Having gift swaps with friends before heading home? Having different gifting arrangements online this year? Today I talk through how to receive gifts with all the grace, becoming of a sustainability-minded minimalist. 

P.S. Did that sound fancy enough for a mantle with stockings? I sure hope so!

Here's a somewhat-aspirational, somewhat-realistic twist on what a minimal-yet-stressed morning can look like! Thinking about tomorrow morning already:)

This episode is almost a blooper, but I think adds to the mission of this podcast -to share a very real + human experience in minimalism. I talk through here somewhat of a mini, guilt-gilded haul if you will, and the minimalist elements within all that. You could call it an excuse of an episode, hence the .5! This episode reminded me that maybe I could do an episode on finances/being a college student/being on a restricted(ish) budget & minimalism. Thoughts? 

You might have heard of the Minimalism Challenge (I believe started by The Minimalists), which asks you to declutter 1 item the first day, 2 the second, 3 the third ... for a full month. Whether you're a college student, work full time, or care for a family, you may find that picking up 20-something items from your household a day would be too time-consuming. I did too. I've adapted the challenge to fit my schedule, and am reaching my end-of-month goal of decluttering 270 items since I started keeping rough count in August. Listen for more details! 

The Holiday-season got you semi-stressed and/or excited? I wanted to share with you my thoughts on how to gift give as a minimalist, or with the minimal-minded folks in your life. Confused about what to give your friend who seems to have nothing and yet need nothing? Trying to figure out how you can be a thoughtful gift giver in general? This episode is for you. 

The Friday after U.S. Thanksgiving is the Day for some, and it certainly is for me. There are definitely sales I've waited for, and purchased I've planned to make for, oh, I don't know, about six months. This is not a buy-nothing advocacy, but a realistic acknowledgment of the capitalism-driven material needs and desires- and how I'm finding a minimalist approach that fit the circumstances of this year's Black Friday. 

So. Your house is decked with joy. Next step (or rather, the year-long step for me) is getting those gifts in line - in my mind, gifting can be a minimal practice when you truly think through the receiver's experience. I talk a little bit about that mindset in this episode, and some versatile gifts that might fit a minimalist lifestyle. 

Also, I mention a Youtuber in this episode, Hannah Maute/Hannah Elise - she isn't in the minimalist/sustainable sphere, but she does walk through a cute mask making tutorial in one of her videos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XhI33chbzI

This week is launch week, and many of you might be new to this podcast. Start here! And I mean every word when I say - welcome, welcome to the chaos of my brain, thank you. Thank you for picking minimal moves, let's chat, let's collab, I'm so grateful for you. 

Also, I know that this year, there are a lot of people not headed home for holidays they might have spent with family and friends in previous years. If there's anything I know how, it's how to love holidays away from home. Please reach out, we can figure out how to bring elements of that ✨special✨ four letter word into your day today. Believe it or not, this is all a part of the minimalist mindset <3

This is an episode for after you declutter the season-specifics. What now? How do you brighten up your space? I talk through a couple of options that might help liven up your holiday festive space without it getting all-too event specific. This way, you can keep up the decor throughout the seasons and years without much thought or clutter, with all the more joy and ease. 

Today, I chatter on about Fall and Winter Holidays, and minimalist swaps you could do to make your holiday festivities a bit more sustainable and minimal. I also go on a rant about halloween (oops), please bare with me! Happy (possibly slightly early) Holidays, hope your favorites are good this year and you feel close to your loved ones, near and far.