insurance payouts can take three to six months or longer to be fully processed and received. 

Even when claims are approved, homeowners are often left grappling with another harsh truth: some things can be replaced, but many cannot. And often the things that cannot be replaced are the ones that we value most. They may not be the ones that hold the most financial value, but they certainly tend to hold a lof of what we call “heart value.” 

What’s a Needlepoint Pillow Worth? 

Let’s say your insurance company writes you a check for the fair market value of your damaged or stolen items. Refrigerator? Check, that’s easy. Sofa and loveseat, double check.  

But what’s the monetary value of Nana’s handmade needlepoint cushions that sat in her living room for decades? Or the vintage charm bracelet your mom wore every holiday? How about your child’s first fingerpainting, lovingly framed and hung in the hallway? 

The answer: There is no replacement cost high enough to recover the meaning of these items. And that’s why we Artifct. 

There is no replacement cost high enough to recover the meaning of these items

When Disaster Strikes, an Artifct Is Your Memory Vault 

Natural disasters don't give us time to prepare. But a digital record of your most sentimental belongings means you can prove ownership, document financial value (when possible), and most importantly — preserve the memories even if the object is lost. 

While insurance companies assess damage and estimate costs, your family won’t be left trying to remember what that cherished object looked like or where it came from. You’ll already have a rich, secure record, and a legacy to pass on. 

This October, we challenge you to Artifct the irreplaceable. Not everything in your home, just the things that would break your heart to lose. Start with: 

  • A family quilt with generations of history sewn into its fabric
  • The wedding china no one dares eat off of, but everyone remembers
  • Dad’s old fishing rod, full of childhood memories
  • A handwritten letter tucked in a book from someone long gone 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vintage Handwritten Love LetterClick on the image to view the Artifct, one of many irreplaceable items of this family's history.

At the end of the day, no insurance policy (or AI algorithm for that matter) knows what matters most or what items have the most heart value to you and your family.  

Your Family’s History Is Worth Saving 

As you celebrate Family History Month this October, don’t stop at genealogy charts and old photographs. Think about the physical items that tell your family’s story. Think about the why behind them. And give yourself (and future generations) the gift of preserving not only the item, but the history, stories, and memories that go along with it. 

Because in the end, your history is more than names and dates. It’s the objects you touch, the stories you tell, and the people you love. 

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Looking for additional tips to help you be prepared for all of life's what ifs? You might also enjoy:

Insurance & The Art of Artifcts

How to Choose the Right Home Inventory App for You

How a Simple Act Saved One Man's Most Valued Memory of His Dad

© 2025 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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