I've been seeing a lot of people, minimalist or not, sharing the products and experiences they're glad they invested in in 2020. Here, I talk through three products that I'm glad I invested in this year, though they were higher budget items that I'm used to. The idea of minimalism is to redirect your resources in effective ways, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the values that these three have provided me this past year. 

Today I come to you with a rather odd proposition: declutter gifts to honor the gift giver's intentions. I. talk through my personal example that involves a kindergartener in Petaluma, California, and tons of second-hand books. 

And here's a reminder that it's okay, of course, if you don't agree. I hope you take from this episode the spirit of sharing love and appreciation for others. 

The second Minimal Makeup Step is in the hair direction. From Backpacking Bananas (yes, you guessed it, another YouTuber)'-inspired Jojoba interests to Trader Joe's hair serum, options abound; here's how I try to minimize branch-like split ends and nourish my confused, thick and wavy/curly-ish hair. 

In this episode, I update you on what little habits I've been trying to kickstart (including, my Japanese-servant-leadership-emphasizing, Catholic-school-education-forbid, asserting myself!) before the New Years, and how those have been going <3 

I just watched a video by an actor (also one of my favorite YouTubers, Michel Janse) moving onto newer goals, and was thinking over how my personal goals are shifting. Thinking through your goals and adjusting them as life shifts IS minimalist - in this episode, I explain how that's the case and everything else going through my head surrounding goal setting and reframing productivity. 

Okay y'all. Series 2 of this podcast is on makeup, an art form might I dare say that I hope to continue to learn. Before my non-makeuped friends run away, might I dare remind you that this could be helpful for holiday, birthday, and pick-me-up gifts? Today, I go over brow-related products, talk through what I use, and what recommendations I've received. In all the makeup episodes, I'll also talk through in what direction I want to be moving to be more minimal and sustainable. 

Even in the dimension of snacking, I try (and, again, fail sometimes) to be more minimal or sustainable - whether it's in what I'm eating itself or what wrapping the snacks come in. Here's to baby steps. 

Santa might not be the only one making a list and checking it twice, you might be too. Got your new years resolution list ready? Why not get started on them now? Today I talk through how minimalism can frame a December kickstart to New Years resolutions, and how that can help set good habits on track.

The Episode + (unrelated to neighboring episodes) & .5 (related to previous/coming episodes) series are little side thoughts - they are more reflective than informative, side tracks a bit from minimalism but just some fun thoughts if you want to see more of the chaos that is my brain :) 

If you know me, you might know that I have a tendency to carry 2-3 water bottles - 1 for water, 1 for tea, and 1 for coffee. I also recently realized I have been holding onto a precious tea a friend gave me over a year ago; for those who don't take tea, you're supposed to go through your tea stock while they're fresh. Oops. In this episode, I talk through how I manage my frugal-ish, internationally-curated tea & coffee stash, and how I (fail to) keep the cost and clutter down.